Sketching around Fullerton (30 Dec 2014)

The cloudy weather in Singapore continues. At least it didn't rain today.

Today, I switched back from using Sennelier to this mixed palette of Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith. I haven't been using this palette for a long time and I've to say that I've forgotten what some of the colours are, specifically. LOL.

This was the first sketch. The Frangipani tree reminded me of another one that I saw in Bali. I left out many branches because I lost concentration minutes into the sketch. I'm now using the Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook. So far so good, but I'm not sure if I like the off-white surface. It's 270gsm so it handles water quite well but it's not as absorbent as cotton paper that's for sure.

I was trying out a new sketch pen, the Pentel Tradio Stylo. It's good but certainly not worth its expensive price. I'll provide a detail review soon.

These are two quick variation of the same scene. The colour combination is a bit weird because I don't know exactly what colour I was using. It can be quite fun to try colours you're not used to or have never tried before. During my recent Bali trip, I ran out of paint that I normally use and had to switch to another set of primary colours. I found out that I like the new colour palette more than my original!

Last sketch of the day. I seldom attempt a gradated wash and I didn't quite like this one. You can see different layers of gradation. It's either my technique or the paper.

I was trying out my friend Paul's Escoda Optimo brush and it was silky on the paper, and soft like baby's skin. Wonderful. Very comparable to Rosemary sable pocket brushes which I like very much.