Pastel portrait of pet dog

A4 size portrait of a pet dog.
Medium used: Soft-pastel on coloured paper.
Client's purpose: Personal collection.

Soft-pastel is the medium I like most when it comes to paint furry subjects. It can be blended & the effect is stunning,so realistic yet artistic. This piece of work is my favourite pet portrait so far. The client was a tourist couple who came & ordered it during their second visit to Singapore. Fully paid for before heading back to New Zealand. After completion of the portrait, I posted it to them via register mail service.

On-site caricature service on board Orient Express train

Wah!! What am I doing here wearing this suit? Looks like a minister,huh.
In Dec 2007, I was hired by ESPN (TV Sports Channel) to do a 5-hour caricature show at their annual dinner on board an Orient Express train, where everybody was wearing either a suit or tuxedo, no casual wear was allowed. It travelled to somewhere in the middle of Johor & return to Singapore without stopping. It was quite fun & a good experience being on board an expensive train ride. I heard a ride to Thailand would cost easily a thousand sg dollars, wow! So fortunate of me to be selected to do this event. That guy in the picture above is the host of ESPN's 'Nokia Football Crazy' programme. If I'm not wrong, his name is Andy Panders or something.

Oil painting of Bugis Street,Singapore

A3 size oil painting of Bugis St. in the 70s.
Medium used: oil paint on canvas board.
Artist's purpose : For sale

This is the second piece of my oil painted work among a series of paintings on Singapore's places of interest & a limited edition sold to a Art Gallery.

Caricature of Energy 4 Ever

A3 size caricature of boy band Energy 4 Ever

Medium used: Black marker pen on white paper.

Client's purpose: Personal interest.

This piece of work was ordered by the band's fan. It can be printed on T-shirts using the silk-screen method.

Live portrait sketching done in Far East Plaza Singapore

A4 size live portrait sketching.
Medium used: Pencil/Graphite.
Customer's purpose: Personal interest.

Another live sketch done recently of a tourist from Kuwait. Very macho indeed.It took me around 20 minutes to complete. His features are very sharp & quite easy for me to capture the likeness.

Edmund Chen & company at Far East Plaza

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy5VOcE4laM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcj4ZeYHZa0

There are many celebrities sighted in Far East Plaza. Among them are Kumar, Sam & Ricky Hui, Patricia Mok, Ivy Lee, Fann Wong,Fandi Ahmad & so on. Today, I just happen to have my camera in hand, I saw Edmund Chen with some other artistes & managed to record one happening at the atrium of FEP. I guess they were shooting a TV advertisement for Bioskin. This video footages & pictures are not related to my work, just for your entertainment only. From now on, whenever there is a chance, I'll draw out my handycam or camera to record any celebrities sighted here as well as elsewhere & post them in my blog just for fun. Enjoy lah!

Oil painting of Smith Street, Singapore

A3 size painting of Smith St. in Chinatown.
Medium used: Oil paint on canvas board.
Purpose: For sale.

This oil painting is a rare piece painted by me.It's the first piece among a series of paintings on Singapore's places of interest & a limited edition sold to a Art Gallery. Well, as far as I know, paintings like this doesn't worth much if the artist is still alive. It will be worth millions when I'm no longer in this world. That's why people say artists are poor, too bad :-(
So, do invest your money into this type of paintings,who knows, one day you will be a millionaire when I say bye bye... !-)

Illustration of a green dragon

A3 size drawing of a green dragon.

Medium used: Colour Pencil on white paper.

Client's purpose: Unknown.

Dragon drawing is something I've never done before. The customer provided me with a picture of the same dragon but it was in red colour. He requested to change the colour to a green one instead. My job was only copying directly from his picture. Although it's not my interest to draw something like this,I decide to give it a try.The result was quite satisfying as this is my first dragon drawing.

Live caricature done at a birthday event at Ritz Carlton Hotel Singapore

A4 Caricature done recently for one of the guests of the birthday person.
Medium used: Black marker on white paper.

