Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.35 CARMINE

Carmine No. 35 is a rich, cool red with blue undertones – deep as fresh carmine, luminous enough for free illustration yet controlled enough for detailed work. Kuretake's Gansai Tambi individual colours are traditional, hand-crafted Japanese watercolours based on pigments that can be used transparently like watercolour or opaquely like gouache, depending on water dilution. The creamy-soft consistency absorbs water evenly and mixes effortlessly with other colours in the range.

Features

• Pigment composition PR48:2 and PR48:3: Two barium red pigments create the characteristic cool carmine red – with slightly transparent character when diluted with plenty of water, intense and nearly opaque with minimal dilution.
• Creamy-soft consistency: The hand-crafted colour mass activates directly with a damp brush – no lengthy soaking required; the colour releases full pigment saturation immediately.
• Variable opacity and transparency: Plenty of water creates delicate, luminous transparent glazes; minimal water produces opaque, slightly glossy application – similar to gouache.
• Subtle shimmer when dry: Dried surfaces have a discreet silk gloss that shows particularly beautifully on smooth paper.
• Lightfast: The water-based colour is lightproof and suitable for archival work.
• Individual pans interchangeable: The colour block sits in a separate plastic pan that can be removed from a palette and replaced individually – practical for those who customise their palette as needed.
• Hand-crafted in Japan: The colour mass is hand-filled in Japan; the surface may occasionally show small air bubbles – a characteristic of the manufacturing process that does not affect colour quality.

Use & Tips

• Botanical illustration: Carmine is ideal for petals, berries and fruit with cool red tones – as a diluted glaze for light areas or undiluted for rich shadow depths.
• Sumi-e and East Asian painting techniques: The colour responds well to animal-hair brushes and traditional rice papers – the subtle gloss enhances the lively effect of brushwork.
• Mixing: Carmine mixes easily with other Gansai Tambi tones – a touch of Rose Madder (No. 34) lightens it; a drop of Indigo (No. 67) shifts the red towards cool Bordeaux.
• Sketching and lettering: With a water brush, Carmine can be picked up directly from the pan and used for watercolour lettering or quick colour sketches on the go.
• Paper choice: The gloss effect is strongest on smooth, coated or satin watercolour paper; on rough paper it granulates slightly and appears more lively and painterly.
• Not archival: Like all water-based watercolours in this range, Carmine is not waterproof when dry – for archival work, a protective fixative is recommended.

For Watercolour Enthusiasts

No. 35 Carmine is based on pigments PR48:2 and PR48:3 (barium lacquer red), two classical organic pigments renowned for their luminous, slightly bluish-cool red. PR48 pigments tend towards some transparency when heavily diluted, yet retain visible luminosity even in glazes – making this colour particularly attractive for multi-layer watercolour techniques (wet-on-dry). The Gansai Tambi formulation contains no significant chalk content, meaning Carmine mixes cleanly with other colours in the range without immediately becoming chalky – unlike many opaque school watercolours.

Technical Specifications