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| Monterey Cypress by GJ Gillespie |
Long ago the Greek god Zeus noticed a lovely mortal woman named Leda and fell madly in love. Since he knew that his divine form would overwhelm Leda, he turned himself into a magic swan to woo her.
Their romance produced a child, Helen of Troy, who became known as the most beautiful woman in the world. The baby girl was born out of an egg.
The ancient Leda myth confirms the truth that the pursuit of passion by the artist produces creations of elegant beauty.
In the same way in the idyllic northwest town of Kirkland, Washington a private label sketchbook company was born to help artists express their inspiration and make the world a more beautiful place.
Leda Art Supply was founded by a retired college professor and artist who set out on a quest to find the best possible sketchbook.
For decades, Gary Gillespie and his wife Teresa traveled the world making sketches of sights and people they encountered. Teresa first captured the art muse. When she realized that sketching caused her to slow down, carefully observe previously un-noticed details in the scenes she began to carry a sketchbook on every trip. When a sketchbook was filled, it became a lasting memento of the trip.
Her enthusiasm won Gary over to the pursuit of sketching and art making as well. He is now an award winning northwest collage artist with more than 400 works. See GJ Gillespie Artist.
"Personally made drawings are better than photographs or postcards and bring back lasting travel memories", says long time artist, attorney and college business school dean Teresa Gillespie, partner in the sketchbook venture.
Over the years the couple created hundreds of sketchbooks filled with drawings with water color wash.
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| Granville Bridge by GJ Gillespie |
As dedicated sketching aficionados they sampled every brand of sketchbook. But Gary was constantly looking for a better book to match his passion for art. He noticed that many sketchbooks had 60 pound paper that bled ink, smeared or tore easily. The binding of some cheaper notebooks filled with his art were beginning to fall apart. Even the better quality books weren’t quite right.
Unhappy with what was on the market, Gillespie founded Leda Art Supply to meet the needs of artists like him seeking the perfect travel sketchbook.
The size and paper quality had to be right. He wanted a lighter weight book that would be easy to pack around. With a design firmly in mind, he devoted weeks researching stationary suppliers to find the best manufacturers to produce his dream sketchbook.
Contact us at support@ledaartsupply.com
Contact us at support@ledaartsupply.com
The Leda Odyssey is that sketchbook.
At 7 x 10 inches it features 160 pages of cream colored, high quality 81 pound paper designed for pencil, ink, pen, pastel and charcoal. Tests showed that the paper takes a light watercolor wash.
Once the product was on sale artists responded enthusiastically. Customers fell in love with Leda and sang her praises with mostly five star reviews, averaging 4.8 Stars since founding.
Soon a medium and pocket sized version were added to the Leda pantheon.
In keeping with the Greek myth theme, the company turned to Amazon’s legions to store and ship the sketchbooks to the front doors of artists across the country.
Nearly 25,000 books have been sold and the company expanded in the six European countries in July 2017.
Nearly 25,000 books have been sold and the company expanded in the six European countries in July 2017.
If you also dream of finding the ideal of sketchbook to fulfill your artistic fantasies join Mother Leda’s growing brood of fans. Order on Amazon today.
The Leda Myth
Long ago the Greek god Zeus fell in love with a mortal woman named Leda. Since he knew that his divine form would overwhelm Leda, he became a swan to woo her.
Their divine union produced a child, Helen of Troy, who became known as the most beautiful woman in the world. The baby girl was born out of an egg.
The Leda myth confirms the truth that the pursuit of passion by the artist produces creations of elegant beauty.
In the same way Leda Art Supply was born to help art enthusiasts express their aesthetic inspiration, making the world a more beautiful place.
Go ahead. Express yourself!
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| This lighter weight art pad is ideal for traveling |
Leda Odyssey is the perfect gift for that creative person in your life.
Or, treat yourself to this premium journal and begin work on your next masterpiece.
Order the Odyssey sketchbook on Amazon.
Helping artists make the world a more beautiful place.
About: Goodnews for Artists is an educational blog dedicated to spreading the word about better ways to sketch. Images here are for educational and inspirational purposes.
I received my first Leda Sketchbook I bought from Amazon and started it on March 15. I completed it on March 30. Loved it so much bought a secon one I started March 31! That one is almost finished as well. This evening I ordered 3 more, one of each size. I plan on using one as a travel journal for a 3 1/2 week European art escapade.
ReplyDeleteThe Leda journal can withstand a lot of regular use with a wide variety of media. There ARR occasional inks/markers/pens that will bleed through but I'm usually ok with that and use them as part of the page.
I Really enjoy this journal/sketchbook!!!
‼️✒️HAPPY��CREATING��‼️
Thanks Christine. You are one of Mother Leda's favorite artist. Thanks for sharing you enthusiasm for art and Leda.
DeletePlease sends some photos of your European art journal. We would love to feature you on our new website.
As of end of Dec 2017 midsisze Leda sketchbooks are not available on Amazon. Are they temporarily out of stock or discontinued? Actually it is the most convenient size for many people.
ReplyDelete