Johanna Basford author page

Johanna Basford biography

Johanna Basford is a Scottish illustrator and author of colouring books for children and adults. She graduated in textile design from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee in 2005. After initially producing hand-printed wallpaper and home accessories, she established herself as a freelance illustrator, creating detailed black-and-white drawings for clients including Nike, Starbucks and The New York Times.

Her first colouring book, Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book, was published by Laurence King Publishing in 2013. The book combines intricate botanical illustrations with hidden objects for readers to discover. It was followed by Enchanted Forest (2015), Lost Ocean (2015), Magical Jungle (2016) and Johanna’s Christmas (2016). Her books have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, according to Penguin Random House.

In 2017, Virgin Books published Ivy and the Inky Butterfly: A Magical Tale to Colour, an illustrated storybook combining fiction with colouring activities. It follows a girl named Ivy who discovers a hidden doorway into the magical world of Enchantia and sets out to find an inky butterfly. The book allows readers to colour the illustrations as they follow the story.

Basford’s subsequent publications include World of Flowers (2018), How to Draw Inky Wonderlands (2019), Worlds of Wonder (2021), Rooms of Wonder (2022), Small Victories (2023) and Magical Worlds (2024). Her illustrations frequently feature plants, animals, imaginary landscapes and elaborate decorative patterns.

In 2016, Basford was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to art and entrepreneurship. Guinness World Records also recognised her as the bestselling adult colouring book illustrator, recording more than 3.4 million copies sold during the twelve months ending in May 2016.

Her more recent publications include Wonderful Wildflowers, published by Ebury Press in November 2025, and Inklings: A Pocket-Sized Inky Colouring Book, published by the same imprint in March 2026. Inklings contains smaller colouring designs featuring flowers, butterflies, fairy houses and other illustrated subjects.