Sketchbooks | Harmony Thoughts

Unwashed Dishes

by Elisa Choi Ang on July 5, 2016 with No Comments

Loving and serving others need grace. I glanced at the small pile of dirty dishes on the sink and the occasional spill of softdrink on the floor… it made me cringe that I have to clean the mess of someone else. Someone who is old and stubborn. Someone whose hands shake, thus the spill. Someone who isn’t related to me and who doesn’t even know my name. Why do I have to do these again? I remembered Jesus who lived the … Read More

Fruit Stall in Bukit Merah

by Elisa Choi Ang on July 4, 2016 with No Comments

I still feel uncomfortable sketching in public especially in crowded places. People passing by looking over their shoulders to see what I’m doing. I think the owner of the fruit stall (where I was sketching) was wary of me doing some kind of a detective work. He approached me and asked what I’m doing, to which I smiled and showed him the sketch. He beamed back and went on about his business… I will keep going. World Watercolor Month

Sketch Your Life: Student Project Gallery Part 2 of 4

by Elisa Choi Ang on May 6, 2016 with 4 Comments

These second batch of artists inspire me a lot because they have managed to sketch their lives for a month despite how they feel, no matter how busy their lives were. They never give up and they keep going. Their stories are inspirational and chock full of interesting tidbits about themselves. Their works are unique and personal. Their enthusiasm to learn is contagious. Come and enjoy these sketches! See part 1 here. Stay tuned for part 3! Come and join us … Read More

Sketch Your Life: Student Project Gallery Part 1 of 4

by Elisa Choi Ang on March 14, 2016 with No Comments

The learning journeys of my students inspire me. Stories of struggling sketching in pen or not having made art for a lot of years or even fear didn’t stop them from persevering in taking that first step to learn, sketch, paint, make mistakes, learn, sketch… Getting to know their stories through sketches and paints is a wonderful experience! See part 2 here! Hope you are inspired as I am to sketch your life!

Sketch Your Life

by Elisa Choi Ang on December 7, 2015 with No Comments

It all started with a seed of idea– friends telling me that they were terrible at drawing and that they can only draw stick figures; my students drawing what they already know in their minds instead of looking at the subject and understand how it looks like. I wanted to reach out to them and make it easy for them to learn how to sketch by seeing. Thus Sketch Your Life was born. Japanese Garden in pen and watercolor It wasn’t easy. I … Read More

Sketching in Transit 7

by Elisa Choi Ang on October 22, 2015 with No Comments

Persevering Till the End I saw him again on my way to work and had to quickly sketched him. He lived across from the bus stop, carrying his blue drawstring knapsack along with a belt bag and would slowly inch his way accompanied by his two four-legged canes. He inspires me. At his old age he still goes to work despite his condition. He always entered last in the bus and would go down at the first stop. I have no idea … Read More

Teaching Painting

by Elisa Choi Ang on October 9, 2015 with No Comments

It has always been my desire to teach painting but I guess teaching painting is quite different from painting itself. I mean when I paint I feel so focused and in the “zone” that I am not actually thinking of the way or steps that I paint. But when I get to teach that, I find it challenging because I need to actually verbalize the steps and be able to translate from what is vague and difficult to manageable and … Read More

Painting Night Scenery in Watercolor

by Elisa Choi Ang on October 6, 2015 with No Comments

Night Cityscape I rarely paint a night scenery. I was thinking how I can proceed because all I can think of is the black color. But in watercolor I find that it is helpful to leave the white of the paper as light instead of painting the whole of the buildings in black. There must be a contrast between the dark and light colors. Hope to experiment and learn more as I practice.