Books and Publications

In 2015, Singapore celebrated her 50th Jubilee year. I was commissioned to produce a collection of sketches of all the public swimming pools past and present to celebrate this under-represented heritage of our country. Over many weeks I visited all the public pools on the island to sketch them (mostly) on-location, and drew the ones that have since been closed from photographs. The result was this book of over 30 sketches done in different styles with different media documenting the history of public swimming pools in Singapore.

The second edition of 50 Metres: Our Swimming Pools was titled Great Lengths: Singapore's Swimming Pools. Most of my sketches were featured in the book which was expanded with more photographs and interviews. While my sketches were not as much the focus as the first book, the new material made this edition much more informative as more of our swimming history was featured.

The first volume of Urban Sketchers Singapore's collection of sketches was launched in 2011, the year before I joined the group. I couldn't miss the chance to be in the second book. Each of the many contributors submitted four sketches together with a short story about each sketch. The sketches were grouped according the locations they were drawn in Singapore: North, South, East, West, Central. The book is a collection of personal stories and sketches of places close to our hearts.

Our NeighbOURhoods was a series of nine booklets published by Epigram, each featuring one neighbourhood in Singapore. It was a collaboration with Urban Sketchers Singapore featuring the works of many different sketchers using different media and their unique styles. I contributed sketches to all nine books. Some of the titles are still available for sale in selected bookshops and at the Epigram web store.

Also launched in 2015 was Let's Draw! Singapore. For this project, a sketchbook was passed from sketcher to sketcher, each holding on to the book for a week to sketch a scene before passing it on to the next sketcher. It was a really fun project. We completed at least two sketchbooks worth of sketches.  I took four mornings before work to sketch the scene from the roof garden of Fusionopolis where I was working at the time. I worked in pencils. The piece can be viewed here.

This graphic novel which was commissioned by the Methodist Church in Singapore tells the story of the life of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism in full colour. I did the research, wrote the script, and drew the illustrations. The project took about two years to complete and chronicles the life of the 18th-century evangelist and his associates as spiritual revival overtook England and America. Wesley's story with its ups and downs over the course of his long and illustrious life is told in engaging style. Working on a graphic novel of this scale was for me a dream come true.

The behind-the-scenes article on the making of the book can be read here.

Video interview: https://youtu.be/5fNhkxJtSDo