Follow along as GRay Defender covers in great detail how to redefine the Commodore 64 Character sets, turn on extended background color mode and multi-color mode all in Commodore BASIC.
https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Character_set
https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Extended_color_mode
https://dustlayer.com/vic-ii/2013/4/26/vic-ii-for-beginners-screen-modes-cheaper-by-the-dozen
https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/PETSCII
http://sta.c64.org/cbm64pet.html
https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Color