Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.34 Rose Madder

Rose Madder No. 34 is a warm, mid-tone red-pink colour from Kuretake's Gansai Tambi series – water-based pigment colours in large half-pan format, built on over a century of Japanese sumi ink tradition. The traditional Japanese colour name 紅梅 (kōbai) refers to the red plum blossom: a vibrant, warm pink with distinct red depth. The colour comes as a compressed solid block in a plastic tray and can be adjusted infinitely by adding water – from opaque gouache-like coverage to transparent watercolour wash.

Features

• Water-based pigment colour with adjustable opacity: Little water produces rich, almost opaque rosy-red; plenty of water opens the colour to a transparent, delicate wash – both are possible with the same pan.
• Large half-pan (48 × 28 mm): The wide format allows broad immersion of large brushes, fan brushes or calligraphy brushes without scratching the block or immediately muddying the water.
• Creamy consistency, easily reactivated: The colour dissolves quickly and evenly – even from a dried state, it can be instantly activated with a damp brush without soaking.
• Slightly glossy dry film: Gansai Tambi dries with a silky to slightly glossy finish. This gives washes a calm presence and makes the colour particularly luminous on dark paper.
• Available individually – as a refill or expansion colour: The pan fits all Gansai Tambi palettes and can be used as a replacement or targeted addition to an existing set.
• Pigment composition No. 34: PY3, PR48:3, PR81, BR12 – a pigment blend that follows the warm, slightly bluish-shimmering rosy tone of the classical rose madder colour tradition.

Use & Tips

• Watercolour and illustration: Rose Madder No. 34 is ideal for floral subjects, portrait skin tones and botanical illustrations. Thin washes mixed over yellow tones create a warm salmon; over cool blue tones produce a muted violet-grey.
• Calligraphy and hand lettering: With a brush or broad-cut calligraphy pen, the colour can be used directly as a writing ink – particularly on white or natural paper, where the vibrant rosy-red creates strong contrast.
• On dark paper: Thanks to higher opacity compared to Western watercolours, Rose Madder remains visible and luminous even on grey or black watercolour paper – an effect not achievable with transparent watercolours.
• Activating the pan: Apply a few drops of water to the colour before painting and let it soak briefly. This accelerates uptake and is gentler on brush bristles when working in the colour.
• Mixing: Rose Madder No. 34 harmonises with Carmine No. 35 for deeper reds and with White No. 10 for delicate pastel pink. Combined with Ultramarine Pale No. 61, it creates a cool lilac.

For Watercolour Enthusiasts

Gansai Tambi colours stand in the tradition of Japanese gansai painting, originally used with large brushes on rice paper for quick, broad work. Unlike European watercolours, this medium relies less on gum arabic as a binder and therefore exhibits different flow behaviour: the colour flows more controlled, spreads less far and allows sharper edges – wet-in-wet techniques work, but pigments stay stronger where the brush was placed. The dried result can be easily lifted or overpainted, simplifying iterative working. Kuretake's expertise in sumi ink production influences the binder technology: the blooming of colour when applied to damp substrate is characteristic of this colour family.

Technical Specifications