Books published by Monacelli Press

The Well-Dressed Window: Curtains at Winterthur is a unique compendium of design and textile history and an invaluable resource for designers and homeowners alike.   Today Henry Francis du Pont, the force behind the transformation of Winterthur from a family house to the premier museum of American decorative arts, is recognized, along with Henry Davis Sleeper and Elsie de Wolfe, as one of the early leaders of interior design in this country.   Working with architects, curators, and antiques dealers, du Pont created some 175 room settings within the house. He assembled his rooms using architectural elements from historic houses along the East Coast and filled them with an extraordinary collection of American furniture and decorative arts. Du Pont’s unique talent was his ability to arrange historically related objects in a beautiful way, in settings that enhanced their shape and form through the choice of color, textiles, and style.   Du Pont paid particular attention to the design of the curtains, and The Well-Dressed Window surveys his achievement, explaining how the fabrics were selected as well as their relationship to the architecture and other decorative elements in the rooms. Forty rooms are presented, each specially photographed to show the overall space in addition to details of fabric and trim. A series of stereoviews taken in the 1930s as well as other period photographs reveal the evolution of the window treatments and upholstery over nearly sixty years. Of particular interest is du Pont’s seasonal changing of the curtains, which were rotated throughout the year as the lighting and colors in the surrounding garden shifted.

BRING YOUR IMAGINATION TO LIFEIn her second manga book, best-selling author J.C. Amberlyn focuses on favorite manga archetype characters, with a fun and lively how-to-draw book aimed at beginners. Every genre of manga has its typical characters-plucky hero and heroine; school boys and girls; funny friend/sidekick; serious warrior; young innocent; bishounen; genki girls; chibis; chibi animals; cat girls/cat boys; magical girls; adorable animals; strong/scary animals; gothic characters; fantasy characters-and they are all here along with the step-by-step drawing instructions needed to give even beginners the direction they need to create the favorite characters they can't get enough of. A final chapter on backgrounds, scenery, and the environment will further give readers the information they need to pull everything together and create their own manga characters and the worlds they live in. Includes 23 step-by-step demonstrations and exercises.J.C. Amberlyn takes you through everything you need to know to create your favorite manga characters from Japanese comics or design your own. INCLUDES IN-DEPTH INSTRUCTION ON: INTRODUCTION What Is a Character * Creating a Manga Character * This Book * Materials and Supplies CHARACTER TYPES Manga Character Archetypes and Story Genres * Manga Character Types * Some Common Terms and Color Associations DRAWING THE HEAD AND FACE Human Heads and Faces * Noses, Ears, and Mouths * Eyes * Hair * Animals EXPRESSIONS Emotions * Accessories * Exaggerating Features * Using Fur, Feathers, and Scales * Perspective * Animal Expressions * Dragons BODIES AND GESTURES Anatomy of a Chibi, Child, Woman, and Man * Gestures * Posture, Angles, and Character Appeal * Clothing and Accessories * Wings * Animal Bodies SETTINGS, SCENES, AND SAMPLES Props * Character Design Examples * Silhouettes * Scenes * Character Sheets