Johanna Basford

Last updated

OBE

Johanna Basford
Born1983 (age 40–41)
NationalityScottish
Alma mater Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design
Website johannabasford.com

Johanna Basford OBE (born 1983) is a Scottish illustrator. Her illustrations are hand-drawn, predominantly in black and white, with pencils and pens. [1] [2] Basford's works can be found in products such as colouring books, wallpaper, beer labels and even tattoos. [3] She is known to be a pioneer of the adult colouring book trend. [4]

Contents

Biography

Johanna Basford was born in 1983 [5] in Scotland and grew up on her parents' fish farm [6] in Auchnagatt in Aberdeenshire. [7] She graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) in Dundee in 2005 with a degree in textile Design and a specialization in screen printing. [1] Basford lives and works in Aberdeenshire, Scotland [3] where she owns a small studio in a converted farmhouse with large windows that overlook the surrounding fields. [1] She believes computer generated graphics can feel "cold and soulless", which is why she uses traditional media. [8] Since publishing her first adult colouring book Secret Garden in 2013, she has sold more than 21 million [9] books worldwide, making her a leader of the adult colouring book boom. [10] [11] [12] She was previously married to James Watt, the co-founder of Brewdog, the 'punk' craft beer company and together they had 2 daughters. [13] [9] In February 2021, she announced on social media that she had separated from her husband the previous year. [14]

She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to art and entrepreneurship. [15]

In 2019 she broke the Guinness World Record for the Largest Drawing by an Individual, creating a huge floral drawing over 501 sq m (5,395 sq ft) in 12 hours at her former school, Ellon Academy in Aberdeenshire. [16]

In February 2021 it was announced that she would be hosting the University of Dundee's Annual Public Lecture in Entrepreneurship and that she had been awarded the university's Entrepreneurial Recognition Award. [17]

Works

Basford's commercial clients include Sony, Nike, Tate Modern and Starbucks. Queensberry-Hunt, a ceramics manufacturer, commissioned her to create hand drawn designs for their tableware collection in 2008. In 2010, she created graphics for the iPhone app The New Goodbye. [18] Basford was commissioned by Edinburgh Festival Fringe to illustrate the cover of their 2010 program. [19] She worked with an Edinburgh-based design agency, Whitespace, to create a series of illustrations for the program and the final artwork for the #FringeCover #Twitterpicture crowdsourced illustration campaign. [18]

In addition to her illustrations, Basford has designed glowing wallpapers, printed using special ultraviolet-sensitive inks. [19]

In May 2013, Basford opened her first solo exhibition at Dundee Contemporary Arts called Wonderlands: it was one of DCA's most successful exhibitions, with a total audience of 8,488. [20]

In November 2017, she created a Scottish themed Google Doodle for the search engine's homepage on St Andrew's Day. [21]

She is currently represented by literary agent Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown. [22]

Books

Awards received

Related Research Articles

Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. It has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the Germany-based media conglomerate Bertelsmann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hachette (publisher)</span> French publisher

Hachette is a French publisher. Founded in 1826 by Louis Hachette as Brédif, the company later became L. Hachette et Compagnie, Librairie Hachette, Hachette SA and Hachette Livre in France. After acquiring an Australian publisher, Hachette Australia was created; in the UK it became Hachette UK, and its expansion into the United States became Hachette Book Group USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coloring book</span> Book containing line art, to which the user is intended to add color

A coloring book is a type of book containing line art to which people are intended to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media. Traditional coloring books and coloring pages are printed on paper or card. Some coloring books have perforated edges so their pages can be removed from the books and used as individual sheets. Others may include a story line and so are intended to be left intact. Today, many children's coloring books feature popular cartoon characters. They are often used as promotional materials for animated motion pictures. Coloring books may also incorporate other activities such as connect the dots, mazes and other puzzles. Some also incorporate the use of stickers.

Secret Garden, The Secret Garden or My Secret Garden may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Johnson (writer)</span> English writer

Jane Johnson is an English writer of books for adults and children and fiction book editor. As a writer she has used the pseudonyms Gabriel King, jointly with M. John Harrison, and Jude Fisher, as well as her real name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dundee Contemporary Arts</span>

Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) is an art centre in Dundee, Scotland, with two contemporary art galleries, a two-screen cinema, a print studio, a learning and public engagement programme, a shop and a café bar. The current director of the DCA is Beth Bate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Burgerman</span> English artist

Jon Burgerman is an English artist living in New York, US.

Johanna Billing is a Swedish artist. Her work has been featured in major group exhibitions such as Dokumenta 12, Istanbul Biennial (2005) and the 50th Venice Biennale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design</span> Art school of the University of Dundee

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) is part of the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland. It is ranked as one of the top schools of art and design in the United Kingdom.

Sasquatch Books LLC is an American book publishing company based in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1986 by David Brewster of the Seattle Weekly and primarily publishes nonfiction books about the western United States and Canada and cover topics such as nature, travel, gardening, entertainment, sports, food and wine. By 2003, it was publishing approximately 30 books per year and employed 18 people. In 2020, it launched a new imprint for young adult nonfiction called Spruce Books.

Diego Jourdan Pereira is a Uruguayan author of trade books for general audiences, who resides in Santiago, Chile.

Angus Hyland is a British graphic designer and visual artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penguin Random House</span> American multinational conglomerate publishing company

Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was originally founded in 1935 and Random House was founded in 1927. It has more than 300 publishing imprints. Along with Simon & Schuster, Hachette, HarperCollins and Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House is considered one of the 'Big Five' English language publishers.

