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 . ’
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 . The author of the bestselling series is also a successful TV presenter and she recently appeared on Good Morning Britain to promote her latest book.