Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure and Coloring Book for Adults

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.

Compared to the other coloring books by Johanna Basford, this one is the most detailed. Some parts are so tiny I don't know how I won't go over the lines (but that's okay!) I just want to give a fair warning for people with arthritis or shakiness. In my opinion this is the most beautiful and stunning book. Usually I find maybe ten pages that I can't wait to color. But with this one I'm excited for them all. If you're looking for a less detailed book I would suggest the jungle. One thing I've learned is that you need to love what you're coloring. I bought a generic adult coloring book at the grocery store thinking it would be fun. I colored a bit of one page, put it down, never touched it again. I think about coloring Lost Ocean and can't wait. Its such a calming activity. One feature about this book is the very long folded page at the end. I didn't think I would like it because I only color in my lap while in bed. But after seeing the details of the two sided pictures I changed my mind. I plan on coloring the entire page and put it up on the wall. Yes its that pretty! I use gel pens with these books, its just what I prefer. They are bright pretty colors. Mentioned in the Jungle book, the introduction advises colored pencils as the best choice. It says gel pens aren't the best idea because they aren't blendable, plus smudges, and even says don't press too hard. Here's the thing though, I found a 120 gel pen set for very cheap on Amazon. Some colors are blendable but not all. I don't need blending anyways because I have every color I would ever need! Plus they come in neon, pastel, glitter and matalic for making things pop out! I love shading, contrasting, and blending. If you have enough colors nothing can hold you back, I have enough. I let the page dry before closing the book and I'm careful about where to start coloring as not to smudge with my wrist. The gel pens have never seeped through any pages, no matter how hard I press. Plus they don't have to be sharpened every few minutes which could drive me nuts! I first saw these books at Michael's. They were too expensive for my taste so I happily purchased here for cheaper. My first one was Secret Garden. While I adored the drawings, I disliked the writing and encouragement to get me to draw my own designs. Im very good at drawing but I just want to color. It defeats the purpose and was a waste of paper because I didn't draw my own designs when it prompted me to. So I'm glad that Lost ocean doesn't have this. The Secret Garden also had a maze that really look like its for kids. If you like detailed coloring I definitely recommend this one. But I think once you try one you'll most likely get the whole collection. I hope she comes out with more in the future although it will take me a LONG time to finish one book. I'm a stay at home mom so I'm lucky to get an hour to color. If I had more time on my hands I'd probably be halfway done by now. I'm just happy I find time to do this AT ALL!

Like other Johanna Basford coloring books, I love this. And if you are also a fan of her books, you will love this too. I love that some of her coloring pages are in great detail while others contain less detail so you can add your own details like shading into her wonderful works of art. You can use different medias in her books like gel pens, colored pencils, or even crayons and markers. I love that versatility because I don't like to use just one. The pages are nice and thick so my gel pens do not bleed through. As for the pictures themselves, they are definitely her style of drawing set in an ocean atmosphere. I am super excited to use the beautiful colors that are naturally associated with the ocean. There are so many different scenes in this book that will draw out a lot of creativity. It is a beautiful book and I am super excited to start coloring it. My only gripe is that there are drawings that cover two pages and it is hard to color the middle where the spine is connecting them. I am planning on undoing the books so I can lay the pages flat but I am afraid of tearing or ruining any pages. There is a nice bonus at the end of the book that unfolds to a 4 page long scene front and back that will make for an awesome piece of work when it's done but it is gonna take awhile! I read some other reviews that said their book did not have the removable cover like her other two books but mine did indeed have the removable cover and I would be disappointed if it it didn't.

Beautiful as always, love Johanna Basford coloring books. Very detailed with unique hand drawn images. Page thickness is so nice. Not single sided so that’s a bummer because I work in alcohol markers and lots of layers with water based markers. You inevitably have to give up a page or two. Worth it tho. These books are so entertaining.

This is another beautifully illustrated coloring book by Joanna basford. It is extremely detailed. I love the ocean and water illustrations. I do believe this is for older adult colorists who do not get overwhelmed by small details. The paper quality is very good. These are double paged illustrations so I would suggest on the back pages testing out watercolors markers or anything other than pencils to make sure that they're not going to bleed through. Again I said they're extremely detailed in many places so it's one of my many collections of hers. I would recommend for ages 16 and up and probably not for older adults who have eye issues only because of small details.

Johanna Basford does it again. I've been coloring for years. In fact, I never "grew out of it" from childhood. But as an artistic adult, the coloring books leave something to be desired. So I began looking for adult coloring books. I have a few first purchases that are sitting on my shelf collecting dust. The lines are heavy, thick, and dark, leaving very little room to actually color. Then I came across Johanna Basford, and her collection of work. At the time, her Secret Garden had already been on the market and Enchanted Forest was about to be released. I grabbed the Secret Garden, and was thrilled by what I was seeing. And continue to love what I find in her coloring books. The lines are thin, hand-drawn, in basic black ink. The paper is heavy cardstock, clean white, so your colors won't bleed through (should you choose pens or markers) and they are crisp and bright. You can use crayons, colored pencils, and certain markers and gel pens. (I've used a 60 pack of gel pens sold on Amazon Top Quality Gel Pens (Pack of 60) as well as Paper Mate fine tip markers with no bleed through). Johanna recommends Staedtler pencils, but I've used Crayola, Berol, Prismacolor, and Rose Art with no issues. (Except that the pencils can go fast on certain images and Prismacolor are expensive!) The images are fun to look at, fun to color and bring to life. They are beautiful works of art in their own right, and adding color just enhances them, and you.

