Paul is an Interior Architecture & design graduate from Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore and continued with a National Arts Council scholarship to study Technical Theatre in Brisbane, Australia. His passion for teaching has become a natural extension of his creativity. As an art and design educator, he has taught visual arts at the Singapore International School in Hong Kong and is currently an adjunct lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic’s school of design in Singapore. Other than teaching students, he also conducts regular urban sketching workshops.

His sketches are bursting with dramatic colours. His strokes and splashes may look spontaneous but are highly choreographed. Paul’s distinctive style of vivid colours and convoluted details seeks to tell a story behind each sketch. On-location sketching has become his unique way of encapsulating the fast changing urban landscape in his home town of Singapore and around the region.

DISCOVERY WORKSHOPS

This series of carefully sequenced and crafted workshops aims to help you become more playful and curious in your creative journey. Every time you open your sketchbook, an exciting adventure awaits you.

These process-driven workshops are designed to help you meander and move away from a fixed point of view so that we can rediscover the joys of playing with familiar art tools and materials. The workshops will move from simple ideas to complex concepts so as to challenge our thinking. As we learn to play and experiment, we also focus on creating new possibilities and celebrate the freedom our art brings. Get ready to dance between freedom and control.

With this explorative play-based approach, students will be encouraged to constantly question, experiment and cultivate their unique expressive voice through drawing and painting. Through this immersive experience we learn how to think independently inside, around and outside the ‘box’.

Experience immersive and experiential learning through play.

Strengthen our ability to pay attention, see beyond the surface and become more aware of self and our changing environment through our art.

Learn how to wonder and wander creatively with our sketchbooks.

Develop an adaptive and transformative mindset to elevate our creative journey.

Rediscover and experiment with familiar and new art techniques/concepts and make them more relevant to our art practice.

Increase confidence and expressiveness in our sketching and painting.

Learn how to turn happy accidents into opportunities.

General Workshop structure

A. Warm-up & Recapitulate

B. ADOPT & learn techniques/concepts

C. ADAPT & Transform

D. APPLY & Personal Practice

E. Show & Share

Revised: 6th June 2024

DRAWING & MARK-MAKING Tools

Pencils (2B & 6B) & Sharpener

Drawing Pen, Fountain Pen (with permanent ink)

Coloured pencils or Watercolour Pencils (Assorted colours suitable for tropical landscapes).

A few wax crayons (assorted colours)

OPTIONAL:

Coloured markers (Permanent or Water-soluble)

Permanent Drawing Ink (Black, Brown or Blue)

PAINTS & ACCESSORIES

Watercolour

-Your favourite colours from any major brands (do include a few dark brown, blue & green colours)- Squeeze paints into your travel palette pans & allow to dry.

- You may wish to bring additional tubes of essential colours for top up during the trip.

Round Watercolour brushes - I large & 1 small. (Size 6 & 8 are good sizes).

Additionally you can bring along your waterbrushes.

Water containers, small spray bottle, paper towel.

PAPER

A4 or A3 Sketchbook (suitable for watercolour - Hot or Cold pressed paper).

Loose watercolour paper - Approximately A4 size, 4 x COLD pressed & 4 x HOT pressed.

Sturdy Drawing Board & Clips

OTHER

Quick dry liquid GLUE or Glue stick, masking tape & Scissors.

Urbansketching Supplies: Small portable chair, Hat, Inspect Repellent, Sunglasses.

If you are new, these are the Suggested Watercolours for your palette.

*All colours by Daniel Smith

Hansa Yellow Deep

Transparent Pyrrol Orange

Permanent Alizarin Crimson (alt. Carmine)

Sap Green (alt. Undersea Green)

Cerulean Blue Chromium

French Ultramarine (alt. Ultramarine)

Indigo

Transparent Brown Oxide (alt. Transparent Red Oxide)

Lunar Black

Paul is an Urban Sketchers’ correspondent for Singapore (since 2010) and is currently serving as an advisory board-member for the International Urban sketchers organisation. He has conducted workshops at the annual Urban Sketchers Symposiums multiple years in a row, and attracts a large following. He is a popular, well respected Sketch tutor worldwide.

Anna and Paul hosted a Hoi An Retreat in June 2019 and a Central Vietnam Tour in January 2023. After highly successful experiences, they decided to host another. A new itinerary in the same beautiful country will please both returning guests, and those of you who wish to come for the first time. Paul has previously captured the essence of Hoi An and beyond beautifully on solo trips, and is highly experienced with sketching SE Asian locations. He is a lover of good food and Anna looks forward to him sharing his passion with us.