It has come to my attention that the kuretake paints are NOT vegan,  they use glycerin derived from beef tallow. I didn't know, and i have no idea if kuretake knew the whole time.
Apologies to anyone who is vegan who bought the paints on my recommendation
Edit: quite frankly i don't know anymore, but google is your friend! i'll look into it in more depth at some point and try to get a more definitive answer

Very refreshing to find a candid account of Gansai paints since 99% of You Tube "artists" claim that they are just like other watercolors and recommend them for beginning painters. For some reason there is great resistance to acknowledging the cultural and material differences.

There's not much about Gansai paints out there, you did a great job with this instructional video. I love Gansai paints for abstract paintings, the large pans are perfect for large brushes. The graphite set is one of my favorites. Your art is so soft and cute! Thank you for the lightfast test in special, it's a first!

the way you compare watercolours and gansai paints like layered glass vs layered tissue paper really helped me visualize the difference, thank you for taking the time to explain this medium in such depth 🙌

I thoroughly enjoyed using gansai for a time, as they act as a happy medium between gouache and watercolor for me. I agree they are completely different from either medium, and find that one might enjoy using them if they have an illustrative style or would like to do something gouache-like but want the luminosity of oils. The shiny finish of thickly applied gansai on a smooth paper? Gorgeous.

I learned a lot! I'm going to play with gansai paints today. It feels like they're more like transparent gouache than watercolor.

OK, about the rice paper: There are three diff sizings for all Chinese/Japanese paintings. Raw (unsized), ripe (sized), and half raw half ripe (slightly sized). Unsized rice papers are great for landscapes as, of course, the unsized paper absorbs water/ink/paint and spreads it out (it looks like you are painting wet in wet even tho you aren't) which is what you want when you are doing clouds, mountains, fields, etc. If you look at traditional landscapes you will see that the clouds and mountains, etc fade out. BUT that is for the traditional SPONTANEOUS painting. There is also Gong Bi style (meticulous). You know the ones I'm talking about: the very detailed pics of birds with every feather meticulously painted and shaded, each flower petal done perfectly, all with those perfect outlines. And Gong Bi is done on ripe papers. The half raw half ripe (or semi sized) are for up close subjects but in spontaneous style, where you need more control of where the ink is going but you still want that one brush stroke to represent a branch or a beak. The sizing is done with different materials, but one of the most popular is alum. I buy alum and size my own papers because alum makes the paper sparkle! That is why you will find diff Chinese papers labeled "Dragon Cloud Sparkle paper" (thick with these cloud like fluffy fibers running through but sized), "Cicada Wing paper" (SUPER thin, practically transparent, and sparkly....just like a cicada wing!), etc. OK. I am literally talking too much, but go on the Website Oriental Art Supply, it is in English and located in CA and they have descriptions of everything that will explain it all to you. They also have a YouTube channel! Same name OAS Oriental Art Supply where they teach painting diff subjects on diff papers! Also, Henry Li has a shop and a YouTube channel both called Blue Heron Arts that can give you much more info on the subject if you are so inclined to learn!

As a sort of noob when it comes to watercolors, i wanted to try the Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints for a while, but after watching this video im beginning to think they aren't a good fit for the artwork i do. I love mixing my colors myself with my small set of watercolors i have and i like working really small and detailed when i paint. Thank you for making this video, it makes the difference between watercolor and gansai paints so much more clear to me. I may still try these paints in the future, but for now and after watching this video that will be much later on.
Btw i absolutely loved your painting, its adorable  :)

I've only been painting with watercolors for about 2 months now and early on I saw a professional artist paint with gansai paints and I loved it and thought I would try it, and they basically inferred that they were the same thing as watercolor. I found out quickly that they were not the same. I was discouraged because I thought that I was doing something wrong.
Thank you so much for this video and I would love to see you make more videos about different types of art supplies and paints

I love how comprehensive this was, most people on here that I've seen usually end up bashing Gansai paints cuz they're not like western watercolours which I think is dumb. Love the painting btw!

This is such great information. I had no idea Gansai was that different from watercolors!!!  Thank you.

YAY! THANK you! I do Chinese brush painting/Japanese Sumi-e and I am tired of all these YT artists saying they don't like gansai because they aren't like "real" watercolors, etc etc. They are meant to be put down in one layer on very thin rice paper. Interestingly, China actually brought the art form to Japan so the paints are originally Chinese!  I don't speak Japanese, but I do speak Chinese (not fluently, but enough that when I am in China people assume I'm fluent) so I guess it's easier for me to get info on gansai: because I know different Chinese art supply shops in the US and I follow Chinese brush painting channels here on YT. I also follow a lot of the Japanese ones too! I love Nihonga as well! I love making my own paints fresh for each painting, the fact that there like 50 diff variations of the same pigment with slight differences based on how large or small the particles are, the cool brass spoon I get to use after I dissolve the glue..............

FINALLY !  An explanation of these paints.  Your right on that they are not like watercolors.  They are paints in their own right.   Water based paint.  I’m a long time painter, my favorite is traditional watercolor. I’ve worked with all kinds of mediums, each are unique .  The techniques for each are different.  Thanks for ‘ clearing the air’ on Gansai. 🌴from Florida 🌴

For any artist who plans on traveling to Japan: on airbnb there is a thing called "experiences" which are offered by locals in the area you are traveling to.

I attended some awesome and wonderful courses in traditional Japanese drawing and painting techniques and Calligraphy.

One even taught us to mix our own colors! These artists are usually industry pros and know a lot, they can answer any questions you might have :)

Your video is clear , informative and the absolute best explanation and representation for  these beautiful paints.   Gansai has been like a burst of energy for me.  I hate to see them downplayed simply because the artist did nit understand their amazing qualities.   Thank you for this video , for your lightfast tests and sharing your information.

Other than Holbein, Gansai are always my second favourite. I love your art 💜

Thank you, I have so little experience with watercolor of any kind, collage having been my entry point.
Now, retired, and with a general loss of strength, I am eager to learn about art and watercolor.  Planting
5 shrubs a day is no longer an option for me, having slowed; I greatly appreciate your video helping
me to understand how I might proceed, and experiment.  Best to you.

Regards,
Suzanna

I've been treating these like they were watercolors, this was very informative!

Thank you for this video! Very helpful and having used the gansai for the last several months I can attest to everything you have explained and you have helped me understand some of my frustrations with these. I'm a total beginner. I was led to believe that Kuretake gansai was great for beginners. I bought the main, art nouveau, graphite, sumi, starry colors, and granulating sets! 😂 I have enjoyed them, but have learned very quickly after watching other artists using Western watercolors that they are not the same thing. Not inferior, not superior, just different. I have since bought a teensy weensy split complimentary set of Daniel Smith. I'm teaching myself how to use both types of paints. They are both beautiful in their own right. Thanks again!

The art nouveau palette is one of my favorite of all my types of paint