Being that this book has been in print for a while there isn't a whole lot to say about it that hasn't been said or even photographed. Overall Johanna's work is simply amazing. Her images are playful but quite detailed and many leave room for interpretation as well as white space to allow you to add your own extra art to the pages, I've done this many times and it just enhances the sheer beauty of her work. There are beautiful images of a boat, various marine life and more, some in a mandala style fashion with intricate details. The stock on this is fantastic, maybe 100lb, but pages are double sided and do bleed into each other as some images are two page spread images. The stock holds up great with about any medium you can think of. I personally use Prismacolors and Colore' colored pencils (both wax and oil based) as well as any standard gel pen. Watercolor pencils work fantastic on the stock as long as you are not too generous with the water so that the page warps. I have also found the stock in this particular run holds up well to burnishing, alcohol blenders and odorless spirits. The Lost Ocean book is worth every single penny and is actually a fantastic value when compared to other books for originality, uniqueness of the art style and overall quality of stock. Must have book for die hard colorists! I can spend days working on one image alone and every time it comes out as a piece of art!

I love this illustrator's coloring books. Beautiful pictures and lots of soothing wavy lines to color in. The hidden objects are an extra pleasure and remind me of being a child again with a Hi-Lights magazine. Two tips: If you are using pens and not pencils, buy the Staedtler ones that Joanne's name is on or buy gel pens. Markers may bleed through the pages. I bought the paperback and then bought the spiral bound book. The spiral bound book is much easier to work with.

Chegou 12 dias antes da data prevista, tudo bem certinho, bem embalado, super satisfeita . Sobre o livro PERFEITO... Obrigada Amazon, nota 10 😊

El libro me encantó, desde la portada hasta el final las ilustraciones son hermosas y detalladas. Pedí el de pasta blanda y la calidad es muy buena, las páginas son gruesas. Muy lindo libro, espero adquirir otro pronto. Además puedo agregar que el pedido llegó mucho antes de lo esperado y en excelentes condiciones, eso le da puntos extra. Recomiendo la compra.

Dieses Buch war ein Geburtstagsgeschenk an meiner Mutter, welche mit Begeisterung gerne ausmalt, um sich zu entspannen. Heutzutage wird man dafür als Erwachsener ja auch nicht mehr blöd angeguckt. Gottseidank. Da meine Mutter ganz neidisch auf mein Malbuch (Secret Garden, selbige Autorin) war und das Meer und seine Farben liebt, konnte ich mit diesem Buch nichts falsch machen. Meine Mutter liebt das Buch udn ist seit Tagen fleißig am ausmalen. Zum Buch selber: Die Qualität ist absolut toll. Es sieht richtig hochwertig aus. Was auf dem Produktbild auf dieser Seite wie grün auf dem Cover aussieht ist in Wirklichkeit matt-gold glänzend. Zusätzlich zu den Ausmal-Seiten kann auch der Komplette Umschlag, sowohl innen und außen ausgemalt werden. Desweiteren befindet sich sowohl vorne als auch hinten eine große Ausklappseite mit einem riesig-langen Motiv. Die Seiten im Buch sind schön dick; kein billiges, dünnes Altpapier. Man malt am besten mit Buntstiften. Die Seiten sind recht saugfähig, daher ist das Malen mit Filzstiften nicht wirklich empfehlenswert. Die Motive sind toll (s. hochgeladene Bilder) und sehr deteilreich. Ein kleiner Minuspunkt: malt man auf einer Seite, so kann es durch den Druck auf den nächsten paar unterliegenden Seite dazu kommen, dass sich die schwarzen Umrisse der Motive leicht auf die gegenüberliegende Seite durchdrücken (ebenfalls auf einem Foto sichtbar). Wenn man das weiß kann man dem aber ganz leicht entgegenwirken, indem man zwischen diese paar Seiten je ein Blatt papier zwischenlegt. Problem gelöst. Eine kurze Information zur Sprache: Ich habe mich aufgrund des günstigeren Preises für die englische Version entschieden. Es geht ja hier ums Malen und nicht ums Lesen. Zum lesen gibt es eh nicht viel. Eine kurze Doppelseite, auf der die im Buch enthaltene Schatzsuche erklärt, sowie die zu sucheneden Designs gezeigt werden (im Buch sind eben diese Gegenstände "versteckt"; hinten Im Buch findet man sogar eine Lösung). Die Schatzsuche ist allerdings weder für mich noch meine Mutter Sinn und Zweck des Buches. Das ist ein nettes Gimmick für die, die es mögen. Man kann auch einfach ausmalen, ohne nach den Gegenständen speziell Ausschau zu halten. Wer grundlegende Englischkenntnisse hat, sollte aber mit dem Im Buch enthaltenen Text nicht überfordert sein. Da es für meiner Mutter kein problem darstellt, habe ich mich hier also für die englische und somit günstigere Variante entschieden. Wie gesagt, die Beschenkte ist restlos begeistert. Ich würde dieses Buch ohne Bedenken wieder kaufen und stelle mich schon darauf ein, zum nächsten Geburtstag eines der weiteren Bücher von Johanna Basford an sie zu verschenken. (P.S. da dieser Produktseite meiner Meinung nach ein paar Produktbilder fehlen, füge ich hier mal einige Bilder an. Leider scheinen sie verdreht; ich weiß leider nicht wie man das ändern kann. Aber die Bilder kann man ja trotzdem erkennen.)

Another beautiful book by Johanna Basford. Stunning pictures and so much variety. There is the added bonus of a treasure hunt as each picture is coloured, with items to find hidden in the illustrations. There is so much in each book.

This is a lovely coloring book filled with lovely images to color. The pages are thick and good quality! If I had one complaint it would be a lot of the images have many teeny tiny little sections which for me might be a bit overwhelming to color in - but it's not enough of a complaint to take a star off.