Leonardo da Vinci Sketchbook

Perhaps in a body of work unparalleled in history, the drawings and voluminous notes of Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) allow us a glimpse into the mind of a genius. He was a master draftsman and sketch artist, carefully recording the journeys of his mind in his mirror-image handwriting. He was a man of insatiable curiosity that spanned an infinite spectrum, particularly fascinated by concepts of grace and the geometric structure of the universe.

Renaissance biographer Giorgio Vasari describes Leonardo as having qualities that "transcended nature," displaying "infinite grace in everything he did." French critic and historian Hippolyte Taine likely agreed, stating that Da Vinci was "far ahead of his own century and the centuries to follow." And indeed, it is not just the man's works of art (like the Mona Lisa) that continue to transcend cultural and temporal boundaries, but also his scientific thoughts and discoveries.

Our Sun and Moonlight cover features Da Vinci’s observations regarding moonlight in comparison to the brightness of the sun, as recorded in his Codex Leicester. Currently owned by Bill Gates, this seventy-two-page document is exhibited only once a year in different cities around the world. As the only major scientific work written by Da Vinci’s own hand, the Codex Leicester offers a glimpse into one of the most famous minds in history and reveals how it sheds light on humanity's potential for greatness.

Five centuries after his death, his talents remain something extraordinary that must be grasped as much now as when he was alive. In fact, we were so inspired by Da Vinci's vast and comprehensive genius that we have published two separate collections featuring his work over the last twelve years.

First, we created a series of traditional Coptic (hand-sewn) journals containing some of Leonardo da Vinci's most romantic works – The Virgin of the Rocks, Head of a Young Woman, Head of a Woman and one of his numerous self-portraits. Da Vinci’s paintings of women were famous for their subtleties of tone and shape, and we wanted to recreate the intrinsic qualities of his paintings on our covers. This first collection was developed within the first decade after launching Paperblanks, at a time when we were still exploring our own capabilities with printing press technology.

After publishing our first Leonardo series, we still wanted to work with his scientific notes, as they were just as impressive and innovative as his artistic works. Once we were able to obtain images from the Codex Leicester, we began the long process of transferring a section from his famous treatise onto a cover design. Our reproduction, which is this Sun and Moonlight cover, adds texture to his sketches and handwriting so that anyone who runs their hand over it can feel an approximate likeness of the original. If you look closely, you can see his mysterious mirror-writing in detail – you can even touch it and feel the individual uniqueness it contains for yourself.

Our Leonardo's Sketches collection became a milestone for us in terms of what we were able to produce. Perhaps it was Leonardo’s spirit that pushed us!