Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure and Coloring Book for Adults
Category: Books,Crafts, Hobbies & Home,Crafts & Hobbies
Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure and Coloring Book for Adults Details
Review PRAISE FOR JOHANNA BASFORD'S COLORING BOOKS"The colorists have a queen, and her name is Johanna Basford." —New York Magazine"Consider trading in your yoga mat for a set of markers and peruse the gorgeous gardens of Basford's imagination." —Huffington Post"Artist Johanna Basford is at the forefront of the grown up coloring trend. Her whimsical artwork just makes us want to drop all our responsibilities and color forever." —Hello Giggles"This is a breathtakingly beautiful coloring book, full of detail, whimsy, and possibilities. Inspiration invades at the turn of the first page and is guaranteed to capture the imagination and attention of any artist young and old." —The Children's Book Review Read more About the Author Johanna Basford is an illustrator and ink evangelist who prefers pens and pencils to pixels. Her intricate, hand-drawn illustrations are loved the world over by those who have colored in (sometimes more than once) her bestselling books Johanna's Christmas, Magical Jungle, Lost Ocean, Secret Garden, and Enchanted Forest. Johanna is a graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee. She likes sugar mice, floral teacups, peonies, and bumblebees. Visit her online at johannabasford.com. Read more
Reviews
Johanna Basford is the designer who started my hobby of adult coloring books with her genre defining book, “Secret Garden” and her equally fantastic follow-up “Enchanted Forest”. With her newest book, “Lost Ocean”, she builds upon the stunningly beautiful and extremely intricate designs that I have come to expect from her.The subject of the coloring book is the ocean. There are so many designs, including: sailing ships, mermaids, fish, sea mammals, jellyfish, and shipwrecks and more flora of the deep than I can count, each page is a wonderful experience in coloring. There seems to be about 80 designs to color which is less than in both of her earlier books. The book is also a hunt for hidden items and there is a key for what you are looking for as well as where they can be found. There is a picture of an octopus that reminds me way too much of Homer Simpson. I may have to color its head yellow with white and blue tentacles.The one disappointing thing about this book is the paper. It seemed that the artist and publisher had finally understood the need for thicker and/or better paper. Recent versions of “Secret Garden” had improved paper – so much so, that this note is now included at the top of the page in all italics and with caps “Good news for all SECRET GARDEN fans! All editions of SECRET GARDEN now feature thicker and heavier paper stock, fighting bleed-through from ink pens.” From my point of view, one would think “Lost Ocean” would have the upgraded paper. It does not. In fact, it does not even have the same publisher. The paper is thinner and is worse and not as good as the last book. Maybe that is because of the change in publisher, but the artist and her staff should have verified what grade of paper was being used. The artwork makes up for this but I really wish an artist of this caliber's work was presented in the best possible way.The book (except for a single four page spread design at the back of the book) it is not perforated and almost every marker I have bleeds through. I can use my pencils and my gel pens. As with her previous books, the designs are printed on both sides of the paper.As I know that I love to use my markers, I have already purchased a second copy of the book so I don't have to choose a medium based on what happens to the backside of my page. I don't do this for many books, but I have found that I prefer to do so with Ms. Basford's as I want to color every page. I decided to purchase the UK version of the book as my second copy as I have heard that it uses a heavier weight paper than the US version. As I am disappointed in the paper in the US version, I'm curious to see the difference between the two when it arrives in 2-3 weeks.I was so pleased to find this book and my new, relaxing hobby of coloring. I design needlework for my “day job” but that contains a lot of stress (deadlines, trying to perfect the pattern, etc.) Coloring has become my way of relaxing at the end of a day (with music in the background, too!) I find that it helps me fall asleep with an easier mind.
