Saltie Crafts - With Shaz Serene

What are some of your earliest painting memories?

The first two years of my watercolour journey was an exciting phase, struggling, for sure, but the contentment I got from trying out different florals, techniques, and colours was enough to make up for the struggle. Looking back at my paintings from the earlier days, I realised that I was searching for my painting identity. I tried various colours, ranging from vibrant to pastel, different type of flowers, until I managed to find my own painting style and was hooked from then.

Please share a little bit about what excites you the most when it comes to watercolours and painting.

What excites me the most when I’m painting is the good feeling that I get and seeing the effect of the watercolour when it mixes with water is incredibly fun. There is something so soothing about watercolour - it really motivates me to finish my painting. Painting does make me a happier person. 

You have a huge community of people who love your work on Instagram (including us). Tell us about a time when someone from your community inspired you.

I’m always thankful to my followers who leave positive feedback on my Instagram because they encourage me to continue in my creative journey and fuel my further creations. It inspires me when they can relate my paintings to their lives, and knowing that it brightens up their days is really rewarding - especially during these uncertain times. 

What is the first thing you do when you’re starting a new painting?

Normally, when I’m about to start a new painting, I’ll give myself some time to think of an idea of what I want to create by connecting my emotions with past moments or maybe, just simple things around me. Visualizing the finished painting whilst trying out new strokes or colours along the way also helps me to improve my art.

We noticed on your website that you’ve worked on diverse projects : from watches to stickers, all beautiful collaborations. What would you say is your dream collaboration or something that you've always wanted to create?

I’ve always dreamed of collaborating with brands to do designs for children and women’s clothing. It would be wonderful to see my designs / paintings worn by people from different places. I have made cute designs for baby swaddles for a client once and it was a pleasure to be able to see that my designs have put a smile on the parents’ faces.

We’re sharing your tutorial on ‘How to paint your own greeting cards' - yay! Tell us more about this - what was your thinking process like and what would be some tips that you’d like to give to our readers trying it at home?

Painting flowers can be effortless if you know the right technique and most paintings that I’ve created so far are simple if you happen to see some of the paintings I posted on my Instagram. Here, I’ll be sharing with you a simple flower painting tutorial using a simple technique ‘dot’. These simple rainbow flowers are easy to create and perfect for a greeting card as well.

I’ve lost count on the number of paintings that I’ve created so far, ever since it reached 3000 back in 2020 because painting is my therapy, thus I always reach for my brushes whenever I want to relax my mind. My favourites ones will be from the rainbow-(close gap)inspired series paintings including rainbow baby’s breath, hydrangea, roses and ‘be a rainbow in someone’s cloud’.

I would paint my favourite goto botanical artwork, along with other whimsical elements that would express my mood and emotion at that particular moment. Some other favourite things to include would be cottage, butterflies and a moon. I think these things connect and represent me well during these times.

I love wearing these sandals whenever I go for shopping, strolling in the park and going to the beach. The sandals feel so comfortable and lightweight and I don't have a problem walking for a long period of time wearing them, as they’re so comfy!