Our Story

Monterey Cypress by GJ Gillespie
LEDA ART SUPPLY: A Journey from Passion to Perfection
As artists, we are all in search of the perfect tools to bring our visions to life. For GJ Gillespie, a retired college professor, award-winning artist, and founder of Leda Art Supply, this quest led to the creation of an art company that embodies the spirit of artistic passion and pursuit of perfection.
Leda Art Supply, named after the mythical figure Leda from ancient Greek mythology, was born out of GJ's dissatisfaction with available sketchbooks. As he and his wife Teresa journeyed around the world, capturing scenes and people through sketches, they found existing sketchbooks lacking in quality and durability. The paper would often bleed ink, smear, or tear easily, and the bindings of even the better-quality notebooks began to fall apart.
Driven by the desire for a sketchbook that could meet the demands of passionate artists like himself, GJ embarked on a mission. He set out to create a sketchbook that combined the right size, paper quality, and weight for the traveling artist. This journey eventually led to the birth of the Leda Odyssey, a 7 x 10-inch sketchbook featuring 160 pages of cream-colored, high-quality 81-pound paper designed for a variety of mediums including pencil, ink, pen, charcoal, and even light watercolor washes.
GJ's dedication to achieving his vision resonated with artists worldwide. Since its launch in 2016, Leda Art Supply has received overwhelming positive feedback from its users, averaging 4.7-star reviews. The success of the Leda Odyssey led to the introduction of additional sizes to cater to various artist needs, including the medium A5, extra large A4, pocket-sized version, the 8.25 x 8.25 inch Atlas Journal and the 8.25 x 5.5 inch Phoebe Journal.
The journey of Leda Art Supply is a testament to the power of passion in the pursuit of beauty, mirroring the myth of Leda and Zeus from which it derives its name. Just as their divine union produced Helen of Troy, known as the most beautiful woman in the world, GJ's pursuit of the perfect sketchbook has resulted in a product that enables artists to produce creations of elegant beauty.
As of today, nearly 100,000 books have been sold and Leda Art Supply has expanded into six European countries, bringing GJ's dream sketchbook to artists' doorsteps across the globe.
For those who are still in pursuit of the ideal sketchbook, we invite you to experience the Leda Odyssey or any of the other offerings in the Leda collection. These sketchbooks are more than just tools; they are companions in your artistic journey, designed to help you express your aesthetic inspiration and make the world a more beautiful place. So go ahead, express yourself with Leda Art Supply.
Contact us at support@ledaartsupply.com




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!



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. 

Contact us at support@ledaartsupply.com


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. 

3 comments:

  1. 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.

    The 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��‼️

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    1. Thanks Christine. You are one of Mother Leda's favorite artist. Thanks for sharing you enthusiasm for art and Leda.

      Please sends some photos of your European art journal. We would love to feature you on our new website.

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  2. 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.

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