Gansai Tambi Watercolor Paint Set, 48 Colors, Made in Japan

I have zero regrets getting these paints. I liked them so much i picked up the Art Nouveau set as well. i love them too. i had tried one of the granulating sets and fell in love with them so i wanted to try these. i got the 48 color set and im so happy with them. A little goes a long way. I usually use western watercolor, Daniel Smith and Winsor and Newton Professional. These are not like those. I also have some gouache and it’s not really like that either. Very well pigmented , bright and vibrant. They layer beautifully as long as you don’t overwork them. The paint will lift. These will work wet on wet but that’s not really what they are for. Wet on dry or damp and they really shine. No, they aren’t all lightfast. These were made to be used for sketching and underpaintings. I love them though and have been playing with them constantly. They do beautifully with Sumi ink. Of course they would. The pans are all labeled and the box has the label on it so you can put the pan back where it was. The swatch card is a thinner paper but worked fine for these kind of paint. There is also a swatch card printed inside the lid of the box. According to their website you can get the pans individually as well for when you run out. Although I haven’t seen open stock on Amazon. I definitely recommend these for beginners and professional painters. They are different in a good way.

I love, love, love these paints! They have beautiful pigment and a creamy texture. The colors flow beautifully and this was my second purchase of them. I started out with a smaller set then went with more colors. I've had two other fellow water color artist friends try them and they too are happy with them. Like paper, paint quality makes all the difference in your work.

These are beautiful colors. be aware that Kuretake does use colors that are not the most lightfast (you can see a good review of this on Kimberly Crick's website), I can't recommend use of these for professional art, but for sketchbooks or scanning in, it's probably fine. There is something about these, even though they're more opaque than traditional watercolors, they're definitely also NOT gouache, but despite their semi-opaqueness, they have this lovely way of blending together wet-in-wet and granulating that is just very unique to this product. I wasn't sure if it'd be too cheap or beginner for me, but honestly absolutely not. I don't use all of the colors, but the ones I wanted to use were all in there and it was cheaper than buying individual pans etc. If you wanted to splurge on a big set of Gansai, I think this one (the 48) is hands down the best, you get a good array of different colors including some gold and silvers. My only qualm is I wish the umber color was darker, it's kind of a milk-chocolate lighter color. Kuretake needs to give us a darker van dyke type brown. I also find that they wet easily, and the big pans are fun to play with. Obviously the big box isn't the most travel friendly, but you can remove the pans and put them into another container if you wanted. I put six of mine in a vintage pencil case and they fit beautifully (there is also an empty-6 pan tray that you can buy out there by the same brand to make your own limited palette). The exterior of the box is lovely when you put the palette away, it just feels very special. I really held back on these for quite some time, but I do like them. I would not recommend them to someone who is a beginner in watercolors who wants to learn how TRADITIONAL western watercolors work - these are seriously not the same, and again, they're not gouache, they really are a secret third thing, but the magic of how they are a little different really shines when you use them.

I really like these watercolors. I am rather new to watercolors, but I've found these paints respond well whether I'm doing a large wash or detail. The color range is great and the paint seems "creamy." Thus far I've not mixed colors except on the painting itself, because I have not needed to. The "advertising" says 48 vivid opaque colors, but I've also found many to be transparent. I gifted a couple of this brand's sets to seasoned watercolor artists last December and got all thumbs up. So far, so good.

These do have their uses but they are opaque and also not blend and glaze like regular watercolor. But I got them for doodle painting. And they are awesome for that. The colors are spectacular. Fun to paint and then doodle. Just for fun or cardmaking.

