By Johanna Basford
Published by Virgin Books/Ebury Publishing (22 October 2015)
ISBN: 978-0753557150
My verdict
Lost Ocean is a beautiful colouring book with stunning pictures on an ocean theme (as expected). This is my first Johanna Basford book so I can't compare it to her previous books, but I will certainly be looking out for more of her work.
The pages are double sided, so my suggestion is that you don't use any pens that may bleed through (e.g. Sharpies). There is a double-sided four-page spread at the end of the book to pull out. There's an adventure theme all the way through, with pictures to find as you colour in the pages.
The pictures are exquisitely drawn, with minute detail in places. You need very fine pens and well-sharpened pencils. Each page certainly kept me amused for hours.
Work in progress 1
I'm colouring this with a mixture of Staedtler triplus colour pens, Staedtler Fineliners, Stabilo point88 pens and Uni-ball Signo Sparkling Gel Ink Rollerball pens. None of the pens can be seen through the page.
Work in progress 2
This is the last colouring page of the book, other than the pull out spread. I'm using WHSmith colour pencils and also Faber Castell Polycromos pencils. Not that many of the pages include mermaids, shipwrecks or treasure - most of them focus on fish, shells and other forms of sea life - which is why I chose this.
I do feel that some of the pictures could have taken up more space on the page, as there's quite a bit of white space. A couple of mandalas had large gaps in the middle, making them look a bit empty. I'm sure that someone with artistic talent could fill them in their their own drawings and pictures. I may even have a go myself.
The pages are double sided, so my suggestion is that you don't use any pens that may bleed through (e.g. Sharpies). There is a double-sided four-page spread at the end of the book to pull out. There's an adventure theme all the way through, with pictures to find as you colour in the pages.
The pictures are exquisitely drawn, with minute detail in places. You need very fine pens and well-sharpened pencils. Each page certainly kept me amused for hours.
Work in progress 1
I'm colouring this with a mixture of Staedtler triplus colour pens, Staedtler Fineliners, Stabilo point88 pens and Uni-ball Signo Sparkling Gel Ink Rollerball pens. None of the pens can be seen through the page.
Work in progress 2
This is the last colouring page of the book, other than the pull out spread. I'm using WHSmith colour pencils and also Faber Castell Polycromos pencils. Not that many of the pages include mermaids, shipwrecks or treasure - most of them focus on fish, shells and other forms of sea life - which is why I chose this.
I do feel that some of the pictures could have taken up more space on the page, as there's quite a bit of white space. A couple of mandalas had large gaps in the middle, making them look a bit empty. I'm sure that someone with artistic talent could fill them in their their own drawings and pictures. I may even have a go myself.
Examples of more pages to colour, to give you an idea of the variety and detail:
I was very excited to receive an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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