Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor No.901 BLUE GOLD

Blue Gold No.901 is a metallic Gansai Tambi watercolor from Kuretake, Japan. The color combines a cool blue with a shimmering gold tone – pigmented with mica, which gives the application an even metallic sheen. Depending on the water content, the color can be used transparently or opaquely: lots of water creates a paper-thin, shimmering veil, while little water produces a rich, opaque metallic layer. The large-format pan in Gansai Tambi format measures 48 × 28 mm – large enough for wide brushes and broad areas.

Special Features

• Mica pigmentation: Mica particles create a metallic shimmer that becomes particularly visible in angled light – unlike pure color pigments, which remain more matte.
• Opaque on dark paper: The color reliably covers black, deep blue, or anthracite paper without fading – a quality that water-based watercolors without mica content often lack.
• Transparent on light paper: When strongly diluted, Blue Gold on white or cream-colored paper produces a shimmering glaze suitable for backgrounds, color transitions, and highlights.
• Hand-crafted pans: Gansai Tambi colors are hand-crafted in Japan using traditional manufacturing methods – small irregularities on the surface are typical of the production process and do not affect the color properties.
• Water-based pigments, non-toxic, AP-certified.
• Mixes well with other Gansai Tambi colors; for optimal brilliance, mixing with no more than one additional color is recommended.

Application & Tips

• Calligraphy & Brush Lettering: With a brush that absorbs little water, the metallic effect remains well-controlled when writing. Blue Gold is readable on dark cardboard or watercolor paper in deep tones.
• Illustration & Sumi-e: As an accent ink for highlights, light reflections, or ornaments; the cool blue-gold tone suits night and water motifs as well as themes with Japanese or Far Eastern references.
• Mixed Media: Combinable with ink and stamps; since the color is not completely water-resistant after drying, it is well-suited for layered overpainting.
• Activation: Place a damp brush briefly on the surface of the pan and allow the color to soften for a few seconds – this allows it to dissolve evenly and without scratching.
• Paper recommendation: On smooth, calendered paper with 200–300 g/m² the metallic color flows more evenly; rough paper intensifies the granulation effect of the mica.

For Calligraphy Enthusiasts

The mica pigment in Blue Gold No.901 behaves differently when applied with a round brush tip than with a wide flat brush: the narrower the line, the more concentrated the mica particles – lines appear metallically glossy, while broad areas diffuse light more evenly. Combined with water-based Gansai Tambi colors without metallic content, shading gradients can be created in which the shimmer effect gradually fades. Since Gansai Tambi colors are based on a mixture of starch, clay, wax, gum arabic, honey, sugar, and gelatin, they react to humidity fluctuations – in dry environments the pan dries out faster and can be reactivated with more water without losing opacity.

Technical Data