Johanna Basford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Johanna Basford
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| Born | 1983 (age 41–42) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Alma mater | Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design |
Johanna Basford OBE is a Scottish illustrator born in 1983. She is famous for her beautiful hand-drawn pictures. She mainly uses pencils and pens to create detailed black and white art. You can find her illustrations on many products, including popular colouring books, wallpaper, and even beer labels. She has published many best-selling colouring books for adults around the world.
Contents
About Johanna Basford
Johanna Basford was born in Scotland in 1983. She grew up on her parents' fish farm in Auchnagatt, Aberdeenshire. In 2005, she finished her studies at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) in Dundee. She studied textile Design and specialized in screen printing.
Johanna still lives and works in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Her art studio is in a renovated farmhouse. She prefers to draw by hand using traditional tools. She feels that computer-made art can sometimes seem "cold and soulless."
Her Amazing Success
Since her first adult colouring book, Secret Garden, came out in 2013, Johanna has sold over 21 million books worldwide. This shows how much people love her detailed drawings!
In 2016, Johanna was given a special award called Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award recognized her great work in art and business.
In 2019, she set a Guinness World Record for the Largest Drawing by an Individual. She created a huge floral drawing that covered more than 501 square meters (5,395 square feet)! She made this amazing artwork in just 12 hours at her old school, Ellon Academy.
In 2021, she gave a public lecture at the University of Dundee. She also received the university's Entrepreneurial Recognition Award for her success in business.
Johanna's Art Projects
Johanna Basford has worked with many big companies. Her commercial clients include Sony, Nike, Tate Modern, and Starbucks.
In 2008, a company called Queensberry-Hunt asked her to design patterns for their tableware. In 2010, she created graphics for an iPhone app called The New Goodbye.
Festival and Wallpaper Designs
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe also asked Johanna to illustrate the cover of their 2010 program. She worked with a design agency to create a series of drawings for the program. She also helped with a special crowdsourced illustration campaign using the #FringeCover #Twitterpicture.
Johanna has also designed unique wallpapers that glow! These wallpapers are printed with special inks that react to ultraviolet light.
In May 2013, Johanna had her first solo art show at Dundee Contemporary Arts. It was called Wonderlands. In November 2017, she created a Scottish-themed Google Doodle for the search engine's homepage to celebrate St Andrew's Day.
Her Popular Books
Johanna Basford is best known for her detailed colouring books. Here are some of her famous titles:
- Johanna's Christmas (2013) – This was her very first colouring book.
- Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book (2013) – This book became a huge hit! By March 2015, over 10 million copies had been sold worldwide. It was even on The New York Times Best Seller list.
- Secret Garden: 20 Postcards (2014)
- Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest and Colouring Book (2015) – This book also sold incredibly well. All 226,000 copies sold out within weeks of its release! It also appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.
- Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure and Colouring Book (2015) – This book sold over 1.3 million copies in the US alone. It quickly became a number one best-seller on The New York Times list.
- Magical Jungle: An Inky Expedition and Colouring Book (2016)
- Johanna's Christmas: A Festive Colouring Book (2016)
- Ivy and the Inky Butterfly: A Magical Tale to Color (2017)
- World of Flowers: A Colouring Book and Floral Adventure (2018)
- How to Draw Inky Wonderlands: Create and Colour Your Own Magical Adventure (2019)
- Worlds of Wonder: A Coloring Book for the Curious (2021)
- 30 Days of Creativity: Draw, Color and Discover Your Creative Self (2021)
Awards and Recognition
Johanna Basford has received several awards for her artistic talent and business success:
