text: Johanna Basford, 32, has released a colouring book for adults which has sold 226,000 in one month . A colouring book has become a sell-out success thanks to an unusual twist – it is designed for adults. Since British artist Johanna Basford created one of the first colouring books for grown-ups in 2013, called Secret Garden, it has sold over 1.5million copies and inspired a flurry of similar books. Now, the 32-year-old’s second book Enchanted Forest has sold out within weeks of its release. Some 226,000 copies were scooped up last month and the publishers have now printed another 250,000. Enchanted Forest reached number one on the UK Amazon book chart at the start of April, while the two books took first and second place on Amazon’s bestsellers list for the US. Mother-of-one Miss Basford, from Aberdeen, said she has been contacted by people from all walks of life who enjoy her ‘stress-relieving’ books, from artists to investment bankers. She said colouring books were no longer viewed as ‘childish’ and instead allowed everyone to express their creative side. She added: ‘I think it has been a bit of an underground movement for a long time. ‘People have always loved colouring because it is a very accessible way of unleashing your creative side. But I think it was seen as childish. By creating adult books, with more intricate designs, it makes it more socially acceptable. 'It is a book of artwork geared towards an adult audience.’ The artist, who is married to James Watt – the owner of craft beer company BrewDog – said adults had been enjoying children’s colouring books for years but had been sheepish about admitting it. Miss Basford said she had been stunned by the response to her books, which will soon have sold close to 2million copies and been translated into 14 languages. She previously did commercial work designing packaging and perfume bottles, but now focuses almost full-time on her colouring books. She said: ‘It started as a selfish pursuit to create a book that I loved. I didn’t do any market research. ‘We initially printed 13,000 copies and I honestly thought my mum was going to have buy a lot of books just to save face.’ Enchanted Forest, the mother-of-one's second release, reached number one on the UK Amazon book chart at the start of April, while the two books took first and second place on Amazon’s bestsellers list for the US . The designer studied textiles at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, but focused on drawing after graduating. Several years later, she came up with the idea of a whimsical colouring book for adults after her clients said her black and white designs would be perfect for colouring. It took her nine months to design her first book, which she juggled in between commercial assignments for companies such as Absolut Vodka, Sony and Nike. She said she now receives thousands of pictures from fans who want to show off their colouring in, adding: ‘It is a really inclusive activity. ‘I have heard from artists who can no longer do their original discipline for health reasons but still want to be creative, and from people recuperating from an illness who find it therapeutic. ‘It is stress-relieving. People using the books include investment bankers, academics and lots of people in finance. Colouring lets you lose yourself in your own bubble.’
target: Johanna Basford released Secret Garden in 2013 which sold 1.5m copies .
  32-year-old's second book Enchanted Forest has sold out within weeks .
  Mother-of-one said huge range of people enjoy her ‘stress-relieving’ books .