Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.31 CADMIUM SCARLET

Cadmium Scarlet No. 31 is a warm, luminous scarlet red from Kuretake's Gansai Tambi series – a traditional Japanese watercolour pressed into individual plastic pans. The pigmentation is based on colour codes SCARLET 215 and PY3, which give this red its characteristically intense, warm orange brilliance. As a single colour, the pan can be integrated directly into an existing Gansai Tambi palette or used independently.

Features

• Traditional Japanese Gansai formulation: These colours contain more pigment than western watercolours and sit between classical watercolour and gouache in opacity and consistency – they can be used transparently as glazes or creamy and opaque depending on water ratio.
• Creamy-soft consistency: The colour block dissolves completely and evenly with minimal water, is easily picked up with a brush, and flows smoothly and with control.
• Large pan (48 × 28 mm): The generously wide format allows comfortable dipping of even large round brushes and flat watercolour brushes without catching the rim.
• Pigment-based, water-based: The water-based pigment formula is ACMI-certified (AP seal) and contains no toxic substances.
• Lightfastness note: Gansai Tambi is pigment-based and therefore lightfast at moderate water dilution; at high dilution, lightfastness decreases as less pigment remains in the colour film.
• Compatible with all Gansai Tambi palettes: The individual pan fits directly into standard Gansai Tambi cassettes and is suitable for refilling used colours.

Use & Tips

• Illustration & Sumi-e: Cadmium Scarlet works beautifully as a warm accent red in ink drawings and sumi-e compositions – thanks to its higher opacity, it stands out clearly over dark ink lines without washing them away.
• Transparent watercolour use: Diluted with plenty of water, it creates delicate, warm orange glazes – ideal for sky gradations, skin tones, or petals in botanical illustrations.
• Opaque gouache effect: Using little water and thicker brushwork produces an almost opaque colour application that works well even on mid-tone or lightly tinted paper.
• Mixing partner: Cadmium Scarlet can be mixed with yellow (e.g. No. 40 Lemon Yellow) for vibrant orange tones, or with a violet to create a deep wine red.
• Paper recommendation: Watercolour paper from 300 g/m² (rough or satined) is ideal. On washi and rice papers, the colour spreads particularly softly and develops a subtle sheen after drying.
• Layering: Work quickly when applying multiple layers: Gansai Tambi remains on the paper surface and can be reactivated when rewetted – the layers blend quickly.

For Watercolour Enthusiasts

Pigment-wise, No. 31 Cadmium Scarlet is based on SCARLET 215 combined with PY3 (Arylid Yellow), which gives the tone its characteristically warm orange undertone and clearly distinguishes it from cool crimsons. The binder in the Gansai Tambi series differs from western watercolour binders and gives the colours their own distinctive flow behaviour: the colour sits more on the paper surface, penetrates less deeply into the fibre structure, and can be easily reactivated when dry. This makes overlapping techniques predictable, but requires quick working during wet-on-wet transitions.

Technical Specifications