Having worked as an illustrator for over 40 years, Lee Cheow Hee, 73, who is better known as Stan Lee, still enjoys drawing for leisure.
His favourite way of passing time remains getting together with a group to sit outside, in the open air.
“The French call it plein air, which means to take it out into the open.
“This is when artists will take their sketchbooks and colours outdoors to draw and paint their surroundings,” said Lee.
This father-of-two is one of many who have taken to joining outdoor sketching groups.
Lee can still remember his first experience of going out to draw as a group.
It was in 2015, when 20 people gathered in front of the statue of Lord Murugan at Batu Caves, Selangor, with their sketchbooks and colours.
They weren’t all artists like Lee; some were doctors and accountants. It was an informal gathering and some brought their children along.
“I learned about the event from Facebook.
“Instead of just drawing alone in my studio, I thought, why not draw outdoors with a group for a change?
“At the end of the session, I discovered I was the odd man out. While others were either drawing the statue or the temple, I was drawing the people who were drawing,” chuckled Lee.
What makes these get-togethers enjoyable for Lee is the act of drawing itself.
“It’s a lot of fun. When you see other people draw, you’ll also get the urge to draw. It’s like a jam session.
“This creates an environment where everyone gets to feed off one another’s creative energy.”
Although he has been in the industry for many years, Lee said he has benefitted immensely by joining groups of hobby sketchers in their plein air sessions.
“I find these sessions very therapeutic.
“I also get to meet people. I would encourage all artists to take part in these groups, to network, learn new things and open up. Personally, it has helped to give my work more depth.”
There are sketching groups which charge no joining fees for enthusiasts. Among them are Urban Sketchers (USk), SketchAbout KL, KL Sketchnation and Sketchwalk.
Lee said new sketching groups were popping up regularly, requiring only a quick online search to join.
These days, Lee is rarely seen without his drawing pens and sketchbook.
“Whenever I have to wait, instead of scrolling on my phone, I take out my sketchbook to draw,” he shared.
Sketching as therapy
Retired fashion designer Kwinnie Khoo is one of those who joined sketching groups as a form of art therapy.
“The two to three hours spent working on a sketch is like a form of meditation to me.
“That’s when I channel my energy into being mindful and just being present,” she said.
Khoo is part of the Kuala Lumpur chapter of USk, a global community that has up to 300 chapters in different towns, all dedicated to the practice of on-location drawing. She also joins other sketching groups.
“The sketching of urban surroundings is like doing a visual diary. Unlike taking a photo of a building with a smartphone, you will start seeing things you don’t normally see when you take pen to paper.
“It could be how the light falls, or the mood of the place. You will also remember the person you were at that period in time and who you were with,” said Khoo.
Her first outdoor sketch was of a bak kut teh shop in Klang in 2024.
What fascinates her is how people will see things differently and that one object can generate so many different art styles.
“I am shy. So at first, I grappled with insecurity when I was asked to show my work.
“Now I know I should not have felt so intimidated. Nobody ever judges your work. Instead, we support each other.
“People will give tips if you ask. For example, some of the tips I have learned is which tone of yellow to use to make a scene glow.
“I also discovered drawing pens which can create two types of lines due to the way the nib is constructed,” said Khoo.
The collecting of tools and equipment used during her sketch meets is another thing Khoo enjoys, saying, “I sort and store them in trays, like candy.”
Getting people together
Heathcare consultant Adeline Chua, 48, and husband Tan Tiong Lay, 47, who is in network marketing, are administrators of the social media page for USk’s Klang chapter.
On what it takes to attract groups of people who like to draw to different locations, they said the most important thing was that the organisers themselves must like to draw.
Married for 20 years, Chua and Tan met during art class in secondary school.
They were inspired to start the Klang chapter after attending an event in George Town, Penang, in 2024.
“That was when I thought of setting up an online platform to invite people who like to draw to join us,” said Chua.
Tan and Chua have collaborated with other sketching groups to organise gatherings around places in Klang, such as Pulau Ketam, as well as at popular landmarks in Kuala Lumpur.
Chua said participation in the non-profit group was free and those who wanted to join only needed to show up at the agreed time and location.
There will be events which may require registration but other than that, it is an open invitation to all who like to draw.
The only requirement is all participants must show their work at the end of the session.
This is known as a “throwdown”, where everyone’s work will appear in a group photo and, eventually, on social media.
Before an event, Chua said she would first visit the area.
“As sketchers need a place to sit, it’s the first thing we look at.
“Safety is important. We must not be in the way of traffic.
“If the event is to take place inside a building, we will find out if permission is needed from management,” said Chua.
One sketching event in July took place at the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station.
During the event, some sketchers found the steps of a facing hotel as an ideal spot.
At the end of the day, the hotel doorman found himself becoming the subject of the sketchers’ drawings.
Chua and Tan see their drawings as a record of a time and place.
“In the face of rapid development, there will be a time when some buildings will either change or cease to exist,” said Chua.
This, she, was very much in line with the manifesto of their sketching community – “We show the world, one drawing at a time.”