Absolutely lovely gansai tambi watercolor paints. I wanted this set a long time and was very pleased to get it at such a discounted price. Arrived from Japan very quickly, within a couple of weeks. Arrived in perfect condition. These are beautiful, creamy, highly pigmented paints, a bit different than normal watercolors, as with less water you can get a more opaque effect, like gouache, but with more water you get translucency. I've been using them constantly since they arrived. Pan size is also very generous, and these should last a long time. Lastly, the set is beautiful to look at, in a gorgeous green presentation box, with a swatching graphic on the inside of the lid along with the same on a separate sheet of paper. A sheet of molded clear plastic fits over all the paint wells to protect them. When I'm painting, I remove the pans I'm using, so as not to trash the box. When it's time to replace them, the color names are all printed inside the box where each one goes, and each pan has the name stamped on the bottom, so it's easy to put them back in place. Wonderful presentation!

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolors are good quality, saturated, and fast dissolvable. Strong pigment, easy to use, but the pans are half full, as most of negative feedbacks mention. They are also the same size in all sets, interchangeable and replaceable, which is a good idea. Flimsy box of carton but they can be moved in a better box as you work, selecting only whet you need. They may come broken from transportation but they have a film over and the pieces are not lost, just need a bit of water to stick them back in the pan. The quantity of color in a pan will be enough for 2-3 big artworks of a professional painter. Since we do not use them all in the same time, the set will be uneven consumed and fast. They cannot be used directly from the pan, if you work on a transparent watercolor painting, must be diluted on another well to keep the same color, because they are very concentrated, saturated colors. If dry the color will crack but can be activated fast with water. They are specially made for oriental painting where you do not re-touch the work but with a bit of patience can be used by a professional if you like the pigment. Uneven balance between value and quantity.

These are fun, lovely paints. I am an absolute beginner and have enjoyed painting with these especially if I will be embellishing the finished painting. What I learned: -These can be opaque if used with little water. -Layering can result in a shiny surface. -Large pans, but fairly thin layer of paint (about half full). I calculated approximately 3.86 ml per pan (with the help of AI 'cause I don't do math). -Mixing is easy in porcelain or ceramic palettes. Plastic palettes stain badly. -These move well wet on wet. Interesting results. -I use a lot of yellow. -Fun! I love these paints. I also paint with tube watercolors which are completely different.

Amazing palette, minimal waste! It’s my first time using this type of watercolor and I attached my first painting. The ability to control opacity from completely opaque to fully transparent by adding more water makes it versatile as oil paint. What I also like is no need for special palettes for mixing, I can use my favorite palettes and it cleans off very easy like watercolor.

This is lovely, I really enjoy this paint.

Llevo muchos años pintando con acuarela, y he probado bastantes marcas y formatos. Compré esta paleta específicamente para ilustración científica y diseño de tatuaje por la alta pigmentación y variedad de colores que trae; y he quedado super satisfecha con la compra. Las pigmentación esta a la altura de las principales marcas de acuarelas para bellas artes. Se extiende y se mezcla de manera similar a otras acuarelas, pero una vez seca se adhiere con mayor fuerza al papel; por lo que es especialmente indicada para ilustración y aplicaciones de húmedo sobre seco, pudiendo lograrse colores prácticamente opacos. Son godets completos, traen bastante cantidad y cunden un montón. He estado usando los colores primarios en un set de viaje durante más de un año, y apenas se aprecia que estén más gastados que el resto. El packaging es precioso, y trae dos cartas de colores muy prácticas para rellenar y diferenciar tonos similares a simple vista. Si no necesitara tanta exactitud en los colores; yo elegiría uno de los sets más pequeños que tienen por comodidad para llevarlo de viaje. Aun así, todos los tonos son bastante diferentes entre sí, y he acabado usando prácticamente todos menos los metalizados. 100% recomendable

Beautiful quality, and great colour selection. I have wanted to purchase the brand for a long time so was pleased to see them at a lower price

Beautiful colours. Nice array of greens, yellows and blues. Classy packaging by kuretake. Colours are vibrant and transparent as a watercolour. Seller UnboxJapan had packed the item well and I received it without any damage. Also was extremely nice to contact me and give me updates on the tracking and delivery.