A few of the sketches from USk Kch’s DUN Sketchcrawl.
VISITORS passing by the old State Legislative Building (DUN) on May 4 between 9am and 10am must have felt rather perplexed to see a small group of people sitting quietly on the ground, scattered on the bare sidewalk and a small section of the well-kept grass lawn in front of the building.
After all, who, in their right mind in Malaysia, would sit voluntarily outdoors under the hot sun for long periods. What more, on a Sunday morning – that universal day of post-weekend partying recovery!
Yet, more than a dozen members of Urban Sketchers Kuching (USk Kch) did not think twice about braving the escalating heat of the morning sun to capture the stately glory of one of Sarawak’s most well-known architectural landmarks on paper during their monthly Sketchcrawl.
Yes, you read that right – on paper.
In this day and age when digital cameras and smartphones are increasingly affordable – thanks to technological advances and mass production – more and more people are arming themselves with these high-tech devices to take instant digital photos of anything and everything that catches their attention.
The millions of photos uploaded online on social network and photo-sharing sites everyday are testament of how consumers have embraced the instant gratification of being able to take and share photos of people, events and experiences in real time.
On the flipside, it has become a growing rarity to encounter individuals who feel just as comfortable with a sketchpad and various drawing utensils to visually reproduce and share what they see – a so-called low-tech approach which seems slow and tedious in comparison with its faster, sleeker cousin.
So why bother sketching when it’s more convenient just to whip out a camera and click away?
A peek-over-the-shoulder view of Peggy’s freehand pen sketch of DUN.
Different view
Sketching has a number of advantages, not least of which is that it makes the artist take notice of details they might otherwise have missed if they were merely taking a photo, according to Peggy Wong, one of the three founding members of USk Kch.
The other two are architecture university student Azy Yanti and award winning designer and architect Wee Hii Min.
Peggy is also an architect by profession but emphasised that sketching is a very accessible hobby that anyone can take up, regardless of whether they studied art or not.
“Sketching can be done anytime, anywhere, by anyone. All you need is something to draw on and something to draw with,” she said, quashing the perception that sketching is only for the artistically talented.
USk Kch was set up in September 2012 as the local chapter of Urban Sketchers (USk). Founded by journalist and illustrator Gabriel Campanario, USk (www.urbansketchers.org) is an online community and non-profit organisation with chapters and members worldwide.
USk describes itself as dedicated to raising the artistic, storytelling and educational value of location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world who draw on location where they live and travel.
USk Kch welcomes people to join as long as they agree with and follow the Urban Sketchers’ manifesto of sketching what they see on location at that point in time. The subject matter is left up to the individual – buildings, objects, animals, people, landscapes, plants and flowers.
“It’s always interesting to see what other people come up with as everyone has a personal style. Each person sees things differently because certain elements will attract their attention more. Thus, every sketch is unique.
“There is no right or wrong style – just how you see the world and how you tell the story. Everyone sees interesting things in different ways,” Peggy said, explaining that a sketch can reveal just as much about the artist as it does about the scene, person or object the artist is drawing.
The DUN Sketchcrawl is just one of many outings to various places of interest which USk Kch members have organized so far this year.
“We’ve been to a few places already, including Siniawan. We have our monthly official outings and ad-hoc outings as and when, but we’ll publish it to members via our Facebook group as it is the easiest way to reach ppl these days,” Peggy shared.
For many individuals, sketching is mostly a solitary pursuit, so sketchcrawls or sketchwalks can be a great way to meet other like-minded people as well as introduce new locations and interesting subjects.
“Sketching takes on a different energy and dynamic in a group setting. For one, it helps to motivate as well as get the creative juices flowing as one can see what other people’s drawings and personal styles are like,” Peggy pointed out.
Among the participants in the recent sketchwalk was professional artist Yeo Suh Chan, 50. Undeterred by the heat, she took less than an hour to produce a beautifully detailed pen drawing of the DUN on her sketchpad.
“It makes me feel good to sketch nice things. I feel happy as I like to draw,” she told thesundaypost via sign-language, with Peggy acting as the interpreter.
Like Yeo, many of the urban sketchers on the DUN Sketchwalk opted to sketch with ink as their medium of expression but in fact, there are very few restrictions on what drawing instruments an individual can use.
They run the gamut from the usual mediums such as colour pencils, pencils, markers, and watercolours to the less conventional like coffee stains and ink blots. It is also common to mix up various mediums depending on the final effect the artist is aiming for.
The proliferation of smartphones, tablets and sketching apps also meant sketching had also gone digital, Peggy pointed out.
“The only conditions are that they must start with a blank page – no tracing, no copying – and done on-site,” she said.
Yeo Suh Chan proudly holds up her finished sketch of the DUN. She completed the detailed pen sketch in less than an hour using freehand.
Personal style and pace
Joining groups like USk is a good way for beginners to improve their sketchings, according to 22-year-old multi-media design student Ooi Jiunn Jye.
Ooi from Johor first got interested in sketching two years ago – thanks to his university coursemate 22-year old Yon Man Man.
He still remembers feeling nervous and apprehensive about sharing his drawings with other people when he first started, but it has become a hobby he draws a lot of enjoyment from.
“It did feel a bit intimidating at first as I was not really good in drawing and I had a lot of things to improve on. But now I feel I have gotten better. People don’t criticise.
“Sketching is not like design and art as you can just draw without worrying about what people are going to say, so there is less pressure (to be perfect). I really enoy it,” he explained.
Man Man, who has been sketching as a hobby since she was in school, sketches anywhere whenever she has the time.
“I sketch about my life – where I go and what I eat. I find it lets me know and enjoy the details more closely. When you’re taking photos, you lose that aspect,” she shared.
For both Ooi and Man Man who have visited various locations in and around Kuching on personal as well as USk Kch sketchwalks, sketch books can also serve as visual diaries and scrapbooks.
Mementos such as entry tickets, wrappers and receipts are often glued or taped to various pages to add to the memory of the experience.
“When we go travelling, we can also use different sketchbooks for different locations. Whenever we want to remember what we did or where we went in a particular country, we can just take out our books and relive the memories through our drawings,” Man Man said.
Whenever possible, they would also try to meet up with members of USk chapters of the various places they were visiting and join in their activities, added Man Man, who is also a member of USk Penang.
Ooi encouraged newcomers and burgeoning sketchers to not be afraid to share their works with others.
“A lot of people are shy because they think their works are not good enough. Don’t judge yourself – be brave to share,” Ooi said.
Peggy agrees.
“That’s why a lot of urban sketchers share their works online via blogs, Flickr, Facebook, Instagram and other social media.
“Sometimes, we get people coming on sketchwalks who are afraid to show what they have drawn. However, the purpose is not to compare but share people’s individual styles and see what elements you would like to incorporate into your own.
“For example, one person’s style may be very detailed but they admire others with the ability to sketch a whole picture with just a few lines.
“Be open to feedback on how you can improve, but at the same time, always remember that you have your own style and be open to sharing it with others,” she said.
USk Kch’s next Sketchcrawl will be on the first Sunday of June. To find out more about the group, search for Urban Sketchers Kuching on Facebook or visit their blog at http://urbansketchers-kuching.blogspot.com.