Thames&Hudson

Everything you need to create your own professional-looking manga artwork. The FREE CD-ROM contains high resolution line art figures suitable for historical, contemporary and cute manga, step-by-step illustrated tutorials in the book offer a wealth of ideas and tips to help you finish them off and use them in your own work.

As we become only too aware of the damage man has caused to the planet, more of us want to furnish and decorate our homes with products that do not harm the environment. But being sensitive to the environment does not mean you have to sacrifice good design. More and more designers are creating products that are both beautiful and ethical. 1000 New Eco Designs is a showcase of contemporary product design and interior products that are ecologically sound. Informative and visually inspirational, the book acts as a handbook, guiding readers through the complex issues involved in creating and choosing eco-friendly designs for the home. A series of icons show each product's «green» credentials; highlighting the use of recycled, sustainable, and locally-sourced materials as well as non-toxic, low-energy, and low-waste manufacturing processes, so that readers can see at a glance the individual characteristics of each design. The book also provides full information on where to source and buy the products featured.

China at the Court of the Emperors presents almost two hundred masterpieces, various in form and rich in beauty, coming from thirty-two museums and institutes in Shaanxi, Henan, Gansu, and Jiangsu provinces, many of them never seen in the West before. It examines the vast period from the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220) through the Tang (618–907), during which Chinese civilization underwent radical transformation. As a matter of fact, Tang China synthesized foreign and indigenous elements that had been present for centuries, thus creating a new, distinctive, and extraordinary cosmopolitan civilization, made possible by tolerance—a message as important today as it was 1,500 years ago. The book includes essays by some of the foremost experts in the field, including Roderick Whitfield (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London), Felix Schoeber (University of Westminster, London), Lillian Lan-ying Tseng (Yale University), Nicola di Cosmo (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton), Stefano Zacchetti (Università Ca’ Foscari, Venice), and Chao-Hui Jenny Liu (New York University).

The photographer Berenice Abbott once mused, «How shall the two-dimensional print in black-and-white suggest the flux of activity of the metropolis, the interaction of human beings and solid architectural constructions, all impinging upon each other in time?» Picturing New York presents a myriad of answers to this question. Depicting both the iconic New York that captivates the world's imagination and the idiosyncratic details that define New Yorkers' sense of home, this anthology of photographs from The Museum of Modern Art's extraordinary collection reveals New York in all its vitality, ambition and beauty. Taken by artists pursuing their own curiosity as well as professionals on assignment, the works reveal a deeply symbiotic relationship between photography and the city, each delving into a new corner of New York while expanding the boundaries of photography as an art form. The selection comprises both celebrated images and lesser-known gems from the collection, accompanied by evocative excerpts from literary works about New York.

Long considered the father of English watercolor painting, Paul Sandby (1731–1809) painted views throughout Britain, finding new scenes in a country undergoing rapid social and commercial development, and portraying familiar ones with a fresh eye. Encompassing rural, urban, modern, and historical themes, his art is unrivalled among that of his contemporaries for its remarkable range. Today, Sandby’s paintings appear in collections around the globe, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In this comprehensive survey of Sandby’s life and work, published to celebrate the artist’s bicentenary, leading authorities draw on new research to offer fresh perspectives on the development of eighteenth-century British art and the Sandby’s role in popularizing and professionalizing the medium of watercolor. The authors also explore the artist’s influence as a teacher and his innovations in printmaking, as well as the cultural and geographical scope of his work.

A lavishly illustrated survey of the Romanovs' era which symbolizes almost three centuries of Russian artistic riches. «The Romanov dynasty reigned over Russia for three hundred years. Every sovereign was crowned in the cathedral of the Kremlin. The coronation ceremonies were used to return the former capital to the lustre it had lost to Saint Petersburg. This exhibition catalogue rediscovers a Moscow that is frequently overlooked by visitors and, through the works of art embodying the dynasty, reveals the reign of the Romanovs.» Brigitte de Montclos. Between 1820 and 1860, Moscow saw the blossoming of Russian literature, music, painting, architecture, and the minor arts, leading to the famous pan-Russian exhibition of 1882. During these years the imperial family, and subsequently the grand families surrounding the Tsar, commissioned works from such celebrated manufacturers as Baccarat, Cartier, and Faberge. The beauty and soul of the objects presented here re-create a genuine Russian atmosphere evoking the ceremony of the Orthodox liturgy, the splendors of court life, the magnificence of the interiors of the palaces in which the imperial family resided, and the international influence of Moscow, which became a hub of modern art and Constructivism in the first years of the twentieth century. The extraordinary photographic archive belonging to the Musee de l'Elysee in Lausanne and the film archive from the Russian Federation at Krasnogorsk plunge the reader into the intimate circle of Tsar Nicolas II, the last of the Romanovs, and his family.

Think you've seen it all when it comes to restaurants? Do foie gras, lobster and truffles strike you as humdrum fancy foods served in predictable settings? Looking for totally unique and bizarre restaurants? Then Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo is the book for you!

