Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.501 PEA GREEN

Pea Green No. 501 is a muted, warm yellowish pea green from the Art Nouveau collection of the Gansai Tambi range by Kuretake – a Japanese manufacturer with over a hundred years of experience in ink and colour production. The pan is hand-cast, and the colour is based on water-soluble synthetic resin and the pigments PY55 (Aryl Yellow), PG7 (Phthalo Green) and PW6 (Titanium White). This pigment combination creates a tone that is neither too cool nor too saturated – a green that evokes fresh pea pods in spring light.

Features

• Traditional Japanese Gansai formula: The colour is inherently more opaque than Western watercolours – meaning rich, direct coverage with minimal water, without the need for multiple layers. With more water, it opens up into transparent, flowing glazes.
• Creamy, smooth consistency: The pan dissolves quickly and evenly without scratching or granulating. Brushes pick up the colour directly and completely – no lengthy scrubbing required.
• Large pan format 48 × 28 mm: The unusually wide pan makes it easy to load with large watercolour brushes, round brushes or flat brushes – also suitable for broad background washes and coverage.
• Subtle sheen after drying: The dried colour shows a light shimmer, not a flat, dull surface – the green remains vibrant even as it dries.
• Light fastness: PG7 and PY55 are considered light-fast artist pigments; the colour retains its intensity with normal use, as long as it is not heavily diluted with water.
• Single pan: Perfectly interchangeable with other Gansai Tambi pans – can be integrated into existing sets or added as a single colour to your palette.

Use & Tips

• Illustration and Botanical Art: Pea Green works as a base tone for leaves, stems and botanical motifs – warm enough to avoid appearing sterile, muted enough to harmonise beautifully with other shades in the Art Nouveau palette.
• Hand Lettering and Calligraphy: Using a brush or brush pen, the colour can be applied directly from the pan for coloured lettering. The slight opacity ensures legible, opaque lines on light paper.
• Opaque like Gouache: With minimal water, Pea Green behaves similarly to gouache – flat, direct, perfect for areas that need solid colour without gradation.
• Transparent Glazes: Add more water and the colour works as a delicate, translucent layer – ideal as a first colour in multi-layer techniques or as a background wash.
• Mixing: With PG7 as its base, this is a strong colour; when mixing with other Gansai Tambi shades, use sparingly – Pea Green quickly dominates a mixture.
• Paper Recommendation: On ink-resistant, smooth watercolour paper or cold-pressed paper, the colour displays its full luminosity; on absorbent paper it absorbs more quickly and appears duller.

For Watercolour Enthusiasts

No. 501 Pea Green is part of the Art Nouveau collection, which Kuretake developed in celebration of more than a century of operation – a group of muted, historically inspired shades. The pigment combination PY55 + PG7 + PW6 is a classical composition for muted pastel greens in artist quality: PG7 (Phthalo Green, blue tone) provides depth and light fastness, PY55 (Diaryl Yellow) warms the tone towards yellow-green, and PW6 (Titanium White) brings the characteristic opacity of the Gansai formula. This opacity is the crucial difference from classical Western transparent watercolours: the Gansai medium is more forgiving, covers mistakes more easily and can be lightened without white.

Technical Specifications