Pioneer Portraits was a project organised and supported by OuterEdit and the Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA), and featured the works of 24 Singapore artists, including me! Giant glass panels along Orchard Road were transformed into literal milestones from across Singapore's first 50 years of independence. My work was beside Wisma Atria, one of the malls near the subway station.
This piece is about the Chingay parade in Singapore - it was started in 1973 by Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew as a Chinese New Year celebration (and partly to replace the noise and festive mood of firecrackers, which he banned).
The entire composition depicts a Chingay float and is balanced on a bumboat, which represents the bustling river trade of the time. Chingay's Chinese roots are reflected in the lion dance and other Chinese elements, but as the parade progressed, more multi-cultural aspects began to be infused into the parade, soon turning it into the international extravaganza it is today. The float culminates in a concert stage topped by an ox, because the first Chingay parade took place in the Year of the Ox.
You can view my process below. For a more personal take on the launch event, head over to my blog here.
I started exploring the look of the lions first. Once I found the proportions and the look that I wanted, I began doodling the rest of the elements based on the style I had established.
Placement of elements in the illustration. In this stage, I played around with the scale of the elements to create a more dynamic rhythm. I placed the 2 big faces to break up the monotony of the scale of the elements. Another objective here was to tighten the sketch before inking.
Final rough before clean-up.
Reference photos from past Chingay parades.
And here's me with the final piece near Wisma Atria along Orchard Road!