Marrakesh, El Hamra – the Red City Explore the medina and the dusty, narrow streets, whose high walls conceal splendid riads; profuse souks, redolent with the perfume of exotic spices’ and the lovely Palmeraie, where luxury villas offer shelter from the sun and inquisitive eyes. In this enchanting volume, the owners of nineteen private homes have thrown open their doors to Barbara and René Stoeltie. They invite you discover with them the city’s most sumptuous, original and surprising interiors. A host of glorious photographs make this a book to relish, and the detailed commentary of Marrakesh’s houses and interiors make it a valuable resource for anyone involved in interiors or design, as well as anyone who loves Marrakesh and Morocco.

This sweeping overview of Rembrandt's extraordinary achievement as a draughtsman fills a gap in the otherwise enormous literature on the artist. Beautifully illustrated, mostly in colour, the more than 150 drawings culled from a corpus of some 800 are discussed in detail. The drawings span Rembrandt's entire productive life as an artist, from early self-portraits in the 1620s to late drawings from the 1660s of the victim of an execution, a state coach, and historical and mythological images. The scope of the book will allow readers to delve into the very broad range of Rembrandt's oeuvre of drawings.

The first comprehensive worldwide survey, an essential document for anyone concerned with art, crafts, and decorative objects. The diversity of the crafts included here is truly astonishing: Berber flatweaves, North African amulets, Tibetan tiger rugs, Japanese kojeshi dolls, Aborigine microlith tools, Maori fish hooks, North American carved gourds, Amazonian pottery, Hungarian painted eggs, Venetian glass beads, German and French tin-glazed ceramics, Pacific totem poles, Shaker boxes. . . . The book is organized geographically—North America, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australasia and Oceania—and each section is subdivided into specific crafts. The techniques used in a particular craft and its history—from Andean backstrap weaving and Polish paper cutting to Hausa embroidery and wood carving in the Hindu Kush—are explained and illustrated, highlighting an incredible diversity of styles. Complete with a bibliography and information on museums, this survey celebrates skills found all around the world. 475 color, 5 b&w illustrations

In 1984 Alexander Rukavishnikov was awarded the Silver Medal from the French Academy of Arts for his sculptural composition of John Lennon. This book places Rukavishnikov’s work into the social context of contemporary Russia and explores his approach to a number of themes and techniques.

Taking inspiration from art, sculpture, Chicago prairies and folk architecture such as tree houses, Dan Pearson--acclaimed garden designer and «green-fingered guru» at the U.K. newspaper The Observer--lays out his design philosophy and working process, giving readers direct insight into his collaborative approach of working with nature, instead of imposing preconceptions upon it. Journeying from New Zealand to Japan via Thames-side barge gardens, Pearson focuses on the spirit of place as it emerges through geography, history, architecture and native flora, extrapolating this sense of place into a new gardening philosophy. Very far from conventional gardening books, Spirit radically expands the genre, inviting us to understand the act of gardening in the light of contemporary needs and with a keen environmental awareness; Pearson particularly stresses the importance of skills such as being able to «read» a variety of landscapes (both wild and cultivated), and of staying open to what those landscapes suggest in terms of cultivation. This long-awaited publication is Pearson's first in eight years, and uses 400 of his own much-admired photographs as reference points. Dan Pearson began his career as a professional designer in 1987. He is co-author of The Essential Garden Book (with Sir Terence Conran) and author of The Garden: A Year at Home Farm. He has presented and appeared in several TV series and has designed five award-winning Chelsea Flower Show gardens.

A dense concentration of design talent, uniquely varied topography, and one of the worlds most pleasant climates have made southern California a crucible of architectural innovation. There, forward-looking clients respond to dramatic modern interpretations of form and site that capitalize on natural light and magnificent ocean views, perch delicately on steeply graded land, or maximize privacy on a sliver of a city lot. In this title, thirty of the best designs by the most creative firms portray the diversity of southern California's architecture. Sam Lubell draws examples from Montecito to San Diego and the arid conditions of Joshua Tree to illustrate the wide range of responses to geography, budget and space.

A celebration of sixty innovators in art, design, fashion and other creative fields. Artists, photographers, architects, fashion designers, product designers, street artists, graphic designers: all are helping to redefine our aesthetics, values, and ideas about the future. Here, a group of international experts from twelve contemporary fields of creative practice—from fine art and photography to graphic design, architecture, and ecology—have each selected five people who are making significant contributions to the way we experience everyday life and visual culture. The resulting compendium contains hundreds of the most exciting projects and concepts being produced today. Each section features an introduction by the editor and richly illustrated profiles of the five innovators. The featured artists and designers include Jonathan Harris and Ben Fry (Graphic Design); Swoon and Space Invader (Street Art); Taryn Simon and Christopher Williams (Photography); Miuccia Prada and Tom Ford (Fashion); and Wendy Seltzer and Natalie Jeremijenko (New Media).

