Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are

At first glance, I thought that this book for was people who already considered themselves to be artists, but I picked it up anyway because I was intrigued by the title, which promised greater creativity. Danny helps readers recognize the difference between professional artists and the rest of us who just want to create so that we can find greater joy in life! I decided to follow his advice in the book and create EVERY DAY ("draw your breakfast" "draw your dirty laundry" "draw the view from your bed"). My biggest hurdle to art, before reading this book, (which the book helped me overcome) was the fear of making mistakes. If you flip through the book, you'll think "Wow, this is beautifully illustrated." However if you slow down and take a closer look at the drawings, you'll see that they are funky, wobbly, authentic, organic, in-the-moment, passionate, mistake-filled sketches--and I love that!! The author gives you enough tools, enough encouragement, and enough examples, and then he gets out of the way so you can begin your beautiful journey of creation. "Art Before Breakfast" opened my eyes to the idea that art is NOW, it surrounds us every day, and if we take the time to capture these moments all around us, it turns them from ordinary to sublime. Thank you, Danny Gregory for such a beautiful book!

I just love that man Danny Gregory. He is a real inspiration to me. He is a warm human being who has become an important part of my life. And to think I had never heard of him until one short year ago when I enrolled in the newly formed Sketchbook Skool, an online set of "lessons" about sketching and incorporating drawing and creativity into your life. If anyone had told me that I would be drawing at this time of my life, I would have said that is the last thing on my bucket list. I would have said that I haven't drawn anything since I was five years old and that I have no talent whatsoever. Well, I am testament to Danny's success in motivating and inspiring people to incorporate "art" (with a small "a") into their lives. He makes you feel that you can do it. When I am discouraged or haven't done anything for awhile, he has a way of speaking right to me through his blog posts and books and getting me going again. He understands the obstacles. "Art Before Breakfast" is his latest compendium of ways to make art a daily habit not because you are trying to make a beautiful picture or something to put in an art exhibit but rather because it makes you happy and brings peace and calm to your life. "Art Before Breakfast" is full of simple ideas of what to draw, how to incorporate drawing into your life all illustrated with Danny's charming sketches and attractive layout. It isn't really a how to book but gives tips and just enough instruction to get you started. One of Danny's mantra's is to not get hung up on having to have any particular art materials. A pen, a piece of paper and five minutes will do. I have others of Danny's books including "Everyday Matters" and I am glad that "Art Before Breakfast" uses typed script for most of the pages as opposed to Danny's scratchy writing with a nib pen which I have found a little difficult to read in the other books. There is enough of the pen writing to reflect Danny's style and personality but it is nice to be able to more easily read the main points.

I like Danny Gregory's books on sketching. They are always lively and inspiring. I've every single one of them since his first book on drawing, The Creative License. In some ways, Art Before Breakfast feels like a sequel to that. Art Before Breakfast is a book on drawing with lots of ideas on what you can draw, a few techniques you can try out and suggestions on where you can find time to sneak in a drawing or two on your sketchbook. The tone is enthusiastic and motivating. The example drawings are accessible and fun. Nothing too daunting and the challenge is to move your pen. This is also a book on the virtues of drawing and Danny Gregory has included many of his personal thoughts on drawing that are bound to inspire. This book works great as one you can pick up from time to time, flip to a random page to read and recharge your creative cells, and to find something to draw. I like the tips on random techniques, such as mixing media, and there are different ways on how you can approach your drawings, using reference, creating themes, silencing your inner critic and more. Those who already know the basics of drawing, observational drawing, will get most out of the book. There are some introductory drawing lessons though, such as contour drawing, spotting negative space and using measurements. I feel that if you're a beginner who knows nothing about drawing, those introductory lessons may or may not be enough for you because they are rather brief. So if you're looking for a book to learn how to draw, this is not the appropriate book. This is a what-to-draw book. Just like other books by Danny Gregory, I enjoy this book and would like to recommend it to anyone looking for inspiration and motivation to draw. By the way, there's no such thing as having enough books on inspiration. Check out the following books too: Playing with Sketches Freehand: Sketching Tips and Tricks Drawn from Art Just Draw It! Keys to Drawing with Imagination Sketch!: The Non-Artist's Guide to Inspiration, Technique, and Drawing Daily Life (See more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

Life changing. Danny Gregory makes you shed inhibitions and/or reservations you may have regarding making art. Well written, delightfully illustrated, a good confidence builder for the beginner to turn them into a regular practitioner. If you always wanted to make art but had hesitation to actually do, this book is your magic mantra. Danny tells you how to enjoy making art. I've been a more active artist post this book and signing up into his Facebook group 'Everyday Matters'.

I loved his first section to get you sketching something each day before breakfast. I tried all the techniques and surprised myself by things I could draw, that I’d previously thought were too hard. The rest of the book is a collection of tips and encouragements to try different techniques and locations, so the ‘art before breakfast’ section is really only at the beginning. This is a beautiful, playful and very useful book for anyone wanting to try sketching or improve their skills.

O que eu mais gosto nos livros do Danny Gregory é como ele sempre se esforça para nos inspirar, tirar da cabeça nos objeções auto impostas e mostrar que é fácil começar. Mesmo sendo um dos seus livros mais recentes, o conteúdo está voltado para quem pretende se aventurar na prática do "Art Journaling", e que não sabe onde encontrar tempo.

If, like me, you're already familiar with Danny Gregory's books about drawing you won't be disappointed wit this, his latest. If you're new to his work, you're going to want to buy his back catalogue by the time you're finished with this one. Danny Gregory's books are art books designed to get you drawing; his philosophy is that everyone can draw and that drawing is good for you. It grounds you in the present, slows you down, helps you focus and adds meaning to your life. That philosophy has helped to create a HUGE, and I mean HUGE, online community of artists of all kinds who follow his blog, contribute to the online art group Everyday Matters and now learn through the online art school co-founded by Gregory, Sketchbook Skool. His books also promote that philosophy and none more so than this book, which is based on the principle that everyone can make art and that art and be made in the smallest pockets of time. The book contains an enormous collection of exercises for sketching in just a few minutes - while waiting in the car, in a queue or, as the title suggests, for food to cook or the kettle to boil, using little more than a pen and a piece of paper. Of course, there are also lots of ideas for taking things further and trying more sophisticated drawings, but the fundamental principle is that everyone can draw and you need very little in terms of art materials in order to do so (but that's not to say you can't shop for many more if you want to!). The book proceeds as a series of exercises which you can follow in order if you want a "lesson plan" or you can dip into it for prompts if you simply want ideas of what to draw today - it would work equally well either way. All in all this book is another Gregory treasure.

No es manual de dibujo , sino un libro para motivarte a dibujar y pintar más, dándote consejos sobre donde hacerlo y que tiempo aprovechar . Muy recomendable