(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, August 14, 2015 ) Kirkland, WA -- The phrase "When it comes to art, I know what I like," applies to art materials as well. After going on sale for only a few days, a new art sketchbook quickly moved to page one of its Amazon category. On July 25, Leda Art Supply of Kirkland, Washington launched the Odyssey Travel Sketchbook. Two weeks later, a surge in sales pushed the art journal above long established brands to rank as the top ten sketchbook sold on Amazon.
Sketching enthusiasts are posting product reviews to let their fellow doodlers know that they like what they see. The most common word in review titles is "quality". Quilt and fiber artist Linda Hall praised the art notebook as "perfect for travel". She posted the following five star Amazon review:
"I am an art quilter and use sketchbooks almost daily to practice stitch pattern for sewing with a sewing machine. Many of the sketchbooks I have used have been large, bulky or use paper like newsprint that bleeds easily. I travel often on an airplane and wanted to be able to make use of the time by sketching on the plane. I got this sketchbook because of the size – it fits into my small laptop case perfectly. It is small enough to fit into my purse if need be but large enough to fill a page of practice sketches at full scale."
"I tried several different media to see how they would feel on the paper. I used mechanical pencil, fine point marker, thick and thin Sharpees, ball point pen, children's grade colored pencil, and artist grade colored pencil. Each of the media was able to glide smoothly and evenly over the page without too much "tooth" or drag especially on the mechanical pencil, which I use the most. I am giving this sketchbook 5 stars because of the size, shape, paper quality, strong soft cover to protect it and the beautiful cover finish in a charcoal off-black."
Krista, a fashion design student, says that the soft, flexible leather-like cover is pleasing to touch while providing a firm surface for drawing. She tested different art mediums and even created a five-minute video to accompany her five star review, giving the Leda sketchbook an "A+".
Another reviewer reports that the product is a good value. For just a few dollars more than similar art journals, customers benefit from a larger page surface, higher density paper, an elastic organizer strap, bookmark and back pocket for pencil or reference photos.
"We've done a lot to get the word out to social influencers who know what they are talking about," says Creative Director GJ Gillespie – himself an artist. Instead of paid advertising, Leda Art Supply has relied on word of mouth marketing through social media posts on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and blogs.
"Our new sketchbook offers more features that any of the other notebooks of the Amazon top ten and people notice that," says Gillespie.
"The reviews are powerful social proof that result in this surge in sales," he says, adding that reaching page one is a sought after achievement for new brands since most customers rarely scroll beyond it.
About Leda Art Supply of Kirkland
Leda Art Supply of Kirkland is dedicated to helping artists make the world a more beautiful place. It provides Sketchbooks for Artists through Amazon.
