Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.634 OPAL PINK

The Kuretake Gansai Tambi No.634 Opal Pink is a single colour pan from Kuretake's traditional Japanese watercolour line – handcrafted in Japan since 1902. The pigment carrier is mica, which gives the colour its characteristic pearlescent shimmer: on white paper it shimmers delicately and iridescently, whilst on dark backgrounds it glows in a vibrant rose-pearl tone. The large-format pan can be activated directly with a damp brush and fits into any Gansai Tambi palette.

Features

• Mica pigmentation for pearlescent sheen: The mica pigment creates an angle-dependent shimmer – the colour tone shifts depending on light incidence between delicate pink and cool pearl white. Ideal for highlights, accents and lettering that comes alive under light.
• Opacity between watercolour and gouache: Little water produces a creamy, opaque layer; more water creates a transparent, luminous wash. The opacity sits between classical transparent watercolour and true gouache – this enables flexible technique choices from the same pan.
• Large-format pan (48 × 28 mm): The generous pan provides sufficient surface area to fully immerse even broad brushes or calligraphy brushes without having to scrape away colour to limit the amount available.
• Compatible with all Gansai Tambi colours: The single pan can be seamlessly integrated into existing sets or used as an addition to other opal shades – mixing on the palette is effortless thanks to the creamy-soft consistency.
• Water-based, ACMI-certified: The water-based pigment colour is non-toxic and meets ACMI safety standards for artist materials.
• Lightfastness: Gansai Tambi colours are pigment-based and show good lightfastness with moderate water dilution. With heavily diluted application, permanence decreases – for archival-quality work, a medium consistency is recommended.

Use & Tips

• Calligraphy and brush lettering: Picked up directly from the damp pan with a fine or medium calligraphy brush, Opal Pink produces shimmering letters on dark or black paper – the pearlescent sheen becomes particularly visible on dark backgrounds.
• Highlights in illustrations: Applied as a final touch over dried watercolour layers, Opal Pink sets luminous, pearlescent reflected lights – for example on flower petals, water or fabrics.
• Sumi-e and mixed techniques: Combined with ink or dark watercolour pigments, the pale pearl shimmer contrasts strongly and is suited to traditional Japanese painting styles where light is created through white pigment.
• Wet-on-wet: On damp watercolour paper (at least 300 g/m²), the opal pigments flow softly and form delicate colour clouds with shimmering edges. Working quickly prevents unwanted backflow.
• Layering: As the colour softens underlying layers when reactivated, with multi-layer work it is recommended to allow complete drying and use a quick, dry brush stroke for the opaque layer.
• Paper recommendation: Watercolour paper from 300 g/m², washi or rice paper. The higher opacity compared to western watercolours makes Opal Pink manageable even on lighter paper.

For Watercolour Enthusiasts

The pigment in No.634 Opal Pink is mica – a synthetic layered silicate that does not absorb light but reflects and refracts it at its surfaces. This creates not a static colour tone but an angle-dependent shimmer. In the pigment database, Opal Pink is recorded exclusively with MICA, without organic or inorganic secondary pigments – the colour tone thus arises purely from the interference optics of mica, not from absorption pigments. This also means: when mixed with other Gansai Tambi colours, the shimmer is retained whilst the base tone of the mixing partner determines the overall colour. For calligraphers working with water-based inks: Gansai Tambi is not document-archival and not waterproof after drying – layers can be reactivated with water.

Technical Specifications