KOTA KINABALU – For some, it’s gardening, sewing or just watching television to beat the pandemic lockdown blues.
But a group is making waves in Sabah for painting the things many of us miss seeing and doing during more normal times.
The Urban Sketchers Kota Kinabalu is holding regular monthly sketching events online, where before the Covid-19 pandemic, they would hold excursions to meet up and sketch as a group.
Now, members are turning to the archives of old photos they have in their collection – both online and physical photos taken pre-pandemic – to turn into the subject of their artistic endeavours.
Urban Sketchers is a global movement aiming to raise the artistic, storytelling and education value of on-location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world in locations where they live and travel.
According to Kwan Thung Seng, or just Aks Kwan to his peers, their monthly events are held in a live meeting platform online. It is there they would sketch together from photos shared by the group.
However, he said he would still go out and do on-location sketching whenever he could get the chance.
“We usually set about two hours for each meeting. The photo of our subject is shared and we try to finish our sketching within the stipulated time.
“At the end of it, we show our work to everyone. It is not about who can sketch the best. It is about having fun and developing sketching skills. It is not a competition.
“It is a place for us to hone our sketching skills and make friends,” said the graphic designer.
Kwan said the Kota Kinabalu sketching events are not limited to artists but open to everyone. They can be professionals, teachers, parents, and children, he added.
“It's also a great place to make friends or just talk to each other about anything, including trivial matters and how everyone is coping with the pandemic.
“It's a good place to relieve the stress from being grounded at home. Those who join our sketching events are not just from Sabah, but also Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.
Officially, Kota Kinabalu Urban Sketchers began in 2017 but sketching among them had started as early as 2013.
Including Kwan, the founding members of the group are artist Hiew Yin Vui and banker Nancy Chin.
All three are also the administrators of the Kota Kinabalu Urban Sketchers movement here in Kota Kinabalu city.
During the pandemic, Kwan normally selects a picture online and an invitation is sent to KK Sketchers Facebook page for interested participants. Those who are free can join in the two-hour sketching programme.
Chin said the group was largely created to create a sense of awareness and understanding of what's available in her town.
“Before the pandemic, once a month we would choose a spot to meet for a sketch outing.
“We would meet and anyone could freely choose any angle of the selected view to sketch. After everyone is done, we then share our appreciation for each other's work,” she said.
The good thing about sketching via an online meeting platform is that there was no need to go to crowded venues, said Chin.
“Yes, sketching somehow can be enjoyable and does help to release stress, especially when 'jalan-jalan' (sightseeing) is discouraged.”
Chin said in the art of sketching there is no right or wrong in the use of techniques. It's important to have fun and enjoy each other’s interpretation.
Hiew also agrees with Chin, saying that everyone has a different style and besides it being engaging and fun, we could all learn new things from each other. – The Vibes, August 7, 2021
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