Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.44 YELLOW OCHRE

Yellow Ochre No. 44 is one of the classic earth tones in the Kuretake Gansai Tambi range – a handcrafted, water-based pigment watercolor from Japan. The pigment PY42 (synthetic iron oxide) delivers a warm, yellow-earthy tone that ranges from creamy sand to rich ochre depending on water content. The creamy-soft consistency of the pressed pan dissolves immediately and evenly with the brush.

Features

• Earth tone with great range: Yellow Ochre covers the spectrum from light cream to warm brown – depending on water dilution. Applied pure, the color is opaque like gouache; when heavily diluted, it creates a transparent, glazing tone.
• Pigment PY42 – synthetic iron oxide: Iron oxide pigments are among the most permanent available in painting. Light fastness is excellent as long as the color is not applied extremely diluted.
• Handcrafted in Japan: Each Gansai Tambi pan is traditionally handcrafted. Kuretake draws on over 100 years of experience in manufacturing Sumi inks.
• Creamy, easily mixable consistency: The color mixes effortlessly with other Gansai Tambi tones. Yellow Ochre harmonizes particularly well with earth tones like Raw Umber Deep (No. 47) or Burnt Sienna (No. 46) as well as green tones for landscape motifs.
• Large pan (approx. 48 × 28 mm): The generously sized compartment allows the use of wide brushes and quick coverage of larger areas – practical for sketches and illustrations on the go.
• ACMI-certified non-toxic: The water-based colors carry the AP certification of the Art & Creative Materials Institute.
• Available as single replacement: The pan can be inserted as a single replacement into any existing Gansai Tambi palette.

Application & Tips

• Sumi-e and Asian ink painting: Yellow Ochre is a classic companion tone for ink drawings – as a glazing undercoat beneath ink lines or as a warmly toned background wash on rice paper and smooth watercolor paper.
• Urban Sketching: The fast-drying iron oxide pigment is particularly suitable for on-location sketches. Stone, sand, old masonry, dry grass – Yellow Ochre hits architectural and natural earth tones without mixing.
• Layering and glazing technique: Applied highly diluted as a first glaze, Yellow Ochre gives warm skin tones or backgrounds a golden base mood over which further colors can be built well. On dry paper (wet-on-dry), the color works most controllably.
• Mixing for nature motifs: Combined with a strong red, it creates a warm ocher-terracotta; diluted with white, it becomes a soft sand tone. In botanical illustration, the color is suitable for stems, flower calyxes, and autumn foliage.
• Calligraphy and mixed media: The opacity of Yellow Ochre is sufficient to remain visible on dark or pre-painted paper – interesting for mixed techniques with ink or charcoal.

For Watercolor Enthusiasts

Gansai Tambi colors are conceptually situated between classical watercolor and gouache: they flow less than Western watercolors, which allows more precise control in application, but restricts wet-on-wet effects. After drying, they develop a characteristic, slightly silky-sheen surface film – a feature that stems from Japanese Gansai tradition. The PY42 pigment in No. 44 is a synthetic iron oxide yellow distinguished by high chemical stability; it reacts neutrally to most other pigments and is therefore a reliable mixing color in the palette. The color lifts slightly after drying, allowing rewetting and correction – a difference from permanently fixed media.

Technical Data