Another Fantastic Coloring Journey this time into the Ocean Deep

Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure and Coloring Book

By: Johanna Basford

Rating: 5 of 5

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.