Singer considered himself a descendant of the Ashcan school of artists and like them, used a muted, dark palette and gestural, thick brushstrokes. He depicted the working class and the real and wasn’t interested in modern art, or misrepresenting the true colors of his scenes. Singer always carried a small notepad in his pocket for sketching. He often made dozens of sketches a day as he wandered around the city streets of Ohio and New York looking for “striking” scenes, taking notes on color. He enjoyed depicting the everyday person in their natural habitat. Of special interest to him were the down and outers, street vendors, and other unconventional types. Singer preferred browns and grays with red accents and noted on more than one occasion that he was “no colorist.” His use of red for accents finds its way into clothing and backgrounds, immediately drawing your eye in and highlighting the other parts of the scene.