Viktorija Semjonova, who works under the professional name And Smile Studio, is a London based illustrator and a self-proclaimed huge Kuretake fan. She produces charming and bright portraits and images and was delighted to try out the Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolour Starry and Pearl sets we have just started stocking. These iridescent colours have the same creamy texture and opacity as the Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour standard colours (using these led to Viktorija using gouache more) but produce luxurious shades perfect for adding interesting details or luminous backgrounds. Viktorija’s work with these special watercolours really shows how they can be used to add indulgence and interest to a piece.
Trying out Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Starry and Pearl sets
One of my favourite watercolour sets, that I own, is a Kuretake set of 36 different colours. I love how opaque these watercolours are. And I love good quality shiny paints! So I was very excited to try the Kuretake Pearl Colours and the Kuretake Starry Colours sets. I decided to paint a couple of girls and mixed the watercolours with gouache paint.
Viktorija Semjonova
http://www.andsmilestudio.com/
These super shiny watercolours can be activated with a wet brush but a trick I have learned is to put a drop or two of water into the paint and let it sit there for a bit.
This means that once the watercolour is activated you can apply it in thick and quite opaque layers. This is how I like my shiny paints to feel — really rich and opaque. And they did feel like this!
Viktorija Semjonova at And Smile Studio showing the Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry colour set of 6
Here are some girls I painted, some of them have a shiny background and some of them have shiny outfits or small details. The other paints I used in these images were my Holbein gouache on Bockingford hot pressed paper with a round synthetic brush (number 5 if you are curious). [Both Holbein Gouache and Bockingford Hotpressed paper are available from Jackson’s.]
Viktorija Semjonova
http://www.andsmilestudio.com/
All of the colours in Pearl Colours Set were so sweet, they are very soft but still have a bit of colour in them and have a lovely shimmer. They go on to the paper so beautifully and are completely opaque when applied generously. My favourite is the dreamy blue from this set, I painted some patterns over a navy coat. I love how bright and fun they look: it has such a good coverage for a very light paint going over a really deep navy.
Viktorija Semjonova’s illustration of a girl with a scarf using Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Pearl set and Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Starry set with Holbein Gouache.
The Starry Colours are so beautiful, I love all the golds in this set. The consistency even of the lighter golds and silver is so so so good, the colours are fun too! I think it’s super fun to add some shiny details to some paintings or paint with them on coloured paper. I loved using these shiny numbers to add some pizzaz to mini paintings, they are super fun to use and I’ll be using them a lot more when creating originals or at live events.
Viktorija Semjonova’s illustration of a girl with a scarf catching the light.
Thank you Jackson’s Art Supplies, I loved using them!
To see more of Viktorjia Semjonova’s/ And Smile Studio’s lovely work and read more of her writing you can visit her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Society6, Pinterest and Instagram.
Viktorija Semjonova’s drawing of a girl in a gold dress using Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Starry set and Holbein Gouache.
You can find the Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry Colour set, the Kuretake Gansai Tambi Pearl Colour set and our range of Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolours on our website.
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japenese Watercolour Starry Colour set and Kuretake Gansai Tambi Pearl Colour set by Viktorija Semjonova
