Armenian Street in Georgetown, Penang

Armenian Street is one of the historical street in Penang, where it was preserved with various famous heritage buildings. Cheah Kongsi is one of the building located at Armenian Street. If you are interested in knowing the history of Armenian Street, check out this page.


Armenian Street, Buncho Oil Pastel on white drawing paper

I remember I bought some print Penang building sketch postcard for my friend as a birthday gift. The sketch was done by charcoal for the buildings outline and with watercolor for foreground and background. I love those building sketch, which it inspire me to try this sketch.

First, I sketch the building with gray OP, but I purposely paint the flag, the round signboard and the streetlight with brighter color for the contrast to the old building because they are all newly added in recent years. Then, I apply pearl color on foreground for the buildings and background for the sky and clouds. With some marking done in gray for the darker parts of the clouds.

At last, I work out the outline with black, as well as adding gray and pear orange for the blends and shades. This is consider experimental, because I uses pale color for foreground and background but I express the buildings with dark outline. And I use less than 10 colors for the entire sketch.

Leisure sketch

I usually sketch my art by using color pencil consequently applying oil pastel. Yesterday, while waiting for the visit of my friend, I feel like having a leisure sketch. Therefore, I simple grab a piece of scrap paper left over on my desk and straight away sketch it with my Buncho oil pastel.

The first sketch object is my red helmet, which it is the first object that drags my attention. With no initial color pencil sketch, with no wasting time on choosing accurate color and measuring the object size, it took me about 5 - 10 minutes to finish the entire sketch.



As I looked at it that time, wow! it is not bad at all. So I decided to do another one, this time is my bonsai.



Out of sudden, I realized a problem! Hey! those papers are actually waited to be throw, now I have turn it into an art, It is a waste if I throw it away now.

With the success of those sketch, I picked a complex object for my next sketch. It is my bed that position near the window.



I finished up my scrap paper, but still I feel like doing another one. I found a piece of laundry receipt left on my desk, ^^ hehe.



It took me little time to sketch, but the outcome is astonish. I think I will do more leisure sketch in the future.

Chinese Brush Styles Oil Pastel Landscape

I have done another oriental painting, this time I use Chinese Brush painting as my reference. Check out original painting is HERE.


一叶轻舟万重山

I painted this on a smooth and opaque surface. Yes, it is tracing paper. I discovered more about oil pastel on tracing paper. My tracing paper is very thin, therefore when I place it on a coarse surface such as wood table, it does help me work out the texture. Nature of tracing paper allows me to erase my mistakes by using eraser. In contrast, finished work have to be taken serious care to prevent scratches.

I am quite happy with the outcome I had achieved, it does express the "artistic conception" (意境).

Oil Pastel on Tracing Paper

This is an experimental painting, I applied oil pastel on opaque tracing paper.

The initial painting looks like this:


I realized that the smooth surface of the tracing paper is rejecting oil pastel from blending and layering, therefore with few strokes I finalized the painting. My intention is to make the daisy smile, good thing of tracing paper is, I manage to use tortillion to work out the daisy petals.



I think this is not so bad, I think tracing paper are suitable for oil pastel painting that does not rely on blending.

Experimenting on white embossed coarse linen paper

I bought a white embossed coarse linen paper. It is the first time I work on this kind of paper. The paper is made of high quality acid free cotton fibre, the surface's texture is canvas alike.

The size is 12 x 9 inches, and I am using cray-pas expressionist oil pastel.

First of all I use 7B pencil to sketch the objects before painting it.



Serious Mistake!! As I shouldn't use soft graphite pencil like 7B. The graphite had blended with oil pastels and produces dirty color.



I am regret of using 7B pencil, but as it is already started, I decided to complete it. And here is the outcomes.



Anyway, It looks better in physical form, but I am not happy with it.

I have learned a lesson, if I do it again, I gonna use oil pastel pencil, color pencil or harder graphite like 4H or above.