Using the data, they painted what people want. It turned out to be a landscape, with a mountain and a lake, and deer, and a family, and George Washington.

Draw something white. Find a white object, or paint any object pure white, and then, with a strong light source from one direction, draw the shapes and values in charcoal with as much detail as possible. This is a great exercise in studying values, and you might try it as a painting exercise, too.

A sturdy, lightweight drawing board can be made from two pieces of corrugated cardboard. Glue them together with the ridges running in opposite directions. Trim the board to a size that's 1/2 inch larger than the paper you're using, and then bind the edges with packing tape. Secure your paper to the board with four strong paper clamps.

• January: An investigation of airport art sales
• February: My box-making demo video
• March: Maureen on Poussin's intense classicism
• April: My guide to Portland's Alberta Arts District
• May: The orphan works controversy
• June: Guide to using photo site Flickr
• July: Art from junk mail
• August: Children create art for Olympics
• September: Objects made of other objects
• October: Why do we associate genius with youth?
• November: How to get your press release noticed
• December: My art-filled Christmas

The perceived sense of entitlement and Nicole's self-appointed role as family spokesperson prompted Buffett to tell Peter that he'd renounce her. A month later, the mega-billionaire mailed Nicole a letter in which he cautioned her about the pitfalls of the Buffett name: "People will react to you based on that 'fact' rather than who you are or what you have accomplished." He punctuated the letter by declaring, "I have not emotionally or legally adopted you as a grandchild, nor have the rest of my family adopted you as a niece or a cousin." Nicole was devastated. "He signed the letter 'Warren,'" she says. "I have a card from him just a year earlier that's signed 'Grandpa.'"

• Studio tour with New Yorker cartoonist
• William Steig, from The New Yorker to Shrek

Looking for last-minute holiday gifts? The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store is always a good go-to shop. This year I found quite a few gorgeous Asian art items, and it just so happened that all of the pieces were less than $25! So I put together this guide—you can order any of the below items by searching by item number at the store website.

A. Hiroshige Cherry Blossom Christmas Ornament: The design adapts a delicate cherry blossom in the foreground of a color woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858). Lovely but short-lived, cherry blossoms are a recurring motif in Japanese art that symbolize the passing of time. Produced in cooperation with the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Silver plate, with hand-applied enamel. Diameter 3 3/4 in. Includes a silver cord for hanging. Item #10-073617: $17.50 each.

B. Flowers and Grasses of the Four Seasons Holiday Cards: The colorful floral design decorating these elegant holiday cards is reproduced from a detail from a pair of early 19th-century six-panel painted screens by Japanese artist Nakamura Hochu. Produced in cooperation with The British Museum, London. 15 accordion-style cards, 15 white envelopes per box. Item #11-068186: $8.98.

C. Fruits and Flowers Bridge Set: The card game of bridge can be traced back to the 19th century, when the earliest known bridge rule book was found. A richly colored fruits and flowers motif is depicted on the playing cards and score pad, which together form a handsome gift set. Produced in cooperation with The Art Institute of Chicago. Double deck of bridge cards and score pad with instructions. Item #11-021854: $19.95.

D. Flowers of Asia Notecards: The notecards are a celebration of chrysanthemums, peonies, poppies, lotuses, and irises delicately rendered by Chinese and Japanese masters, and shown in fine detail. The images are reproduced from works in the Museum's collection by artists such as Kitagawa Sosetsu, Ogata Korin, Utagawa Hiroshige, Suzuki Kiitsu, Utamaro Kitagawa, and Qian Weicheng. 3 each of 12 images, 36 cards per box. Boxed with 38 envelopes. Item #11-067386: $21.95.

E. Japanese Robes Notecards: Details of birds, flowers, and trees decorate these notecards, which feature reproductions of lavishly embroidered Japanese silk robes from the Edo period (1615–1868) that are now in the Museum's collection. 4 each of 5 images, 20 cards per box. Includes 21 envelopes in a keepsake box. Item #11-068350: $14.95.

"Studies suggest that creative people often share more personality traits with the mentally ill than “normal” people in less creative pursuits. One Stanford University study compared patients with bipolar disorder with a group of healthy people. They found that graduate students in creative disciplines shared more personality traits with the bipolar patients than with their healthy but less creative peers ..."

Mattresses are our friends. For years, mattresses selflessly serve our sleeping pleasure. We should all be grateful for our mattresses; after all, most of us were conceived on one.

Why, then, are our mattresses being abandoned in dumps and left to the seagulls? Every year in the U.S. 40 million mattresses get thrown in the trash. Don’t our mattresses deserve another chance?

Architecture for Humanity and Rubicon National Social Innovations invite entrants to create innovative ways of converting used mattresses into useful products.

The competition aims to encourage entrants to form groups capable of creating a consumer product, instructions detailing how to make the product, and a plan for production on a larger scale.