This is the type of caricature I do during company function, D & D, party, road show etc. Most of the clients prefer this type of outline drawing 'cos it's the fastest way of drawing & more people can be drawn too. To achieve this sort of quality, the time taken is around 5 to 6 minutes per head. Meaning, around 10 faces can be caricatured in an hour. I consider the quality as reasonably good compared to the time I took to complete it. However, some event organisers who hire caricaturists for their shows think that my speed is too slow.
They ask for 20 or 30 faces drawn in an hour. Some even ask for 50 (aiyo!!). It's value for their money,yes I do agree, but how about the quality? It's not that I can't do such a speedy job, the main thing is I don't wish to see my drawings end up filling the trash bin at the end of the events. If that happens, there is no point in doing it. I need to maintain the reputation as one of the top caricaturists in Singapore.
Just imagine, if you are the client who want to entertain & give a souvenir to your guests during your event or party, what they get are drawings that don't resemble them at all, how do you feel? (not 'lau kui' meh???). Although I may not be perfect to score full marks, what I could offer is at least 70% resemblance level consistently. The issue is quality verses speed,which one do you prefer? Iiiiiiiiiiiit's yourrrrrrr choice...........

Caricature done 'live'.

A4 caricature of a Singaporean young man.
Medium used: Color Pencil on white paper.
Type: Face only.
Customer's purpose: Personal interest.

When I describe this type of caricature as 'face only',I don't draw only the face. Usually I go the extra mile to add a little bit more,right down to shoulder level with a hand gesture.
Nowadays, I seldom draw people 'live' at my studio simply because I have too many express orders as well as backlogs to catch up. If you're thinking of getting a 'live drawing done, you can always drop by to check whether I'm available to do it at that particular moment. I may disappoint you if I've to rush my so-called express orders. So, I suggest it's better for you to bring a photo & place an order. Alternatively, I can take a photo of you on the spot with no extra charge. Normal order at this period in time will take approximately 1 to 2 weeks to complete,depending on my workload.

Shooting of Channel-8 Chinese drama series

In 2007, MediaCorp Singapore hired me for an hour to shoot a Chinese drama series about CID. They shot only my hand drawing a murder suspect. The character of the CID was played by actor Terence Cao. My job was to sketch that suspect on the spot. Of course Terence's face was shown on TV, not mine.It's a good experience being able to watch the making of a TV drama.The above videos were recorded using my Sony 6 mega pixel camera after my service was rendered. Too bad I couldn't shoot any of myself doing the sketching as I didn't have anybody to assist me then, sayang lah...

This is the murder suspect whom I sketched.It was an easy job as I didn't have to draw his eyes.

This is the main actor,Chen Hanwei.

This is Terence Cao (left) whom I lend my hand to. In turn, he lent me the watch he was wearing so that it look like his.

Pastel painting done from picture

A2 size painting of an ancient chinese emperor on horse.
Medium used: Soft Pastel on paper.
Client's purpose: Personal Collection.

Apart from portrait & caricature art, I paint all sorts of stuff from clients' request. Usually they would provide me with a picture & ask me to paint accordingly into a large piece of work. This service has no standard pricing as it depends on how complicated the work involved is. I would estimate how much time do I need to complete it before quotation is given.

Portrait Studio Singapore- Past & Present

This is Portrait Studio in 1998 , set up in the midst of the financial crisis. It was quite empty when I first started. Just couldn't think of what to put in this half shop in Far East Plaza (the one just beside Hyatt Hotel, not Far East Shopping Centre). On the left side wall, I pasted some of my portrait samples & on the left was totally empty 'cos at that time, I had no idea what caricature really was. After learning the art of caricature or cartoonistic portrait by observation, I managed to fill up the blank.

