Urban sketching with Paul Wang and Daniel Smith Watercolours

Opus Resource Library

Paul Wang ‘s passion for the arts blossomed from a very young age in Singapore, and he went on to study Interior Architecture and later, Technical Theatre Design. With his multi-disciplinary and multi-sensory training, his sketches and paintings are bursting with dramatic colours, much like a stage set. Now he devotes his time as an artist and design educator, actively sharing his passion for sketching. His goal is to help students grow wings and establish deep roots in all their creative pursuits.

Urban sketching is now his unique way of encapsulating the urban landscape into stories on paper. Many of his on-location sketches have been featured in local and international publications, like the Moleskine Art Journal series and most recently the National Geographic Traveler magazine. Paul is an international Urban Sketchers’ blog correspondent and advisory board member.

“I love DANIEL SMITH paints because they are vibrant, highly mixable and create the most beautiful textures for my sketches. Simply pick and play with any 2 colours, then watch them dance, mingle and oppose when you mix them. I know these 6 exciting colours will allow you to create a myriad of new mixes that will entice the eyes.”

Here’s a peek at Paul Wang ‘s process and palette when he steps outside to find something interesting in the city to sketch and paint:

“After nearly 3 months in pandemic lockdown, we were finally allowed to venture out of our houses. Of course, I was very excited to be out and sketching on-location with minimal restrictions. Old shophouses are one of my favourite subjects to sketch and paint. This type of architecture is a perfect blend of western technology adapted for our tropical living. Some were built pre-war and used to house many migrant families on the 2 ^nd and 3 ^rd floors.

I like painting en plein air because I can use all my senses to observe and interact with the environment. Unlike working from a photograph, I can hear the conversations and listen to possible stories from the surroundings. In this sketch, I was trying to imagine the conversations behind those windows and wonder who might be still living in these old quarters. Smell is another important impetus when I sketch on-location. I take all these critical bits of information and infuse them into my paintings.”