I've always believed that anyone can learn to paint and draw. The only thing you need plenty of is patience, enthusiasm and lots of practice. Getting the basic 'kit' isn't too expensive though I would advise against trying to get every type of brush and colour at first. However, watercolour can be a really difficult medium to master. It can have something of a mind of its own and what you initially lay down may not be what you end up with. However, here are some tips which I've found can be helpful when using watercolours:

• My first tip is always 'Don't Give Up!' No matter how badly wrong the painting seems to have gone, its always worth finishing work and keeping it to see how much you've progressed.
• Choose a fairly limited palette of colours. There are a huge range of paints, papers, brushes of different shapes and sizes and all manner of equipment, and this can be a little daunting at first. As you progress with your painting you'll find there are colours and washes you tend to come back to, and so you'll find your palette becomes more limited.
• Try out your colours on a scrap of spare paper, just to give an idea of the consistency before painting. Remember to make sure the paper you are testing on is the same as the one you are painting on.
• The more water you add to the pigment, the lighter it will be. Try to avoid too much pigment as this can make paintings 'muddy' and dull.
• Before starting a painting think carefully about composition. Where should the horizon sit on the paper? Do I need to make a feature the focal point of the painting and should it take the centre area? How will I lead the eye through the painting? Spending time on composition can make them more interesting and ultimately more satisfying.
• Always start with you light colours. With watercolour you paint dark onto light and build up the image in washes and blocks of colour.
• Try and keep the painting loose. Paint from the elbow not the wrist, and don't use too many pencil starting lines. The looser the painting the fresher it will feel. Reduce the detail of the view you are painting by squinting you eyes a little. There's no point in painting every brick and leaf and doing so would make the painting fussy.
• Develop your own style, one that you are comfortable with. Its easy to get carried away with trying to paint as other painters paint, following a 'how to paint' book or video. This should always be a starting point. With time and practice we can all become artists in our own right, producing pieces that really satisfy.

These aren't hard and fast rules but I hope they might help a little, though of course they might not really apply to your own style. There's really no substitute for practice. It's true to say the more you put in the more you get out!