{
  "id": 11376004,
  "title": "S'pore student, 22, spends 1,737 hours over 2 years on super-realistic drawing of S'pore skyline, says some parts already 'slightly outdated'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/spore-student-22-spends-1-737-hours-over-2-years-on-super-realistic",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-02T06:44:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mothership",
    "slug": "mothership",
    "url": "https://mothership.sg/2026/10/realistic-drawing-architect-student/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sim Heng Ee, a 22-year-old architecture student from Singapore, invested 1,737 hours over a span of two years to create a hyper-realistic drawing of the iconic Singapore skyline. This painstaking process took place over 21 months, with some days exceeding 15 hours of continuous drawing, though this was an exception rather than the rule. The artwork, executed on A1-sized paper, showcases miniature replicas of the city's buildings at a scale of approximately 1:3000, where 1mm represents a single residential floor. The drawing encompasses both popular tourist spots, such as Marina Bay Sands and the Sports Hub, as well as residential areas like MacPherson and Aljunied.\n\nDespite the immense time and effort poured into the project, Sim acknowledges that some parts of the drawing are already slightly outdated due to Singapore's rapid pace of development. As he commenced the piece in 2024, intending to keep the entire artwork within the same time frame, certain elements are no longer reflective of the current urban landscape. To maintain the highest level of accuracy, Sim personally visited key locations to double-check details like block paint schemes, which he notes change frequently. Additionally, he relied on online resources to stay updated on construction site progress, ensuring the drawing accurately represented the city as of late-2024.\n\nThe student's inspiration for this ambitious project stems from a lifelong interest in architecture and urban development, a passion that began in his youth. While he harbors a dream of creating a large-scale drawing of Singapore's cityscape, his academic commitments kept this aspiration at bay until after completing his National Service and before embarking on his university studies abroad. The arduous nature of the artwork posed a significant challenge, and Sim expresses his gratitude for completing such a detailed piece, stating that he sees no immediate plans to undertake another drawing of this scale. For now, he is content to preserve the artwork in its current state.",
  "summary": "Very cool.",
  "key_points": [
    "Some parts of the artwork slightly outdated due to Singapore's rapid development",
    "Sim visited key locations to ensure accuracy and relied on online resources for construction updates"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The student's painstaking drawing of the Singapore skyline, despite being slightly outdated, showcases his dedication to accuracy and highlights the city's rapid development that quickly renders such detailed works imperfect.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}