ON a sunny day last week the Time out team took a trip to FMI centre to go shopping. Passing the Grand Mee Ya Hta Residence on the way, we spotted a group of people crowding on the street around a young boy sat on an old tarpaulin.

The boy was drawing landscape pictures on paper with printing ink, turpentine and polish.

He was surrounded by piles of drawings, in the centre of which was a board with ‘K1000’ — the price for one piece of work.

Much to the amazement of the crowd, this young boy was creating paintings faster than it takes your average person to make a cup of tea. Could this young man be Yangon’s preeminent speed artist? Time out took a look…

Timeout: Hi Ko Ko Aung, I see your name signing at the corner of the paintings. You look quite young. Let me know how old you are? And can you tell us a bit about your background?
Ko Ko Aung: I’m 12 and a student in grade eight. I live in a school compound in Kyeemyindaing township. I have four siblings and I’m the second eldest.

It’s the middle of the academic year. Why aren’t you at school?
I’ve stopped my education for a while.

Are you having financial problems?
No. My father and I are going to Singapore.

That sounds great. When will you go and what for?
At the end of this month. With the help of my father’s friend, we plan to hold a small exhibition there. I hope people will appreciate our works like in China.

So you went to China?
Yes. It was in April this year. My father and I lived there for three months and drew many drawings, which we sold for 15 yuan each. We also got orders for huge landscape paintings on canvas. I was happy there because they liked my works. I had praise for the quick way I draw.

When did you start to learn this type of drawing?
At the age of five. My father has been drawing for 15 years. Since I was young I used to watch carefully while my father drew. He noticed my strong interest and taught me. My father said I’m clever and learn easily.

How many paintings do you draw a day?
I rarely take longer than ten minutes to draw a painting. Normally, I produce about 50 pieces a day.

How about the daily sale?
At least 10 pieces are sold a day. Most of my customers are foreigners. Sometimes only one customer buys all the works.

The paintings are very cheap.
Yes, my dad said people don’t accept it as a type of art and it’s only arts and crafts. It’s very commercial and we draw the best selling paintings repeatedly. There is no theory for this type of drawing. And you can draw freely. There is no restriction, limitation or rules for subject, composition and combination of colours. You do it according to your own feeling.

What do you plan for the future?
Though I’m drawing these paintings, I want to learn art at the art school and I want to be an artist. I need to learn more about art.

What do you like drawing most?
I love landscapes. I also like drawing portraits with graphite pencils.