About Johanna
Welcome to my inky world
Here are some facts about me that may (or may not) be interesting: I’ve got an OBE ( I know, even I still find that one odd!), I broke a Guinness World Record and I’m a very proud patron of The Archie Foundation. I’m on a mission to inspire the world to put down their devices and pick up a pen or pencil and create happy! Anyone can draw or be creative, you just need a little nudge!
I create all my artwork by hand (mainly because I’m terrible with technology, but also because I like smudgy fingerprints and the scent of cedar pencil sharpenings). I draw first in pencil, then redraw in ink. I love intricate details and try to craft images that invite you to pause and examine the artwork a little closer. Hidden within the flora and fauna are rogue butterflies, half-hidden hedgehogs and even the odd little owl!
A brief introduction
I grew up on a fish farm in Scotland where I had a very ‘free range’ childhood. We played outdoors; buildings dens and secret gardens – there were no screens! I had a wild imagination and a love of nature. After Art School, I became a freelance illustrator. My signature style of hand-drawn, black and white artwork was in demand by clients like Nike, Starbucks and The New York Times. In 2011 I was approached by a publisher who asked me to make a colouring book for children. I loved the idea, but wanted to do something a bit different. In Spring 2013, Secret Garden (a colouring book for grown-ups) was launched. What followed surprised us all…
A brief introduction
I grew up on a fish farm in Scotland where I had a very ‘free range’ childhood. We played outdoors; buildings dens and secret gardens – there were no screens! I had a wild imagination and a love of nature. After Art School, I became a freelance illustrator. My signature style of hand-drawn, black and white artwork was in demand by clients like Nike, Starbucks and The New York Times. In 2011 I was approached by a publisher who asked me to make a colouring book for children. I loved the idea, but wanted to do something a bit different. In Spring 2013, Secret Garden (a colouring book for grown-ups) was launched. What followed surprised us all…
Small Snapshot
19
Books published
3
New York Times Bestsellers
1,654
Butterflies drawn
25
Million books sold
17
New book ideas
1
Guinness World Record
2
Wonderful daughters
1
OBE
6
Months to make a book
Testimonials
“There are few art forms as meditative, nostalgic, and all-around blissful as the colouring book. Consider trading in your yoga mat for a set of markers and peruse the gorgeous gardens of Basford’s imagination.”
The Huffington Post
“Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford is topping the charts, with her colouring books for adults taking top spots on Amazon.com’s bestseller lists”
The Guardian
“We give her all the best ideas to draw! Her books are quite good.”
Evie & Mia
FAQ
Everyone will have their own favourite pens and pencils it all depends whether you want bold, vibrant colour (go for pens) or a softer, more tactile approach that allows you to blend and vary the strength your tones (go for pencils!) When I colour with pens I like Staedtler triplus fineliners, but if you are heavy handed or prefer a slow and steady approach to colouring (meaning increased nib to pape contact time), they may bleed for you. I’d recommend doing a sneaky test patch at the back of the book or on the colour palette test page if your book has one, to check how heavy you can press without ink seeping through to the next page. Personally, I prefer coloured pencils. They are so versatile and you can blend and mix your colours to create some amazing effects. I love Staedtler’s Ergo Soft range. They aren’t super expensive but have a rich, bold pigment level which means you can achieve some great effects without having to press super hard (which can risk piercing the paper). You can also sharpen Ergosoft pencils to a really fine point, which I love for doing tiny details with. There’s some more info on my favourite pens and pencils here.
Paper is something I take extremely seriously and I’m constantly on a quest to improve the books and bring them ever closer to papery perfection for you! Each foreign edition of my books is printed by my publisher in that territory and they select their own paper stock and printers based on my recommendations. Colouring books require huge amounts of very specific paper so my publishers try to find the very best paper they can within their commercial parameters. As such, Magical Jungle in France will not be printed on the same paper as it appears on in the US or UK or Brazil or India or Holland or Germany or… you get the idea!
Absolutely! If you are brave enough, go for it! Please make sure you tag me in a photo of your finished ink (preferably after the scabby stage!) as I love to see the finished results.
Alas, no. As much as I love an inky collaboration, for copyright reasons you cannot sell anything that features my artwork – coloured or uncoloured. You can still make lots of beautiful craft items that use my artwork (quilts, embroidery, iced biscuits… let your creativity run wild!), you just can’t sell them Maybe give them to your Granny instead.
