Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.40 LEMON YELLOW

Lemon Yellow No. 40 is a clear, cool lemon yellow shade from Kuretake's Gansai Tambi line – handcrafted Japanese watercolour paint in pan form, based on water-soluble pigment colour. The pigment PY3 produces a bright, slightly greenish yellow with excellent luminosity that can be applied from opaque to transparent depending on water content. The large pan, measuring approximately 48 × 28 mm, provides ample surface area even for broad brushes and encourages generous colour loading.

Features

• Single pigment PY3 (Arylid Yellow): Pure single pigment – mixtures remain clean and mud-free. Lemon Yellow blends precisely with blue to create fresh greens or with red to produce vibrant oranges.
• Water-soluble pigment colour, non-toxic (AP-certified): No solvents, no toxic heavy-metal pigments – safe to use even during extended painting sessions.
• Variable opacity: Little water produces an opaque, gouache-like layer; plenty of water creates a transparent glaze with watercolour-like delicacy. The transition is smooth and easily controlled.
• Creamy, soft consistency: The colour cake dissolves quickly with the brush – no hard rubbing, no lengthy soaking required. The colour goes directly onto the brush.
• Subtle sheen finish when dry: Gansai Tambi dries with a delicate silk-like sheen that gives illustrations and lettering a clear, refined appearance.
• Large pan (approx. 48 × 28 mm): Significantly wider than standard half-pans – ideal for quick work with larger brushes and for broad background applications.
• Individual pan with removable plastic tray: Can be inserted directly as a replacement into any Gansai Tambi palette.
• Made in Japan with over 100 years of Kuretake expertise in ink and pigment technology.

Use & Tips

• Illustration and manga: Lemon Yellow No. 40 is a classic primary colour in the yellow range – equally useful as a foundation for colour mixing or as a standalone, bright accent colour in character work or botanical illustration.
• Calligraphy and brush lettering: Mixed with little water, the colour produces a saturated, opaque paste ideal for use with a brush pen or pointed round brush for lettering on dark or coloured paper.
• Sumi-e and ink painting: Heavily diluted, it creates delicate, transparent yellow tones that can be glazed over ink drawings as a subtle undertone without obscuring the lines.
• Wet-on-dry for control: Gansai Tambi flows more controllably on dry paper than Western watercolours – this is particularly advantageous when colouring line art because the colour stays clearly within boundaries.
• Mixing: PY3 + blue (e.g. No. 62 Turquoise Blue) = fresh yellow-green; PY3 + red (e.g. No. 32 Red) = warm orange. As a single pigment, mixing produces no muddy tones.
• Refilling: Those who use up Lemon Yellow quickly in a set can insert the individual pan directly as a replacement – the plastic tray fits all Gansai Tambi palettes.

For Watercolour Enthusiasts

Gansai Tambi employs Kuretake's proprietary "Ultra-Thin Particle Dispersion Technology" – pigment particles are distributed so finely and evenly that the colour flows uniformly on paper with minimal granulation when applied. For PY3, this results in a particularly clear, bright yellow without gritty specks. Kuretake's lightfastness rating applies at normal pigment density; with very heavy dilution, lightfastness decreases – this is something to note with PY3 generally, as Arylid Yellow is more sensitive to UV in very thin glazes than in saturated layers. Those using the lemon yellow in glazing techniques should ensure adequate colour concentration.

Technical Specifications