When looking at the basic color wheel, you see 6 colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.

But this is just the start of a very complex color system.

Between each color is another color. When you blend red and orange you get red-orange. Yellow and orange give you yellow-orange. And so forth.

The color wheel to the left shows you how this would look.

You can imagine that the more you mix the adjacent colors, the more subtle the differences between each color would become. Creating a smooth spectrum.

But this isn't the whole picture. You're only seeing pure saturated color. The color wheel also includes tints and shades of the colors you see.

Adding white to the colors will create a specturm of tints.

See how the colors now become almost pastel as you add white?

Adding black to the colors will create a spectrum of shades.

See how the colors now get darker and darker? A bright red will become maroon when adding black.

So... how many colors are on a color wheel?

The answer is... unlimited!

Keep reading more color theory lessons to expand your expertise in color.

Happy decorating!

Jennifer Thoden