Interview with Johanna Basford, Illustrator and Coloring Book Author

Last month, Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford released her third coloring book of whimsical illustrations, Lost Ocean. While creating her most recent book, Basford also had her hands full with her then ten-month-old daughter, Evie. With the support and encouragement of group of new mom friends, Basford was able to overcome her anxiety to create yet-another spectacular coloring book for people around the world to enjoy.

An accomplished working mom committed to the craft of hand-drawn illustrations, we sat down with Johanna Basford with a ton of questions for an exclusive glimpse into her home life and inspiring career.

Age: 32 ½

Job: Illustrator

Hometown: Aberdeen, Scotland

Current location: Aberdeenshire (the middle of nowhere)

What non-practical talent would you most likely to have?

The ability to find my car in a multistory car parking lot without having to wander around pressing the button on my keys and waiting for a car to flash at me.

Failing that, the ability to enter a room without looking bewildered/bedraggled regardless of the circumstances would be rather nice.

What inspires you?

A multitude of things every day. From a beautiful tattoo to the artwork on my cereal box to my daughter’s scribbles on her bedroom wall (deep breath, nurture the creative spark) — I store all these visual snapshots away in my head and smoosh them about in my mind until they form the visual fragments that I eventually try to capture on paper.

Tell us about a time you were most scared and how you overcame it.

Signing the deal for my third colouring book, Lost Ocean, was terrifying.

My daughter was 10 months old at the time, not yet sleeping through the night and I was only just getting to the point in motherhood where I was managing to shower daily and find clean clothes to wear.

I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to deliver on time, that I could barely function as a ‘normal’ human, never mind have the mental capacity to think up beautiful ideas and put them all down on paper. Then there was the guilt. I know every mum feels this, but I was all too aware of the huge amounts of time creating a book demands and how life consuming that process is.

In the end, three old school friends saved me. We’d all fallen pregnant with our first baby around the same time and formed a little chat group where we discussed hypnobirthing, beautiful wooden toys we’d seen on Pinterest and organic baby food recipes. This talk was soon replaced by words of solidarity when we were all up at 3 a.m., comforting mantras such as, “Embrace the chaos” and “This too shall pass”. These girls saved me in so many ways. I can’t underemphasize the value of a supportive, non-judgmental group of mum friends with a good sense of humour.

I messaged them about the book deal: the opportunity, the guilt, the fear. They were amazing. They told me to go for it and that being a working mum was an inspiring thing for my little girl, not a setback. They gave me the confidence to believe that I could do it and the reassurance that my family would flourish not suffer as a consequence. They removed the guilt and gave me the boost I needed to remember that I can do stuff like this. I love those girls.

What do you think every woman should know how to do?

Ask for help. I realize that may sound a little defeatist and that we’re all about empowering women and girls to be independent, but I think at some times in your life you just need a little assistance and we should remove the guilt associated with that. It’s ok to admit you can’t do everything yourself. It’s fine to not know all the answers. Ask for help. Reload. Fire back in.

If you could inspire your younger self to do one thing, what would it be?

Ask more questions. I’m naturally curious but have a crippling fear of appearing stupid. At school I’d rather spend an hour being confused than ask the teacher for help. I realize now that the chances are I’m not the only one with questions and that we’re all just waiting for one brave soul to raise their hand and ask that question.

What one challenge you would like to tackle in the next year?

I have two big publishing deadlines next year. Every time I sign a book deal I say to myself, “This has to be my best work yet.” I’d like to create two wonderful books without having a meltdown.

How did you get your hair wet in the world of illustrations?

A combination of cheeky perseverance and necessity.

After art school, I set up a small printmaking studio where I made hand-printed wallpapers and fabrics. I’d sell these to high-end boutiques and luxury hotels. I wasn’t great at the business side of things and barely covered by overheads, so I worked two part-time jobs to pay the bills. I was getting by, not massively enjoying the manufacturing side of things, but managing to pay my bills. Then the credit crunch happened.

