Whee Teck Travel Sketchbooks

Travel Sketch Workshop: Hanoi, April 10–13, 2025

—This April, I had the joy of leading a travel sketching workshop in Hanoi with six enthusiastic students and fellow sketcher James Leong. Over four vibrant days, we immersed ourselves in the city's rich culture, flavorful street food, and buzzing street life—capturing scenes with ink and watercolor as we went. We weren’t just sightseeing; we were learning, observing, and growing as artists—myself included.

Lines Through the Land: A Sketcher’s Journey to Kluang (Jan 17–19, 2025) — Whee Teck joined Chan Kerk’s sketching retreat in Kluang not just as a participant, but as a quietly honoured “Master Sketcher.” Alongside over fifty fellow artists, he explored pineapple fields, rustic shopfronts, and forgotten corners of Johor, capturing the essence of the land with pencil and page. In the stillness of sketching and shared observation, he rediscovered the joy of slow travel and the quiet power of place.

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Return to Snow: A Family’s Quiet Pilgrimage to Japan — For Whee Teck and his family, Japan is more than a destination; it’s a return to the quiet rhythm of winters past. Their annual journeys—paused by the stillness of COVID—once brought snowboarding at dawn, laughter in fresh snow, and evenings warmed by ramen and cedar-scented inns. In 2025, they return not just to travel, but to remember—to rekindle the quiet joy of snow, family, and the rituals that linger in the heart.

2025 – A Short but Full Chinese New Year in Klang — Though brief, Whee Teck’s 2025 return to Klang for Chinese New Year was filled with meaning. In just a few days, the family packed in festive meals, temple visits, and treasured reunions—each moment captured in quick, heartfelt sketches.

August 2024: Türkiye Sketches — In August 2024, Whee Teck and his family embarked on a three-part journey through Türkiye. They explored ancient ruins steeped in history, sailed the Mediterranean coast aboard a traditional gulet, and ended with four vibrant days in Istanbul. Whee Teck documented the highlights of this unforgettable trip in a compact yet thoughtfully crafted sketchbook, capturing the essence of a land where past and present flow seamlessly together.

August 2024: Asialink Sketchwalk, Penang — In August 2024, Whee Teck joined the Asialink Sketchwalk (ALSW) in Penang, where days were filled with sketching, feasting, and playful banter. While he relished capturing the island’s vibrant scenes and sampling its famed street food, the real joy came from reconnecting with old friends in the Urban Sketchers community—sharing laughs, memories, and the simple pleasure of drawing together once again.

2024: Chinese New Year in Klang — Every year, Whee Teck and his family return to Klang to celebrate Chinese New Year. This sketchbook captures the moments and festivities of their 2024 visit—family gatherings, vibrant traditions, and the familiar scenes that make this annual homecoming so meaningful.

August 2023: Bangkok Reflections — During a five-day stay in Bangkok for a partner’s meeting at a Big Four accounting firm, Whee Teck found himself reflecting deeply on his professional future. Amid business discussions, he reconnected with old friends, savored the city’s rich and varied cuisine, and captured his surroundings in a sketchbook. These drawings later became the foundation for his published travelogue, Bangkok in Ink—a blend of introspection, friendship, and the vibrant soul of the city.

July 2022: UK University Tour — In July 2022, Whee Teck and his family travelled to the United Kingdom to explore university options for their daughter, Shiqin. The trip offered valuable insights into campus life, academic environments, and the rhythms of student towns. Along the way, Whee Teck captured their journey in his sketchbook—documenting not just the universities, but the everyday moments that made the experience memorable.

January 2–9, 2022: Kuala Lumpur, Revisited — From January 2 to 9, 2022, Whee Teck and his family visited Kuala Lumpur—this time not just to see relatives and friends, but to rediscover the city as curious tourists. They wandered its streets with fresh eyes, taking in familiar sights from new angles. To mark the trip, Whee Teck sketched their experiences, turning everyday moments into lasting memories on paper.

Oct 2019, Taipei Sketches — Capturing the sights, sounds, and tastes of this vibrant city, Whee Teck’s sketches from Taipei tell the story of a metropolis that pulses with life yet holds moments of unexpected stillness. From the clatter of scooters weaving through alleyways to the glowing red lanterns of night markets, each drawing is a fragment of a city where tradition meets innovation. Beneath the surface buzz lies something special—Taipei’s warmth, its people, and its quiet pride in the everyday, whether in a steaming bowl of beef noodles or a temple tucked behind a row of shops.

July 2019: Africa Sketches: Serengeti and Beyond — In July 2019, Whee Teck and his family set off on a journey across Africa, immersing themselves in the raw beauty of Tanzania’s Serengeti before concluding their adventure in the highlands of Ethiopia. Along the way, Whee Teck documented their experiences in a deeply personal sketchbook, using only a fountain pen to render the majestic wildlife, vast savannahs, and quiet camp moments with striking immediacy. Each line captured the thrill of a lion’s silhouette at dawn, the graceful stillness of giraffes under an acacia tree, and the quiet dignity of local communities. More than a record of travel, the sketchbook became a meditation on wonder—an artist’s tribute to the ancient rhythms of the African land.

2016 UK Sketchbook - we visited our favourite places, London as well as Wales.