Kuretake - Gansai Tambi Watercolor - Granulating Colors

Kuretake® Gansai Tambi Granulating Watercolors, 5 Aurora Colors with Empty Pan

The Granulating Colors in the Aurora Set are designed to separate and disperse pigments when heavily saturated with water. The pigments that make up each color are extremely different than their opaque color and are best visible as washes. Watch with wonder as the Aurora Orange turns green and brown, or the Aurora Violet sheds its bright pink undertones amongst the purple wash. These are fascinating colors best used in wet-in-wet techniques.

Japanese Watercolors: Unlike typical Western watercolors bound with gum arabic, Gansai Tambi utilizes a centuries-old method of mixing pigment with alternative binders to create a durable watercolor with incredible lift and rewettability.

Opacity and Transparency: When applied with minimal water, these paints produce a creamy, opaque layer reminiscent of gouache. When using more water to create washes or less saturated paint, the color becomes more transparent.

Pigmentation and Texture: These paints are known for their rich pigmentation combined with a Japanese binder produce smooth, even coverage on paper with little granulation. To get the best results from these paints, it’s recommended to work a thoroughly wet brush into the dried paint for a minute or so before use. The large pans accommodate various brush sizes. Washes using large amounts of water should be used on a palette outside of the pan in order to maintain the integrity of the panned paint.  Excess water left in the pan will cause the paint to crack as it dries.

Application and Effects: Gansai Tambi paints are excellent for use on rice papers and watercolor papers, and produce interesting effects on synthetic and mineralized papers. These paints have excellent lift, meaning that once dried, they can be rewet to change saturation, blend, or correct mistakes. They are ideal for illustration,  watercolor renderings, and as special effects for other types of watercolor or mixed media works.

Colors