Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.59 LIME GREEN

Gansai Tambi No. 59 Lime Green is an individual watercolour from the Japanese Gansai Tambi series by Kuretake — a fresh, clear yellow-green with high pigment density. The pan is handcrafted and made in a generous large format, which allows for liberal brushstrokes and rapid working across the surface. The colour shifts between a strong, opaque gouache application and a light, luminous watercolour glaze depending on water dilution.

Features

• Pigment combination PY3 + PG7: Hansa Yellow and Phthalo Green create an intense, cool lime green with excellent brilliance. The colour remains clear and unsullied even when heavily diluted.
• Variable opacity: Little water produces a dense, almost gouache-like layer — ideal for opaque areas and bright highlights on coloured or dark paper. More water makes the lime green transparent and glazing.
• Creamy-soft consistency: The colour dissolves quickly and evenly on the brush, without lumps or grainy residue — pleasantly fluid in application.
• Light fastness: As a pigment-based colour, No. 59 is light fast as long as it is not extremely diluted — the more water used, the lower the pigment concentration and thus the light stability.
• Large pan (48 × 28 mm): The extra-large format allows broad and flat brushes to be loaded without constant rewetting — pleasant workflow when colouring larger areas.
• Individual pan in plastic palette: Can be used individually or inserted as a replacement pan into an existing Gansai Tambi palette.
• Non-toxic and water-based: Water-based formulation, non-toxic — simple cleaning with water.

Use & Tips

• Illustration and manga: The radiant yellow-green is ideal for foliage, grass structures and vibrant nature illustrations — opaque for highlights, glazing for shadows and depth.
• Sumi-e and Asian painting techniques: Lime Green harmonises well with ink drawings; on rice paper and watercolour board, soft, easily controlled transitions emerge.
• Lettering and calligraphy: When picked up with a soft brush or brush pen, the colour works well for coloured lettering on light paper — the opacity ensures clean edges.
• Sketchbook use: On smooth, ink-resistant paper, the colour dries with a slight sheen and can be redissolved after drying — ideal for reworking and correcting over multiple passes.
• Mixing: Lime Green mixes well with other Gansai Tambi colours — for example with yellow for a warmer yellow-green or with blue-green tones for cooler green shades.
• Dark paper: The opaque quality makes No. 59 visible and vibrant even on black or dark grey watercolour paper.

For Watercolour Enthusiasts

The pigment combination of PY3 (Hansa Yellow 10G) and PG7 (Phthalo Green) is a classic blend for lively yellow-green tones with good transparency in the glazing range and strong opacity with minimal water content. Kuretake's over hundred-year tradition in sumi ink production flows into pigment preparation: the colour sits creamy and homogeneous in the pan, without hardening or crumbling. The result dries with a light silken sheen — characteristic of the Gansai Tambi line and a difference from matte European watercolours. Not document permanent: the dried colour layer can be redissolved with water, which allows corrections but makes overlapping wet layers difficult.

Technical Specifications