Artist Teoh Yi Chie

I'm Teoh Yi Chie from Singapore. I'm also known as Parka online from my website Parkablogs.com, a blog where I post my sketches, art book reviews and some musings. My exposure to art was through comics I read when I was a kid. Since then, I have always been interested in art. I never had any formal art training and sketching is a hobby I picked up only in recent years.

I started sketching regularly after joining the Urban Sketchers Singapore group in 2009. Since then, I've learned a lot about the art of sketching and the places I've been to. I've also made many friends along the way – both sketching and non-sketching friends. It's great fun to hang out with people who share the same interest and enthusiasm.

What I like about sketching is that you get to connect with the place or the person that you draw. I'm able to remember more vividly things that I've sketched. That's a bonus when it comes to sketching overseas; I can remember places and events without having to refer to photographs. You know that heightened sense of awareness you get when you're overseas or visiting some place new? I get that when sketching, and maybe that's why I feel like I'm on holiday whenever I'm doing it.

My preferred medium is ink and watercolor. My favourites are technical pens for their predictable, uniform lines, and I have a small, portable, 12-pan set of watercolours. It's a lightweight and versatile combination that I've been using for years. Recently, I've been trying other media to experience drawing in another way.