Laurence King Publishing is an publishing house based in London, with offices in Europe and the USA. It was founded by Laurence King in 1991.

Amanda Flower is an American writer of mystery novels under her real name and the pen name, "Isabella Alan". She writes for adults and children. She won the Agatha Award for Children's/Young Adult book in 2015 for Andi Unstoppable, and was nominated for an Agatha Award in 2010, 2013, and 2014.

<i>Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book</i>

Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book is a 2013 colouring book for adults by Johanna Basford. The book has 40 foreign versions and has sold over 8 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling books on Amazon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Paul</span> New Zealand childrens book author/illustrator (born 1964)

Ruth Paul is a children's picture book author and illustrator from Wellington, New Zealand.

Amie Kaufman is an Australian author. She has authored New York Times bestselling and internationally bestselling science fiction and fantasy for young adults. She is known for the Starbound Trilogy and Unearthed, which she co-authored with Meagan Spooner; for her series The Illuminae Files, co-authored with Jay Kristoff; and for her solo series, Elementals. Her books have been published in over 35 countries.

Blue Star Press is an American publishing company that specializes in adult nonfiction, children’s books, games, and gift products. The company publishes titles under two imprints: Blue Star Press and Paige Tate & Co. It is headquartered in Bend, OR, with satellite offices in Los Angeles and Austin, TX.

<i>The Beauty of Horror</i> Adult coloring book series

The Beauty of Horror is a horror-themed adult coloring book series created by Life of Agony bassist Alan Robert and published by IDW Publishing. and distributed by Penguin Random House. Volume one of the series was released in September 2016 and Nerdist called it "The World's Creepiest Adult Coloring Book". There are currently six books in the series with titles including The Beauty of Horror 2: Ghouliana's Creepatorium, The Beauty of Horror 3: Haunted Playgrounds, The Beauty of Horror 4: Creature Feature, The Beauty of Horror: Ghosts of Christmas, The Beauty of Horror: Tricks And Treats, and The Beauty of Horror: Haunt This Journal.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rosanes, Kerby (8 May 2013). "Featured Artist: The Inky World of Johanna Basford". UCreative.com. UCreative Network. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 Hunter, Paul (6 April 2015). "Colouring books designed for adults topping bestseller lists". Toronto Star. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Johanna Basford". Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "The ink evangelist: Illustrator Johanna Basford on pioneering the adult colouring book trend". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Rough Cut Nation (Exhibition Notes)". National Galleries Scotland. National Galleries Scotland. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Lidz, Franz. "The Artist Who Made Coloring Books Cool for Adults Returns With a New Masterpiece". Smithsonian. Smithsonian. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Devine, Cate (30 June 2006). "Follow The Paper Trail". www.heraldscotland.com. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Lyons, Kim. "Johanna Basford's Coloring Books For Adults Are Gorgeous, And How Did We Forget How Much Fun Coloring Is?". www.bustle.com. Bustle.com. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  9. 1 2 Gallacher, Stevie. "Best-selling artist Johanna Basford on inspiring millions of DIY doodlers and going head to head in charts with beer tycoon husband". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "All about me… – Johanna Basford". Johanna Basford. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  11. ↑ "2 more coloring books by Johanna Basford Coming This Year". London: Associated Newspapers. AP. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "2 More Coloring Books by Johanna Basford Coming This Year". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2 February 2016. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Start-up power: Meet the entrepreneurial couple given the royal seal of approval". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  14. ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  15. ↑ "No. 61608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2016. p. B10.
  16. ↑ "Artist breaks world record for largest solo drawing". BBC News. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  17. 1 2 McLaren, Rob. "Former Dundee student Johanna Basford to inspire after selling 20 million books". The Courier. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  18. 1 2 "Illustrator Johanna Basford talks about being #TwitterPicture girl and more". ameliasmagazine. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Steed, Frances; Stevenson, Josephine (2012). Sourcing ideas: investigating textures, colours, structures, surfaces and patterns. Lausanne: AVA Academia. ISBN   9782940411634.
  20. ↑ "DCA Annual Report" (PDF). www.dca.org.uk. DCA. 2014.
  21. ↑ "The Scottish artist behind St Andrew's Google Doodle". BBC News. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  22. ↑ "Curtis Brown". www.curtisbrown.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  23. ↑ "Illustrator Johanna Basford launches Lost Ocean as adult colouring book craze sweeps the world". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  24. ↑ Ho, Victoria (13 January 2016). "China's bestseller of 2015 was a coloring book for adults". Mashable. Singapore. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  25. ↑ Fraser, Douglas. "Ink evangelist Johanna Basford makes it big". BBC News. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  26. 1 2 3 "Best Sellers – The New York Times". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  27. ↑ "Artist Goes Outside The Lines With Coloring Books For Grown-Ups" . Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  28. ↑ Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book Paperback. Laurence King Pub. 17 February 2015. ISBN   1780674880.
  29. ↑ Basford, Johanna (17 February 2015). Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book. Laurence King Publishing; Act Clr Cs edition. ISBN   9781780674889.
  30. ↑ Alter, Alexandra (23 December 2015). "Looking Back at 2015 in Book Publishing". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  31. ↑ "Ed Victor Ltd. | News". www.edvictor.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  32. ↑ Ivy and the Inky Butterfly by Johanna Basford | PenguinRandomHouse.com.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.