Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.506 SHADOW GREEN

Shadow Green No. 506 is a muted, deep green from Kuretake's Gansai Tambi palette – a colour that evokes the diffuse light beneath leafy branches or the cool shadow of a forest floor. The pigment combination of Phthalocyanine Green (PG7), a broken red tone (SCARLET 215) and white pigment (PW6) creates a hue that leans neither towards blue-green nor yellow-green, but rests quietly in the middle. As a single pan, the colour integrates easily into existing sets or can be used for targeted colour mixing.

Features

• Variable opacity: With minimal water, Shadow Green behaves opaquely and substantive – similar to gouache; with more water, the colour becomes transparent and watercolour-like with glazing qualities. The white pigment content (PW6) ensures that even heavily diluted glazes retain a certain silky quality.
• Pigment base PG7 + SCARLET 215 + PW6: Phthalocyanine Green gives the colour depth and intensity; the red undertone tempers the coolness and lends the green its characteristically earthy, shadowy character. The result is a tone that sits harmoniously alongside earth colours, ochre or dark blues.
• Creamy, soft consistency: The paint mass dissolves evenly and quickly from the large pan – even broad brushes and water brushes pick up the colour without issue.
• Large pan (48 × 28 mm): The pan format is noticeably more generous than many European watercolour pans. Wide flat brushes can be loaded directly without extra steps.
• Lightfast with pigment-based application: As a water-based pigment colour, light resistance is assured with saturated colour layers. With very heavy dilution, light fastness decreases – a characteristic common to all Gansai Tambi colours.
• ACMI-certified: The colour is certified as non-toxic.

Use & Tips

• Botanical illustration: Shadow Green works as a shadow colour for leaves, stems and foliage – where a pure green would be too harsh. Applied in several thin layers, it creates natural depth without overworking.
• Urban sketching and Sumi-e: The colour can be picked up directly from the pan with a water brush and applied to paper. For Sumi-e-inspired work, water can be gradually reduced to move from transparent washes to saturated, substantial colour application.
• Mixing: Combined with yellow or ochre tones from the Gansai Tambi range, it creates a warm moss green; a small amount of dark blue or black deepens Shadow Green into almost blackish shadow tones. Since PG7 has strong tinting strength, only a small amount of colour is needed for mixing.
• On dark paper: Thanks to the white pigment content, Shadow Green remains visible on dark grey or black paper – with opaque application using minimal water.
• Layering: When working over dried layers, the lower layer softens again. Quick, brisk working prevents unwanted bleeding; those wanting deliberately soft transitions can use this quality intentionally.

For Watercolour Enthusiasts

Shadow Green No. 506 belongs to the newer Art Nouveau colour group within the Gansai Tambi range – a selection of muted, complex tones that deliberately avoid pure primary hues. The pigment combination with SCARLET 215 as a toning agent is typical of broken greens in this palette: instead of using white alone for lightening, the complementary undertone is employed, giving the green an organic, lively quality. Gansai Tambi colours sit lightly on paper after drying and don't sink in as much as traditional transparent watercolours – a characteristic stemming from Kuretake's over hundred years of experience in sumi ink production.

Technical Specifications