Watercolour for the Slightly Clueless (and Very Curious)

If you’re new to watercolour, it can feel like you’ve just opened the door to a very pretty… slightly confusing club.

Suddenly everyone’s talking about paper weights, pigment loads, brush types,  and you’re just standing there like, I thought I was just going to paint something cute?

But here’s the fun bit: you don’t need to understand everything to start. You just need to start.

Think of it like moving your body again after a long break. You don’t sign up for a marathon on day one. You stretch. You walk. You get a feel for it. And slowly, your confidence builds. Watercolour is exactly the same.

One of the most helpful things I ever learnt came from my first class with Kerri Sassen; and it had nothing to do with painting something “beautiful.”

It was all about consistency.

We did this simple, slightly messy, very eye-opening exercise playing with water ratios. More water, less pigment. More pigment, less water. And suddenly it clicked.

Watercolour isn’t just paint;  it’s water first, pigment second. And most of the time, you probably need more water than you think.

Somewhere along my slightly bumbling art journey, I came across the idea of the five consistencies of watercolour — and it’s one of those things that just sticks:

• Tea – super light, barely-there washes

• Coffee – a little stronger, still fluid

• Milk – soft but with more body

• Cream – richer, more controlled

• Butter – thick, bold, and punchy (pretty much straight from the tube!)

It sounds a bit like a grocery list, but once you start seeing it on your page, everything makes more sense.

Watercolour isn’t about getting it right in one go, you got to layer! Starting light (hello tea), letting things dry, and slowly building depth. Letting colours settle into each other and allowing a bit of unpredictability in.

It’s less “perfect final stroke” and more a conversation with the page. And yes, sometimes that conversation goes slightly off track (especially for me), but that’s part of it.

After running our first term of watercolour, this was the most surprising part for our class: how quickly it clicked.

Not in a “everyone’s suddenly amazing” kind of way, but in a real, confidence-building way.

That comes down to how Kerri teaches. She keeps things simple, clear, and hands-on. There’s no overwhelm and no pressure to get it perfect, just guidance and space to experiment and understand what’s actually happening on the page.

You could see the shift as the classes went on. People started to overthink less, (learn to use more water!), and trust the process a little more.

This is exactly what Kerri’s class does so well.

You get the foundations, but in a way that actually makes sense. It’s relaxed, it’s practical, and no one’s hovering over you expecting a masterpiece.

You learn, you try things, you add too much water (and then realise it was actually the right move). And somewhere along the way, you stop second-guessing every brushstroke and just get on with it.

If you’ve been hovering on the edge of starting, not quite sure where to begin… this is it. No experience needed. No “art person” label required. Just a willingness to show up and give it a go.

We’ve got you. This is the club for you!

Kerri’s next watercolour course starts on the 16th of April, and bookings for Term 2 are now open.
Come join us — you’ll fit right in.

Book your spot here: https://saartfair.co.za/products/watercolour-with-kerri-sassen