Colour Wheel Theory Explained with 72 Colour Mixing Shades

A colour wheel makes mixing less guessy. Instead of adding “a bit of this and a bit of that” until the colour turns muddy, you can see where a colour lives, which colours sit beside it, and which colours fight or balance it.

This guide explains colour wheel theory in a practical way and shows how to build a 72-colour wheel from six basic colours. The six colours are:

• Red

• Orange

• Yellow

• Green

• Blue

• Violet

  
  

From these six, you will mix 12 shades in each colour family. That gives you 72 named colours around the wheel.

with six clear colours placed evenly around the wheel.

How to understand the colour wheel before mixing

A colour wheel is a circle of colours arranged in a logical order. Colours that sit close together are related. Colours opposite each other create strong contrast.

The most common wheel starts with three primary colours, then adds secondary and tertiary colours. For this 72-colour wheel, we will use a six-part base wheel:

Position	Basic colour	Colour family it begins
1	Red	Red to orange
2	Orange	Orange to yellow
3	Yellow	Yellow to green
4	Green	Green to blue
5	Blue	Blue to violet
6	Violet	Violet to red

Each pair of neighbouring colours creates a smooth transition. For example, red moves towards orange through red-orange, vermilion, coral, and warm orange shades.

That is the heart of colour wheel theory explained in simple terms: colour changes gradually when you move around the wheel.

How primary, secondary, and tertiary colours fit in

In traditional art teaching, the primary colours are usually red, yellow, and blue. When you mix them, you get secondary colours:

Primary mix	Secondary colour
Red + Yellow	Orange
Yellow + Blue	Green
Blue + Red	Violet

The six basic colours in this guide are made from those primary and secondary colours. They give you a cleaner starting point for a large wheel because each colour family has its own clear section.

Tertiary colours sit between a primary and a secondary colour. Examples include:

• Red-orange

• Yellow-orange

• Yellow-green

• Blue-green

• Blue-violet

• Red-violet

  
  

A 72-colour wheel simply goes further. It adds smaller steps between these familiar colours.

How to prepare your six basic colours

Use clean, bright paint or colour. Watercolour, gouache, acrylic, poster colour, coloured pencil, or digital colour tools all work.

For paint mixing, you will need:

• Six basic colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet

• A palette or six small mixing plates

• A brush or palette knife

• Water, if using water-based paint

• Thick paper or a printed wheel template

• Pencil and ruler

• Black pen for labelling

  
  

For best results, choose colours that are not too dull. Muddy starting colours make muddy mixed colours.

Good starter choices are:

Basic colour	Useful paint choice
Red	Cadmium red hue, scarlet, or primary red
Orange	Cadmium orange hue or a clean mixed orange
Yellow	Lemon yellow or primary yellow
Green	Permanent green light or a clean mixed green
Blue	Ultramarine, cobalt blue hue, or primary blue
Violet	Dioxazine violet or a clean mixed violet

If you do not have orange, green, or violet, mix them first from red, yellow, and blue. Then use those six as your base colours.

How to draw a 72-colour wheel template

A 72-colour wheel has 72 equal sections. Since a full circle has 360 degrees, each section is:

360 ÷ 72 = 5 degrees

So each colour gets a 5-degree slice.

You do not need perfect geometry for a useful wheel. A neat handmade version is enough.

Follow these steps:

1. Draw a large circle.

2. Mark the centre point.

3. Divide the circle into six large sections.

4. Divide each large section into 12 smaller slices.

5. Label the six main points: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet.

6. Leave space outside the wheel for colour names.

   
   

A 72-part wheel is easier when each of the six colour families has 12 sections.

A useful layout is:

• Sections 1 to 12 Red family

• Sections 13 to 24 Orange family

• Sections 25 to 36 Yellow family

• Sections 37 to 48 Green family

• Sections 49 to 60 Blue family

• Sections 61 to 72 Violet family

  
  

How to mix 72 shades from six basic colours

Use a simple 12-part mixing method. Each colour family moves from one basic colour towards the next basic colour.

For each family, mix in ratios from mostly the first colour to mostly the next colour.

Use this pattern:

Step	Mix ratio
1	12 parts first colour, 0 parts next colour
2	11 parts first colour, 1 part next colour
3	10 parts first colour, 2 parts next colour
4	9 parts first colour, 3 parts next colour
5	8 parts first colour, 4 parts next colour
6	7 parts first colour, 5 parts next colour
7	6 parts first colour, 6 parts next colour
8	5 parts first colour, 7 parts next colour
9	4 parts first colour, 8 parts next colour
10	3 parts first colour, 9 parts next colour
11	2 parts first colour, 10 parts next colour
12	1 part first colour, 11 parts next colour

Then begin the next family with the next basic colour.

For example, in the red family, you mix red with orange. In the orange family, you mix orange with yellow. This keeps the wheel smooth.

Keep the paint thickness the same for every mix. If one mixture has more water than another, the colour may look lighter even when the hue is correct.

How to name all 72 colours on the wheel

The names below are practical artist names, not strict scientific names. They help you label the wheel clearly and remember the colour direction.

