Choosing Keeping Retro Watercolour Set, 1920's

£25.00

Choosing Keeping presents seven exclusive, special editions of 8 shades of Gansai. This Japanese alternative to standard European watercolours is not dissimilar to gouache and is made by a 100 year old paint maker in Japan. The paints can be used directly out of the box with a wet paintbrush - either thinly in translucent washes, or by layering for a bolder effect. These can also be used on darker paper bases to enhance colours further.

The 1920s - This set represents the opulence and innovation of the decade: the Art Deco art and design movement, Japanese lacquerware, and Prohibition-era underground parties. Sparkling gold and pearlescent pink recall an evening of champagne and strawberries. Bright, luminescent shades of pink and red evoke the lustre of Japanese urushi-lacquered trinket boxes. Deep, warm greens are reminiscent of jade and absinthe, speakeasies and green lights across the water. 

Included is a blank letterpress swatch card featuring each individual colour name to be painted in for colour referencing. This can come in handy as appearances can be deceiving and each colour is only revealed once wet and set to paper!

We recommend the Aquarella (white) and Aquarello (off-white) for the perfect paper pairing.

Details:
Material: Gansai watercolour
Included: 8 colours in chiyogami paper presentation box including a blank letterpress swatch card which can be painted in for colour reference. 
Vegetarian/ Vegan: No (contains gelatine glue binder)
Non-toxic
Made in Japan
Swatches and illustrations courtesy of Maria Ines Gul

Colour Breakdown:

63 - Paaru DaidaiPearlescent orange
75 - Rumi-RoozuLuminous rose
58 - SeikinBlue-gold
29 - Koubai - Japanese Apricot - also known as Japanese plum, this colour is named after much beloved subject matter for painting and poetry in East Asia. 
61 - TououOften translated to gamboge, a pigment made from tapping resin, this Japanese equivalent was once made from yellow grass flowers of the same name and first appears in texts referenced since the Nara period 710 - 794AD
221 - Tokiwa-iroEvergreen; this colour in traditional Japanese refers to the longevity and unchanging nature of evergreen leaves, seen as good luck in Edo period Japan. 
155 - JoushuUpper vermillion 
127 - AokusaGrass green