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‘A simple thank you...that’s all I need,’ says artist who surprises strangers with portraits
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Meet Jeff Lai aka @playingwithpencil. He has gained a following on social media by drawing strangers and gifting them with a portrait. He says: "A sketch is just a small gesture. If I can make some people happy by sketching them, I’ll do it."
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SINGAPORE – Three years ago, on a Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo, Mr Jeff Lai Pin Nean noticed a weary stewardess as she approached to take lunch orders.
Inspired to brighten her day, he grabbed his pencil and sketching pad. With swift strokes, the then undergraduate sketched the stewardess, complete with face mask and apron. He made his way to the galley, where he found her crouched down, organising trays in a trolley.

