Art Before Breakfast

Packed with the signature can-do attitude that makes beloved artist Danny Gregory a creativity guru to thousands across the globe, this unique guide serves up a hearty helping of inspiration. For aspiring artists who want to draw and paint but just can't seem to find time in the day, Gregory offers 5– to 10–minute exercises for every skill level that fit into any schedule—whether on a plane, in a meeting, or at the breakfast table—along with practical instruction on techniques and materials, plus strategies for making work that's exciting, unintimidating, and fulfilling. Filled with Gregory's encouraging words and motivating illustrations, Art Before Breakfast teaches readers how to develop a creative habit and lead a richer life through making art.

Features selections from the sketchbooks of forty artists, illustrators, and designers that capture their travels around the world in drawings and paintings.

Danny Gregory and his wife Patti were in love. Their baby, Jack, was ten months old; life was pretty swell. And then Patti fell under a subway train and was paralyzed from the waist down. In a world where nothing seemed to have much meaning, Danny decided to teach himself to draw, and what he learned stunned him. Suddenly things had color again, and value. The result is Everyday Matters, his journal of discovery, recovery, and daily life in New York City. It is as funny, insightful, and surprising as life itself.

An insider's account—the first of its kind—of the thoroughly unconventional life of one of the twentieth century's most shockingly original painters Lucian Freud's paintings are instantly recognizable: often shocking and disturbing, his portraits convey a profound yet compelling sense of discomfort. Freud was twice married and the father of at least a dozen children, and his numerous relationships with women were the subject of much gossip—but the man himself remained a mystery. An intensely private individual (during his lifetime he prevented two planned biographies from being published), Freud's life, as well as his art, invites questions that have had no answer—until now. In Breakfast with Lucian, Geordie Greig, one of a few close friends who regularly had breakfast with the painter during the last years of his life, tells an insider's account—accessible, engaging, revealing—of one of the twentieth century's most fascinating, enigmatic, and controversial artists. Greig, who has studied his subject's work at length, unravels the tangled thread of a life lived on Freud's own uncompromising terms. Based on private conversations in which Freud held forth on everything from first love to gambling debts to the paintings of Velázquez, and informed by interviews with friends, lovers, and some of the artist's children who have never before spoken publicly about their relationships with the painter, this is a deeply personal memoir that is illuminated by a keen appreciation of Freud's art. Fresh, funny, and ultimately profound, Breakfast with Lucian is an essential portrait—one worthy of one of the greatest painters of our time. An NPR Best Book of 2013

A New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2015 In the early 1900s, Robert Miller, a.k.a. “Count Victor Lustig,” moved to Paris hoping to be an artist. A con artist, that is. He used his ingenious scams on unsuspecting marks all over the world, from the Czech Republic, to Atlantic ocean liners, and across America. Tricky Vic pulled off his most daring con in 1925, when he managed to "sell" the Eiffel Tower to one of the city’s most successful scrap metal dealers! Six weeks later, he tried to sell the Eiffel Tower all over again. Vic was never caught. For that particular scam, anyway. . . . Kids will love to read about Vic's thrilling life, and teachers will love the informational sidebars and back matter. Award-winner Greg Pizzoli’s humorous and vibrant graphic style of illustration mark a bold approach to picture book biography.

"Benjy Griffith's novel Whiskey before Breakfast is a Southern page-turner, told with humor and an uncanny ear for the Southern idiom. It presents a motley cast of Middle Georgia originals caught up in the struggles of the Great Depression." "The principal characters, thirteen-year-old Newt and his friend Jefferson will remind some readers of Huck Finn and Jim. Both boys have abusive fathers and both deal with challenging situations. While Huck's answer to most problems is an instantly devised tall tale, Newt, faced with even more perilous trials, relies on an innate understanding of what motivates human beings. Newt's compassion, expressed in his gentle protection of his mentally handicapped younger brother, also sets him apart. Jefferson, who experiences a life-changing moment during a rare visit to church, is also a more complex character than his counterpart, Jim. Standing out among the minor characters is Hap, a comical backwoods entrepreneur." "Earl Ham, Newt's profane, tyrannical father, has two main businesses: a sawmill and moonshine whiskey. He decides to move into rival territory, sending Jefferson, an alcoholic who will work for whiskey, along with Newt, who will sell the moonshine and protect the money. But this is Newt's story and it is one that will linger with the reader long after the final pages."--BOOK JACKET.

Want to draw but don't think you have the talent? This book is for you--no experience or formal training required! Danny Gregory, co-founder of the popular online Sketchbook Skool, shows you how to get started making art for pleasure with fun, easy lessons. Get started fast with just a pen and paper, learn to see your subject with new eyes, and enjoy the creative process.

A Maine breakfast is more than just blueberries. Dana Moos of the Maine Innkeeping Academy shows you how to whip up a delicious and beautiful breakfast, whether you're cooking for your out-of-state in-laws or running your own B&B. Maine is a travel destination, and its B&Bs are some of the most visited places in the state. Dana Moos, the former innkeeper of the Kingsleigh Inn in Southwest Harbor, has great advice on serving a breakfast that not only tastes great but looks good too. Perfect for B&B owners, but also great for folks with out-of-town guests, this book makes creating an artful and tasty breakfast easy.