This is Portrait Studio today.It's a world of difference after a decade in business.Fully established with every inch of the space being fully utilized too.Situated on the level 2 of FEP, just opposite the ever popular handphone shop 'Mobile Square'.This is where over 4 thousand masterpieces being produced by this guy with folded arms !-). Notice the wall on the left, it's now full of caricature samples.Being able to survive 3 major economic crisis along the way speaks volume. Hopefully PS will still be here till the next decade & beyond.

Portrait sketching done live at Portrait Studio Singapore

This couple came for holiday from Dubai. They save the last day of their stay in Singapore to have a portrait sketch by me before flying back home.The husband was easier for me to capture the resemblance but not his wife. Pretty women always give me the pressure to perform 'cos they're more demanding than men.Too old cannot lah, too fat cannot lah & so on...alamak! So ngiow...Anyway, they accepted them happily & left with a souvenir that cost S$35 each from Singapore.

This lady told me that she wanted to bring this portrait masterpiece back home to London.

If she didn't say so, I thought she was a local as she looks too Singaporean to me. So do not judge a book by it's cover.During the session, she kept telling me to draw her at least 10 years younger. What do you think ?

This young girl is from Turkey, I guess, 'cos she couldn't really speak English. We used sign language instead.Not even her father who came with her could communicate well with me. Upon completion,they just paid S$35 & went off. That's what matters most,right?

These are a few live portraits I did recently for some tourists at my shop in Far East Plaza. The medium I used was pencil or graphite on A4 size paper. For live sketching,this is the only medium I offer. the reason is that it's the fastest as I cannot spend too much time on the subject otherwise they would doze off in my shop. Approximate time of completion is 20 mins.FYI, I've not been sketching live for sometime 'cos I've got too many backlogs to catch up.I'm referring to those orders to be drawn from customers' photographs. I only agree to do it only when I'm not too busy & these people got the chance to witness my artistic hand at work.

If you're thinking of bringing a photogragh for me to draw on the spot, I'm afraid I may have to disappoint you 'cos to draw from photos, it needs more time & the result is of course better. I would suggest that you make an order & wait for around 1 to 2 weeks for collection. Express service is available if you need it in a hurry.You can call me to check the rate.

Group caricature of muscle boy & his two sisters

A3 size caricature of 3 siblings.
Medium used: Colour Pencil.
Type: Face with cartoon body.
Client's purpose: Birthday gift.

Group caricature of body builders of California Fitness Singapore

A3 size caricature of muscle men & a woman.
Medium used: Colour Pencil.
Type: Face with cartoon body.
Client's purpose: Farewell gift for the woman.

Individual caricatures done from photos for Exxonmobil Chemical Singapore

A4 size caricature with background of a tanker & plant.Hey,this guy likes lollipop too.
Medium used: Colour Marker.
Type: Face with cartoon body & background.
Client's purpose: Farewell gift.

A4 size caricature with background of a chemical plant.
Medium used: Colour Marker.
Type: Face with cartoon body & background.
Client's purpose: Farewell gift.

A4 size caricature with Asia Pacific background.
Medium used: Colour Marker.
Type: Face with cartoon body & background.
Client's purpose: Farewell gift.

Exxonmobil Chemical is my regular customer. Whenever there is somebody leaving the company, they would have a caricature done for him or her. Here are 3 pieces done in 2007 & I'll be posting more of their caricatures from time to time. Do come back & view more...

Portraits of Mr Robinson's pets painted from photographs

Portraits depict: Mr Robinson's dogs .
Size: A4

Medium used: Watercolour on white paper.
Client's purpose: Personal collection.

Mr Robinson is a dog lover who has so far done 5 paintings of his pets but none for himself. To him, I'm a very good dog artist who can capture the likeness of all his dogs. He likes those paintings to be painted with watercolour medium only. I took the opportunity to practise & sharpen my skill on this medium.There are 2 more such artworks which I will be posting soon, so if you are a dog lover like Mr Robinson, feel free to drop by again to view more.