Red to orange family

No.	Colour name	Mix
1	Red	12 red, 0 orange
2	Warm Red	11 red, 1 orange
3	Scarlet Red	10 red, 2 orange
4	Flame Red	9 red, 3 orange
5	Vermilion	8 red, 4 orange
6	Tomato Red	7 red, 5 orange
7	Red-Orange	6 red, 6 orange
8	Coral Orange	5 red, 7 orange
9	Persimmon	4 red, 8 orange
10	Flame Orange	3 red, 9 orange
11	Bright Orange-Red	2 red, 10 orange
12	Golden Orange	1 red, 11 orange

Orange to yellow family

No.	Colour name	Mix
13	Orange	12 orange, 0 yellow
14	Light Orange	11 orange, 1 yellow
15	Marigold	10 orange, 2 yellow
16	Amber	9 orange, 3 yellow
17	Tangerine	8 orange, 4 yellow
18	Apricot	7 orange, 5 yellow
19	Yellow-Orange	6 orange, 6 yellow
20	Saffron	5 orange, 7 yellow
21	Deep Gold	4 orange, 8 yellow
22	Golden Yellow	3 orange, 9 yellow
23	Sunflower Yellow	2 orange, 10 yellow
24	Warm Yellow	1 orange, 11 yellow

Yellow to green family

No.	Colour name	Mix
25	Yellow	12 yellow, 0 green
26	Lemon Yellow-Green	11 yellow, 1 green
27	Chartreuse Yellow	10 yellow, 2 green
28	Lime Yellow	9 yellow, 3 green
29	Spring Yellow-Green	8 yellow, 4 green
30	Acid Green	7 yellow, 5 green
31	Yellow-Green	6 yellow, 6 green
32	Fresh Lime	5 yellow, 7 green
33	Leaf Green	4 yellow, 8 green
34	Grass Green	3 yellow, 9 green
35	Bright Green	2 yellow, 10 green
36	Clean Green	1 yellow, 11 green

Small ratio changes create clear steps between yellow and green.

Green to blue family

No.	Colour name	Mix
37	Green	12 green, 0 blue
38	Cool Green	11 green, 1 blue
39	Emerald Green	10 green, 2 blue
40	Sea Green	9 green, 3 blue
41	Jade	8 green, 4 blue
42	Teal Green	7 green, 5 blue
43	Blue-Green	6 green, 6 blue
44	Turquoise	5 green, 7 blue
45	Aqua Blue	4 green, 8 blue
46	Cyan Blue	3 green, 9 blue
47	Sky Blue	2 green, 10 blue
48	Clear Blue-Green	1 green, 11 blue

Blue to violet family

No.	Colour name	Mix
49	Blue	12 blue, 0 violet
50	Deep Blue	11 blue, 1 violet
51	Cobalt Violet-Blue	10 blue, 2 violet
52	Indigo Blue	9 blue, 3 violet
53	Ultramarine Violet	8 blue, 4 violet
54	Blue-Violet	7 blue, 5 violet
55	Violet-Blue	6 blue, 6 violet
56	Iris Blue	5 blue, 7 violet
57	Periwinkle Violet	4 blue, 8 violet
58	Lavender Blue	3 blue, 9 violet
59	Soft Violet-Blue	2 blue, 10 violet
60	Cool Violet	1 blue, 11 violet

Violet to red family

No.	Colour name	Mix
61	Violet	12 violet, 0 red
62	Purple Violet	11 violet, 1 red
63	Royal Purple	10 violet, 2 red
64	Plum	9 violet, 3 red
65	Grape Purple	8 violet, 4 red
66	Magenta Violet	7 violet, 5 red
67	Red-Violet	6 violet, 6 red
68	Raspberry	5 violet, 7 red
69	Crimson Violet	4 violet, 8 red
70	Rose Red	3 violet, 9 red
71	Ruby Red	2 violet, 10 red
72	Cool Red	1 violet, 11 red

How to use the 72-colour wheel in real artwork

Once the wheel is complete, it becomes a practical mixing map.

Use neighbouring colours for harmony

Colours beside each other are called analogous colours. They feel calm because they share colour ingredients.

Examples:

• Yellow, yellow-green, and green

• Blue, blue-violet, and violet

• Red, red-orange, and orange

  
  

Use this method for nature studies, fabric designs, mandala art, landscapes, and decorative painting.

Use opposite colours for contrast

Colours opposite each other are complementary colours. They make each other look stronger.

Common pairs include:

Colour	Opposite colour
Red	Green
Orange	Blue
Yellow	Violet
Yellow-green	Red-violet
Blue-green	Red-orange
Blue-violet	Yellow-orange

Mixing opposite colours can also dull a colour. This is useful for shadows, skin tones, earthy greens, muted reds, and natural browns.

Use warm and cool sides

The colour wheel has a warm side and a cool side.

Warm colours include:

• Red

• Orange

• Yellow

• Red-orange

• Yellow-orange

  
  

Cool colours include:

• Green

• Blue

• Violet

• Blue-green

• Blue-violet

  
  

Warm colours often feel closer. Cool colours often feel farther away. A landscape can use warm colours in the foreground and cooler colours in the distance.

How to avoid muddy colour mixes

Muddy colour usually happens when too many opposite colours enter the mix.

Keep these rules in mind:

• Mix only two neighbouring colours when making wheel shades.

• Clean the brush between each mixture.

• Keep the palette clean.

• Use equal paint strength for each basic colour.

• Avoid adding black too early.

• Label every swatch before colours dry.

  
  

If a mixture turns grey or brown, check whether one paint contains a hidden opposite colour. Some reds lean violet. Some blues lean green. Some yellows lean orange. These small shifts affect the final result.

A finished 72-colour wheel shows hue changes in small, useful steps.

What success looks like

A good 72-colour wheel should show smooth movement from one colour to the next. Red should gradually become orange. Orange should move into yellow. Yellow should become green. Green should turn into blue. Blue should shift into violet. Violet should return to red.

Do not worry if your first wheel is not perfect. The real value is in the mixing practice. By the time you finish all 72 shades, you will understand colour relationships far better than by reading theory alone.

Start with six clean colours, mix in measured steps, label every shade, and keep the wheel near your workspace. It will become one of the most useful tools in your art kit.