Kuretake has been making sumi ink and brushes in Nara, Japan since 1902, and this set carries that same tradition of Japanese color into a compact watercolor palette. The twelve pans are gansai style paint, the classic Japanese approach to watercolor that leans more opaque and vivid than Western sets, so it holds its brightness even on toned or darker paper.
The colors are a traditional lineup: Black, Brown Orange, Crimson, Dark Blue Green, Indigo, Ochre, Purple, Ultramarine, Vermilion, White, Yellow, and Yellow Green, enough range to cover landscapes, portraits, or graphic illustration work. The clear case snaps shut around the pans, and its lid doubles as a small mixing surface, so the whole thing travels easily in a bag or sketch kit.
A wet brush is all it takes to lift color from the pans, whether you are working at a desk or out sketching with a water brush like the one shown in use here.
Details:
- Dimensions: 3.8 x 3.9 in (9.7 x 9.8 cm)
- 12 gansai watercolor pans
- Acid-free, pigment-based paint
- Lid opens flat to serve as a mixing palette
