A standard color wheel typically shows 12 colors.
The traditional color wheel is organized around three primary, three secondary, and six tertiary colors, totaling twelve distinct hues. This foundational model is essential for understanding color relationships and harmonies in art, design, and other visual fields.
Here's a breakdown:
- Primary Colors (3): Red, Yellow, Blue. These are the base colors from which all others are derived.
- Secondary Colors (3): Orange, Green, Violet. These are created by mixing two primary colors. (Red + Yellow = Orange, Yellow + Blue = Green, Blue + Red = Violet)
- Tertiary Colors (6): Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Violet, Red-Violet. These are created by mixing a primary color with an adjacent secondary color.
Some color wheels may include more colors, specifically more tertiary variations, resulting in 24 or even more colors. However, the fundamental "standard" color wheel is based on these twelve.
