Johanna Basford is a Scottish artist best known as one of the pioneers of the adult coloring book movement and her illustrations have been featured in brand campaigns by companies like Sony, Nike, and Starbucks.

We decided to do the hard work for you and come up with a list comprising of what we think are her 3 best coloring books so that you can spend more time relaxing and coloring than researching on the internet.

3. Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure and Coloring Book for Adults

This coloring book will take you on a journey through the oceans and introduce you to different types of fish, jellyfish, whales, and even octopuses. Expect to also find shipwrecks and fairy creatures like mermaids amongst the pages of this coloring book.

The images in this coloring book are quite detailed so be ready to color with ultra fine markers or well sharpened pencils. One thing to keep in mind however is that despite the great artwork in this book, the images are printed on paper that leans more towards the thinner side. We suggest you stick predominantly to coloring with colored pencils and if you do decide to use markers or gel pens make sure you use a blank sheet of paper behind the image you are coloring to minimize bleed through.

2. Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest 7 Coloring Book

This best selling coloring book features 82 illustrations of forest life. Amongst the pages you will color a plethora of animals and plants you would expect to come upon any hike or adventure outdoors along with some you would expect to find only in stories.

The images in this book are printed on thick paper minimizing bleed through from most gel pens and markers but if you are using a brand like Sharpie, Bic Mark-it, Stabilo 88, or Pentel make sure to place a blank sheet of paper behind your coloring since they will bleed through. If you are looking for a marker that will not bleed through we recommend the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner. One slight downfall of this book is the binding which is strong but actually creates a large fold which will make it very difficult to color in several of the pieces.

1. Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book

You can think of this as the original Johanna Basford adult coloring book. It has so far sold over 11 million copies and in many ways started the adult coloring book movement. 

The images on this book are printed on both sides of this 96 page book and although the book uses pretty thick paper in order to minimize bleed through, you will have to choose which one of your creations to display on your walls since they are printed back to back. The illustrations are also very detailed insuring many hours of entertainment and relaxation but make sure to be prepared with well sharpened pencils or ultra fine markers since many of the details will require a fine touch.

If you are a fan of Johanna Basford and have already colored in all of her books then don’t worry you can find many more hours of relaxation and delight in our own coloring books. Creatively Calm coloring books are printed on some of the thickest paper in the industry and best of all you can feel good about your new coloring book since with every purchase we make a donation to one of our many charities.

Happy Coloring!

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