Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.37 PURPLE

No. 37 Purple is a vibrant, warm violet Gansai color from the Kuretake Gansai Tambi series – in Japanese it bears the traditional color name Botan, named after the peony. The color is based on the pigments PR63:1, PV3 and BR12: a reddish-dominated violet with recognizable warmth that lightens to a transparent lavender-violet when significantly diluted. Like all Gansai Tambi colors, it is supplied in a solid pan and dissolves quickly and evenly with a wet brush.

Special Features

• Pigmented color strength, water-dependent opacity: Applied with little water, No. 37 appears opaque, similar to gouache – the violet appears saturated and velvety. Diluted with plenty of water, the color becomes transparent and luminous, suitable for glazed washes.
• Japanese binder character: Gansai Tambi does not use pure gum arabic binder like Western watercolors, but a traditional Japanese binder formula made from gum, sugar, dextrins and glycerin. The result: the color flows evenly from the brush but sets quickly on paper without heavy bleeding – ideal for controlled line work and wet-on-dry techniques.
• Silky drying sheen: Gansai Tambi dries with a subtle satin to high gloss, which is stronger with less water content and more matte with thin washes. This surface characteristic is a typical feature of the series.
• Large pan format for wide brushes: The pan measures 48 × 28 mm – significantly larger than Western half-pans. Japanese calligraphy brushes and wide watercolor brushes have sufficient loading surface without damaging the bristles.
• Quick rehydration: The compressed color dissolves with a wet brush without pre-soaking – practical for sketching on the go or in sketchbook use.
• Available as single color: No. 37 Purple is available as an individual color and can be directly integrated into existing Gansai Tambi palettes.

Application & Tips

• Wet-on-dry recommended: The color stays in place well when applied to dry paper. Wet-on-wet effects (blooms) occur only to a limited extent – if you want to avoid these, work deliberately on pre-dried ground.
• Use palette before painting: For even washes, it is recommended to load color into a palette first and dilute it there with water rather than painting directly from the pan. Excess water in the pan can cause cracks when drying.
• Black and dark paper: Since No. 37 Purple can be applied opaquely, it shows well on black or dark gray paper – the violet appears particularly luminous on dark backgrounds.
• Rice paper and watercolor paper: Originally developed for Japanese rice paper, the color works excellently on absorbent watercolor papers. On smooth, calendered paper, finer, more even edges result.
• Keep color mixing limited: Due to the Japanese binder, mixtures can become muddy with more than 2–3 colors. Using No. 37 directly or combining with at most one adjacent color yields the most saturated results.
• Light fastness note: Violet and red tones of the Gansai Tambi series are considered less light fast than other colors in the series. For work worth archiving or originals exposed to sustained light, a light fastness test is advisable. For sketchbooks, illustration, card design and scans for digital further processing, the color is suitable without restriction.

For Watercolor Enthusiasts

No. 37 Purple is composed of the pigments PR63:1 (Alizarin Maroon), PV3 (Methyl Violet) and BR12 – a three-pigment mixture that underlays the warm reddish violet with a slight brown tone. Compared to pure PV23 violets (such as No. 38 Imperial Violet), No. 37 appears warmer and less cool-blue. The Japanese binder differs from pure gum arabic by having a higher pigment-to-binder ratio, which explains the pronounced opacity with minimal water use. The color lifts well after drying, making corrections and glazes on absorbent paper easier – on very smooth paper, the lifting property is more pronounced than on rough watercolor paper.

Technical Data