Very much so. That has always been the case. As a kid, I was hooked on books that were illustrated by Brian Wildsmith. Perhaps you know his work.
The thing that's funny about this now is that my husband only likes shades of white or variations thereof. I'm sure you can imagine our conversations at Home Depot when it's time to paint one of the rooms in our house :)
No I am not familiar Brian Wildsmith but when it comes to paint when you add white to any color it just makes it softer and lighter. Actually when paint is mixed color is added to a gradient relative white base.