Sunday, September 18, 2016

Sketching Hong Kong... Disneyland

I was in Hong Kong about 2 weeks back. My goal was to paint in my favourite theme park - Disneyland.  I've always had a soft spot for it ever since I first stepped in to the park when I was 7. When I was old enough to know that you can actually get a job designing the Disney theme parks, I was just about to finish college.  I had missed the boat.  Then, I studied Graphic Design with a focus in Environmental Design. 

When I took an Animation programme in 2009, I majored in Concept Design. For my final year project, I chose to conceptualise Disney Island. And spent a really fun 1 year designing it.  I even spent an afternoon showing the concepts to Imagineers in the Fall of 2011 all the way in Glendale, California. I never got that job. 

Back to Hong Kong. 

I spent some time walking around and sketching what I saw in the city too. The first half of my stay was in Kowloon and the second half was on Hong Kong island. It was great to be moving around as an artist.  There was so much to see, sketch and ... umm... eat.  Last time I was here about 8 years ago, I was producing a documentary and was filming the raw footages I needed for editing.  And this was during a time that I wasn't accustomed to even holding a pencil/ ink pen. 


Here are some of the highlights of my trip: 

Here's sketching the famous Tai Cheong Egg Tarts. 
Gotta do it quick so it'll still be warm when I'm consuming it. 


 
Another popular cafe to dine in. 


Long queue at this ice cream vending machine. 
Overheard that they are only 5 such trucks in HK. 


 
You gotta love these trolley buses.


I got yelled at for taking a chair to sit on to sketch this make-short shop. 
And when I requested to purchase a drink, the owner said NO. :(


I wished I had a really really really long canvas. :)


Here's checking-in to Disneyland. I thought I could from a previous courtesy email I wrote to customer relations, but security said "No Easels". So I went in without one. 



First piece was to sketch Main Street Station


Here's right outside Hyperspace Mountain doing a sketch over coffee.


A new ride Mystic Manor based on the old Phantom Manor.


One of my favourite moments was sitting next to a little Snow White 
white painting the Sleeping Beauty Castle.



Here's the Time-lapse of me painting the Sleeping Beauty Castle... without an easel. ;)