Watercolour paintings done from black & white photographs

Size: A3
Painting depicts: Son of Mr & Mrs Matthews.
Medium used: Watercolour on white paper.
Client's purpose: For rememblance of their beloved son

who passed away during WW2.




Size: A3
Portrait depicts: Parents of Mrs Matthews.
Medium used: Watercolour on white paper.
Client's purpose: As a surprise gift for her sister Mrs Gilmore.

The Matthews came for holiday together with Mrs Gilmores & made an order at the same time.This was their second order.Fully paid for them before moving on to other destinations & finally back home to England. After completion of the paintings, I sent them via registered mail service together with Mrs Gilmores' painting in a postage tube. Upon receiving,they sent me the above letter of appreciation(shown above) & of course they were extremely happy with the result, especially the transformation from their 'black & white' photographs to coloured paintings.

Pet portraits done from photographs

Portraits depict: Pets of Mrs Gilmore.

Size: A3

Medium used: Watercolour on white paper.

Client's purpose: Personal collection.

These portraits were ordered by Mrs Gilmore who was on holiday in Singapore in 2005. She lives in Ireland & was recommended to me by her sister Mrs Matthew who did a portrait some years back. Fully paid upon ordering. The completed portraits were then posted to her via registered mail service in a tube. Duly received & of course she was very happy with the result.

Portrait of a couple

A3 size portrait of a couple.
Medium used: Pencil on off white paper.
Client's purpose: For display during their wedding dinner.

Portrait of a couple

A3 size portrait of a couple.
Medium used: Charcoal stick on off white paper
Client's purpose: A memorable gift for his girlfriend .

Portrait of a Indian wedding couple

A3 size portrait of a Indian couple.

Medium used: Oil paint on canvass.

Client's purpose: A gift for her husband.

Portrait of a wedding couple

A2 size portrait of a couple.
Medium used: Charcoal stick on off white paper.
Client's purpose: A wedding gift .

Portrait of a couple

A3 size portrait of a couple.
Medium used: Pencil on off white paper.
Client's purpose: Wedding gift.

Group caricature for Micromotion/RFD Singapore

A3 size group caricature of 15 persons with Mount Everest background.
Medium used: Black marker pen on white paper.
Type: Face with cartoon body for the main subject & face only for the rest.
Client's purpose: Farewell gift for the main subject.

Group caricature for Keppel Logistics Singapore

A3 size group caricature of 13 persons.
Medium used: Colour pencil on white paper.
Type: Face with cartoon body for the main subject & face only for the rest.
Client's purpose: Farewell gift for the main subject.

Black & white shaded caricature

A3 size caricature with countries related to the subject's working environment.
Medium used: Gray marker on white paper.
Type: Face with cartoon body & background.
Client's purpose: Farewell gift for her superior.

Individual caricature

A3 size caricature
Medium used: Colour marker on white paper.
Type: Face with cartoon body & background.
Client's purpose: Farewell gift for her colleague.

Group caricature

A3 size caricature with pet.
Medium used: Colour marker on white paper.
Type: Face only.
Client's purpose: Birthday gift for her best friend.

Group caricature for ABN Amro Bank Singapore

A3 size caricature of F1 enthusiast.
Medium used: Black marker pen & colour pencil on white paper.
Type: Face with cartoon body & background.
Client's purpose: Birthday gift for the subject.

Individual Caricature

A4 size caricature of Bamm the body builder.
Medium used: Colour Pencil.
Client's purpose: Personal Interest.

Individual Caricature

A4 size caricature of a busy boss.
Medium used: Colour Marker
Client's purpose: A gift for her boss.

A4 size caricature of wedding couple.
Medium used: Colour Marker.
Type: Face & cartoon body.
Client's purpose: To be printed on their wedding invitation card.

Wedding Caricature

A4 size caricature of wedding couple.

Medium used: Colour Marker.

Type: Face & cartoon body.

Client's purpose: To be printed on their wedding invitation card.