The recession hit and nobody could afford things like a hand-printed wallpaper. I was close to broke. I decided I had to make changes. I sold all my equipment, closed the studio and moved to working from a desk in the corner of my one bedroom flat.

I focused on drawing, my main passion in my work as opposed to manufacturing and set myself up as a freelance illustrator. I bought some pens and paper, set-up my website and social media accounts and spammed the hell out of every creative director and art commissioner I could find on the Internet.

I’d take the overnight bus to London on “commission missions,” which involved traipsing around studios and offices with my portfolio and showing my work off. Slowly but surely I started to get work. I pitched myself as the “the girl that does hand-drawn, black and white artwork,” and ignored comments about being a one-trick pony. I wrote myself a cheque for £10k, forward dated it six months and stuck it to my fridge. I worked day and night and six months later, cashed that cheque.

What motivated you to create coloring books?

For me, the books are all about co-creation. I see each book as an opportunity to collaborate. It’s my job to draw the black and white outlines, but it’s not until whoever has that book has added the colour and brought those monochrome pictures to life that the drawings are ever complete. When I see people posting pictures of their coloured pictures online it fills me with genuine joy! I love that I get this amazing opportunity to collaborate with millions of people worldwide that are infinitely more talented and creative than I am, it’s unbelievably humbling.

What does an average day in your life look like?

Organized chaos.

Evie wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and the day begins with milk, books if I’m able, cartoons if needs must.

Early mornings are spent being mum, a delicate and often fraught balance between dodging spoonfuls of flying porridge, attempting to do laundry, and chastising myself for not having done a grocery shop.

We have a wonderful family friend who is also our childminder. She arrives at 8 a.m. and I head up to my attic studio with a large cup of tea and do an hour of digital (emails, social media, web updates, etc.). After that I unplug and work analogue till early evening. Everything I create starts life as pencil and pen on paper, so I switch the laptop off, grab my art materials and get to work.

Working from home means I can pop into the playroom every now and then for a quick cuddle or a reading of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. I am very, very lucky.

Towards the end of the day I have another hour of digital just to catch up on what’s been going on, then it’s back to mum duties for a few hours. In the evening, I talk with my husband about big ideas, make endless to do lists, and organize my studio for the next day.

What three things do you need to survive?

Love, tea and crayons.

Have any female artists influenced your work? How so?

Loads. Not in visual or aesthetic terms, you can’t tell from looking at a picture whether or not it was created by someone in a bra. In terms of focus, vision and inspiring ways of working my list of leading ladies is far and wide. I love the way Orla Kiely has built a global brand without compromise. I think Cath Kidstone is an incredibly clever businesswoman. I love the way Jessica Walsh inspires and promotes creative play through her work, I think Beyonce is an incredible musician and so creatively clever but also essentially a working mum… I could go on and on.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I’m one of those irritating people that has always known what they want to do when they grow up. Ever since I could grasp a crayon I knew I wanted to draw. As a kid I drew on everything; walls, my sister, library books… My parents never told me off, they may have suggested alternative canvases but essentially they left me to make my mark. I’m forever grateful.

What’s the one message you’d want to convey to all of the people who enjoy your books?

Don’t worry if you go over the lines! Colouring isn’t about the pursuit of perfection. There are no rules. I want people to enjoy the creative process, relax, have fun, play a little.

Basford’s perseverance through challenging periods in her life demonstrates an important lesson for all hard-working dreamers out there, while reminding us all it’s important to ask questions, even if we’re intimated. A shining example of how endurance pays off for talented, focused individuals, we here at Smart Girls cannot wait to see Johanna Basford’s future work and coloring books.
BONUS: Sharpen your colored pencils! Enjoy a free coloring page drawn by Basford you can download here.

Image credits: Johanna Basford website, Johanna Basford Facebook page