A butcher in Sheung Shui, a town with thriving street markets in the northern New Territories, and the last stop before the border with mainland China. This butcher has used imaginative lighting in his stall to display the meat to its best advantage.

Shoe repairman, Mong Kok. This man sets up his shop on a busy public sidewalk sandwiched between entrances to an elevated pedestrian walkway, a store that sells holiday decorations, and the art store which I frequent. I've walked past this location many times and have never seen him absent. There's an understanding that this location belongs to this man, for the store that sells holiday decorations that spill out onto the sidewalk never usurps his space.

Waffle and juice stand at Fa Yuen and Bute streets, Mong Kok. I'm a great fan of this neon sign that gracefully wraps around the corner. The appetizing scent of fresh waffles and curried fish balls mingle with the putrid odor emanating from the stinky tofu stand a few doors down. (Stinky tofu: Is there any cooked food on earth that smells so different from the way that it tastes?) No other neighborhood in Hong Kong has inspired me to sketch as much as Mong Kok East with its carnival-like atmosphere, profusion of neon signs, hotels that rent rooms by the hour, and lively street markets that sell everything from goldfish to knock-off designer jeans and durian fruit. The combination of competing smells and tropical heat turn these streets into a veritable olfactory Olympics.

Kite flyer at the Plover Cove Dam. Kite flying is a serious hobby in Hong Kong. On weekends both novices and passionate flyers congregate at the Plover Cove Dam and in nearby Tai Po Waterfront Park to fly kites of all shapes and sizes. This skillful flyer seems to be in a league of his own. At the entrance to the dam are several large trees festooned with dozens of kites that once belonged to less skillful flyers

The engine room on the Star Ferry. This door is always open when the ferries are in service crisscrossing Hong Kong harbor. I'm always tempted to step inside and take a closer look at all the vintage machinery. To me, this sailor's body language says: "You can look, but you can't come in."

Rugby fans under the grandstand at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament in March. This 3-day tournament hosts an audience of 40,000 rugby fans at Hong Kong stadium and has the atmosphere of a rock concert (The Beach Boys performed this year) and a Mardi Gras festival. Fans dress up in outrageous costumes, consume vast amounts of beer, and watch outstanding rugby teams from Wales, Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, Samoa, and over 20 other countries. We've become rugby fans, too.

Seen in a Hong Kong subway car, one of many advertisements for luxury and fashion products. I'm struck by how sexually provocative these ads can be. Most people such as the passengers on this train respond to them as just another example of visual noise, and ignore them.

A parallel trader waiting for the train to mainland China. These traders are Hong Kong and mainland Chinese citizens who shuttle across the nearby border with products purchased in Hong Kong such as infant milk formula that are scarce or whose quality is not trusted on the mainland. They sell these products on the mainland for a profit. Such activities have caused a shortage of these products in Hong Kong which has angered local citizens and the government, and resulted in a recent crackdown on parallel trading. To some this man is an object of derision, but to me he looks noble and dignified. I empathize with him. This may not be his chosen profession, but in all likelihood he is just trying to provide for his family as best he can.

Seen at the entrance to the Mong Kok MTR station, Kowloon.

Sketches of people on the MTR subway.

Two o'clock in the morning in the corridor of a hard sleeper train between Changsha and rural Anhui province.

Shanghai.

Back in Hong Kong, at my son's soccer practice.

Fisherman repairing net, Sai Kung. I was attracted to the tranquility of this solitary man working diligently on a pier across the harbor from the crowded waterfront restaurants.

Evening fog in Cheung Chao harbor.