Wallpaper was initially used as an affordable substitute for lavish coverings, such as frescoes, tapestries, leathers, or hangings. Its current form debuted in sixteenth-century England, and its popularity took off at the end of the eighteenth century following advances in reproduction techniques. Wallpaper transformed the world of interiors, offering depth and perspective, creating the illusion of panoramic vistas, and incorporating narrative sequences, collections of engravings, or brief morality or history lessons. It eventually developed into the wide range of styles that have marked four centuries of decorative art, from Raphael to conceptual art, and from frescoes to photography. This stunning contribution to wallpaper’s current revival offers a comprehensive review of a savoir faire that continues to thrive.

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw (b.1939) is one of Britain’s most celebrated architects. His buildings, among them the International Terminal at Waterloo Station in London and the Eden Project in Cornwall, are icons of elegant and inventive industrial design. This book presents a selection of drawings from the sketchbooks that Grimshaw has used throughout his forty-year career, revealing the importance of drawing in the development of his ideas. Included here are concept sketches for buildings and furniture, detailed drawings of buildings’ component parts, site plans , and notes for meetings, presentations, and speeches, the sketchbooks provide an insight into the working mind of a master architect. With illuminating essays exploring the key role that drawing plays in architectural design, and specifically in Grimshaw’s own practice, this is an invaluable title for students, professionals, and enthusiasts alike.

Moscow has undergone vast and radical transformations which have turned it into an extraordinary urban laboratory. This book documents this metamorphosis, and takes as its focal point the city`s seven Stalinist towers, known in Russian as the vysotnye zdania, or high buildings.

Basics Fashion Design: Developing a Collection guides the reader through the process of developing a collection, from initial research through to final presentation. Fashion collections vary depending on market level, product type, season, customer and retail outlets. Basics Fashion Design: Developing a Collection teaches the process from initial design ideas through development of product to the final outcome and its ultimate exhibition and sale, and includes an overview of fashion collections through the eyes of prominent fashion journalists.

The design of a bar plays the most crucial role in defining its identity and atmosphere apart from the quality of the drinks. The illustrated volume Drink! Best of Bar Design presents 40 contemporary projects from New York via Berlin to Shanghai, from innovative young designers as well as established architects. Outlandish and colorful interiors or minimalist and reduced concepts, all the projects show a huge diversity in terms of how the space is organized, which materials are used and what individual style is developed. On all pages it is visible that bar design has considerably widened its scope of creativity over the past years, making it an exciting field of architecture and design.

Packed with instructions for techniques used by professional illustrators, this book walks the reader step-by-step through the methodology of drawing fashion. It demonstrates the best ways to create detailed fashion illustrations in a variety of media, teaching the reader about drawing, rendering and following logical steps in depicting fabric surface textures and folds that follow the form of drawn figures. This will be an essential coursebook for all student illustrators and fashion design students.

Leonardo da Vinci possessed arguably the greatest mind the world has ever known. Artist, draftsman, inventor, and philosopher, his contributions to modern society are profound and wide-reaching. This nicely illustrated book gathers and describes many of the beloved paintings and drawings created by the great master and admired by artists and scientists alike. It also analyzes the history and significance of each.

Creative personalities are always fascinating, and to learn something new about the 20th and 21st centuries' greatest artists—whether eccentric or sober, outspoken or reclusive—is compelling. 105 artists are presented in lively short biographies, and each entry is illustrated with important works, self-portraits, and photographs. Clearly grouped according to style and era are modern and contemporary art’s pioneers, from Picasso and Duchamp to Louise Bourgeois and Jean-Michel Basquiat. New entries on rising stars such as Marlene Dumas and Zhang Xiaogang bring the book into the twenty-first century. 101 color, 172 black-and-white illustrations.

The ongoing relevance of Belgian painter Rene Magritte may lie in the semiotic character of his work and its ability to create chasms between the world, its surfaces and the signs we use to occupy it. Magritte's paintings offer a space for the viewer to contemplate the emptiness of signs and to locate that emptiness in a world we recognize--indeed, the artist relies on the props of normalcy in order to upend, invert and collapse them into the terra incognita where life leaves off and art begins. «The mind loves the unknown», he avowed, «it loves images whose meaning is unknown, since the meaning of the mind itself is unknown.» In Attempting the Impossible we have a new definitive Magritte monograph, replacing David Sylvester's volume of the early 1990s. Featuring more than 300 works, it contains much unpublished material and includes chapters covering Magritte's photography, drawings and influence on German and American contemporary art. Each chapter opens with a close reading of a key work--such as «The Treachery of Images» («This is not a pipe») of 1928-29--and a reconstruction of its intellectual and historical contexts. Art historian Siegfried Gohr examines Magritte's marriage and friendships, the phases of his work (from his sunlit Renoir period and his «periode vache» to his bright and visually arresting postwar work, which had such an influence on the advertising industry), the Belgian roots of his wit and sensibility and his word paintings and investigations into the paradoxes of representation.

The photographs, drawings and texts published in this book are part of a collection of more than 3000 tattoos accumulated over a lifetime by prison attendant Danzig Baldev. Tattoos were his gateway into a secret world in which he acted as ethnographer, recording the rituals of a closed society. The icons and tribal languages he documented are artful, distasteful, sexually explicit and sometimes just strange, reflecting as they do the lives and traditions of Russian convicts. These are the signs by which the people of this hidden world mark and identify themselves.