It’s amazing to see them sitting there on the ice, immobile for hours on end. As it’s spring, the sea is melting fast, with more and more open water peeking through. But still they come to sit near a little hole to wait for a nibble. I hope they eat what they catch…
landscape
Wooden villa in Haaga, Helsinki
The whole neighbourhood used to be nothing but villas until they started to build pre-fab apartment blocks in the 50s.
Tioman Island. The sea seen from the backyard at Nazri’s Place
Tioman Island. The sea seen from the backyard at Nazri’s Place, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Here is a view of the beach at Kampung Air Batang on Tioman island, to the east of mainland Malaysia.
We spent almost a week snorkling the wonderful reefs but of course did no underwater sketches.
Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands
We spent a week hiking in the temperate rainforests of the Cameron Highlands. Here is a quiet corner of the village of Tanah Rata.
Kuala Lumpur, seen from Chinatown towards the old railway station
Kuala Lumpur, seen from Chinatown towards the old railway station, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
We spent a month backpacking around Singapore and Malaysia. Despite all the excitement, I took the time to do a few sketches…
Here’s one of the wonderfully chaotic architecture of downtoen Kuala Lumpur. That’s Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in the foreground.
Shanghai sketches
Smoggy Shanghai, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
I was in Shanghai for two weeks, working. I managed to do a few sketches.
Great art deco movie theatre
Piece of retro architecture in the bazaars outside the old town. ‘Ye Olde Cathay’ – style
Sketched from the Bund on my first day. The Jetsons-looking tower is the Pearl of the Orient Radio Tower.
Snow and more snow
It’s the second exceptionally cold and snowy winter in a row in Helsinki. There’s actually more snow here than in Lapland.
With temperatures below zero since November, the only sketching I’ve been doing is from my window.
Long shadows at noon. Sketchbook Helsinki 2010-11-26
For the next month or so, the sun manages just barely to climb over the horizon.
Sketchbook Helsinki 2010-11-09
Sketchbook Helsinki 2010 11 09, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Phone doodle.
To see the changes in the landscape due to road building, compare with this drawing of the same scene from nine moths ago:
Functionalist Buildings in Kallio, Helsinki
Functionalist Buildings in Kallio, Helsinki, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Kallio (the rock, as it’s built on one of the rare hills in Helsinki) is a traditionally working class neighbourhood. The buildings range from Art Deco to 70s pre-fab. Most are in a pared-down modernist style.
Mille Croquis 