Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.66 PRUSSIAN BLUE

Prussian Blue No. 66 is one of the most characterful colours in Kuretake's Gansai Tambi range. This rich, deep cyan blue with a subtly greenish undertone is based on pigment PB27 – one of the rare iron blue pigments with exceptional tinting strength. Supplied as a single pan, it can be inserted directly into an existing Gansai Tambi palette or used independently.

Features

• Pure PB27 pigment (Prussian blue): Iron blue with one of the strongest tinting powers of all pigments – even small amounts colour mixtures intensely. When diluted with plenty of water, transparent glazes emerge with a subtly greenish shimmer; with minimal water, the colour remains deep, almost opaque.
• Creamy, smoothly pressed consistency: The pan is carefully filled with an even surface and no graining – releases readily with a damp brush and disperses colour evenly without clumping.
• Between watercolour and gouache: Thanks to its high pigment concentration, Prussian Blue No. 66 covers more strongly than classical transparent watercolours, yet remains easily glazeable with plenty of water. Depending on the water ratio, you can freely control the character of the colour – from fluid wash to nearly opaque application.
• Gentle sheen after drying: Like all Gansai Tambi colours, this dries with a fine silk shimmer – a hallmark of the Japanese gansai tradition that looks particularly beautiful on smooth paper.
• Large-format pan: At approximately 48 × 28 mm, significantly larger than European standard pans. Broad brushes, flat brushes and large Japanese brushes have plenty of colour surface without constant reloading.
• Compatible with all Gansai Tambi palettes: The pan fits precisely into every Gansai Tambi set and is ideal for replenishing a used colour or expanding an existing palette with this shade.

Use & Tips

• Sumi-e and ink colouring: Prussian Blue is excellent for underlaying ink drawings with cool, atmospheric tones – used sparingly as a glaze over black lines, the line work remains visible.
• Illustration on watercolour paper: On watercolour paper from 300 g/m² upwards, the blue reveals its full depth. Applied wet-on-dry, sharp edges form; wet-on-wet, the edges diffuse softly and atmospherically.
• Washi and rice paper: Gansai Tambi colours were originally developed for Japanese papers. On washi, Prussian Blue sits richly on the surface and absorbs less than with Western watercolour papers – this enhances the matte to lightly glossy finish.
• Mixed tones: PB27 has enormous tinting strength – when mixing with other colours (yellow to green, white to ice grey), always dose sparingly and stir in gradually, as the blue quickly dominates.
• Layering: Since Gansai Tambi colours remain easily re-wetted even after drying, work over layers quickly or allow one layer to dry completely before applying the next – this keeps the layers clearly separated.
• Calligraphic accents: With a fine brush and minimal water, Prussian Blue can be used as a deep, almost black-blue colour for lettering or calligraphic gestures.

For Watercolour Enthusiasts

Prussian Blue No. 66 is based on the synthetic iron cyanide pigment PB27 – historically the very first synthetically manufactured pigment ever (Berlin, circa 1704). PB27 is considered semi-transparent with very high colour and tinting strength; when mixed with white, it rapidly loses saturation and shifts towards smoky, almost stone grey. This makes it demanding for mixed tones, but particularly interesting for monochromatic works and atmospheric depth painting. The Gansai Tambi formulation contains no additional white pigment content (PW6), as some lighter colours in the series do – Prussian Blue No. 66 is listed as pure PB27 and is therefore one of the more transparent shades in the entire palette.

Technical Specifications