Mark Crilley
@markcrilley.bsky.social
Author and Illustrator of books published by Random House, HarperCollins, Little Brown, and Dark Horse Comics
After more than 650 public speaking engagements, tonight I return to the location of the very first one: The Royal Oak Public Library at 6:30pm
November 12, 2025 at 6:34 PM
After more than 650 public speaking engagements, tonight I return to the location of the very first one: The Royal Oak Public Library at 6:30pm
Another of my cartoons. I had fun trying to emulate the look of actual emojis by adding shading and highlights.
November 11, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Another of my cartoons. I had fun trying to emulate the look of actual emojis by adding shading and highlights.
Every couple of months I create a "collaborative illustration" for my top backers on Patreon. Here's one in which all the album covers were chosen by my patrons. (This month I'm doing a new one featuring 45rpm singles.) How many of these albums do you recognize?
patreon.com/c/markcrilley
patreon.com/c/markcrilley
November 9, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Every couple of months I create a "collaborative illustration" for my top backers on Patreon. Here's one in which all the album covers were chosen by my patrons. (This month I'm doing a new one featuring 45rpm singles.) How many of these albums do you recognize?
patreon.com/c/markcrilley
patreon.com/c/markcrilley
Illustrations from MASTERING MANGA; from a section about romantic poses. Gotta love a "surprise kiss on the cheek" pose. 😁
November 8, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Illustrations from MASTERING MANGA; from a section about romantic poses. Gotta love a "surprise kiss on the cheek" pose. 😁
Another of my cartoons. As I recall, this one resulted in people informing me that some corgis have substantial tails, which just goes to show you the perils of me acting as if I know what I'm talking about. 😁
November 5, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Another of my cartoons. As I recall, this one resulted in people informing me that some corgis have substantial tails, which just goes to show you the perils of me acting as if I know what I'm talking about. 😁
I'm delighted to announce that I've been invited to speak at the Royal Oak Library (@royaloaklibrary ) next Wednesday. Not only was this once my hometown library, but it is the place where I first did a public speaking engagement, way back in 2001.
November 4, 2025 at 11:12 PM
I'm delighted to announce that I've been invited to speak at the Royal Oak Library (@royaloaklibrary ) next Wednesday. Not only was this once my hometown library, but it is the place where I first did a public speaking engagement, way back in 2001.
Here's a comic strip that I created for Nickelodeon Magazine back in the early 2000s. Today I released an ebook collecting my Nickelodeon work to my top supporters on Patreon, along with the latest installment in my special edition of the Akiko comic book series: patreon.com/markcrilley
November 2, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Here's a comic strip that I created for Nickelodeon Magazine back in the early 2000s. Today I released an ebook collecting my Nickelodeon work to my top supporters on Patreon, along with the latest installment in my special edition of the Akiko comic book series: patreon.com/markcrilley
Another of my cartoons. As I recall, people's response to this one was closely tied to whether they liked Adele's music or not. I mainly meant it to be about how much your feelings about any song can change with repeated listens.
November 1, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Another of my cartoons. As I recall, people's response to this one was closely tied to whether they liked Adele's music or not. I mainly meant it to be about how much your feelings about any song can change with repeated listens.
A double=page spread from MY LAST SUMMER WITH CASS. There are many scenes in my various stories depicting roads stretching off into the distance; I think it's a metaphor for gazing into the future and imagining what is yet to come.
October 30, 2025 at 10:41 PM
A double=page spread from MY LAST SUMMER WITH CASS. There are many scenes in my various stories depicting roads stretching off into the distance; I think it's a metaphor for gazing into the future and imagining what is yet to come.
I am terribly sorry to say there has been a change of circumstances and I will no longer be able to be a guest at the Rochester Children and Teen Book Festival, much as I wanted to be there! I do apologize if any of you had made plans to see me there. Here's hoping I can attend in the future.
October 29, 2025 at 9:28 PM
I am terribly sorry to say there has been a change of circumstances and I will no longer be able to be a guest at the Rochester Children and Teen Book Festival, much as I wanted to be there! I do apologize if any of you had made plans to see me there. Here's hoping I can attend in the future.
Excited to do another free drawing webinar tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 7pm Eastern. Sign up here: www.markcrilleycourses.com/free-class
October 27, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Excited to do another free drawing webinar tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 7pm Eastern. Sign up here: www.markcrilleycourses.com/free-class
I'll bet a lot of creative people can identify with this one.
I should clarify that I don't actually get this down on myself when I'm working on something!
I should clarify that I don't actually get this down on myself when I'm working on something!
October 26, 2025 at 9:34 PM
I'll bet a lot of creative people can identify with this one.
I should clarify that I don't actually get this down on myself when I'm working on something!
I should clarify that I don't actually get this down on myself when I'm working on something!
Here you see a page from LOST IN TAIWAN that I changed quite a lot between the rough draft and the final. The first version seemed a little dull to me, so I revised it to add motion and color.
October 25, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Here you see a page from LOST IN TAIWAN that I changed quite a lot between the rough draft and the final. The first version seemed a little dull to me, so I revised it to add motion and color.
Two jack-o'-lanterns. When I buy a pumpkin at Halloween time, I always look for the ones that have long stalks like these. How about you?
October 23, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Two jack-o'-lanterns. When I buy a pumpkin at Halloween time, I always look for the ones that have long stalks like these. How about you?
Illustration from MANGA ART. The image depicts a Japanese "genkan," the area near the front door of a traditional house where people remove their shoes before entering the home. It's a mysterious picture, as even I don't know what it is she's thinking about.
October 22, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Illustration from MANGA ART. The image depicts a Japanese "genkan," the area near the front door of a traditional house where people remove their shoes before entering the home. It's a mysterious picture, as even I don't know what it is she's thinking about.
Artwork from MASTERING MANGA 3. I tried to cover as wide a range of styles as I could in that book; this is my version of a sci-fi manga style.
October 21, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Artwork from MASTERING MANGA 3. I tried to cover as wide a range of styles as I could in that book; this is my version of a sci-fi manga style.
People seemed to enjoy the cartoon I posted the other day, so here's another one: an exaggeration, but not by much! 😁
October 20, 2025 at 9:31 PM
People seemed to enjoy the cartoon I posted the other day, so here's another one: an exaggeration, but not by much! 😁
Here's one that seems appropriate to the season: artwork from my video showing how to draw a skull using the "white on black" method.
Here's the vid: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJvC...
Here's the vid: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJvC...
October 19, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Here's one that seems appropriate to the season: artwork from my video showing how to draw a skull using the "white on black" method.
Here's the vid: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJvC...
Here's the vid: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJvC...
A few years back I did a series of cartoons that I posted on my various social media accounts. I think this one owes a lot to the work of @artbymoga, who is a master of having a laugh at her own expense. I've always admired this self-deprecating form of humor, in which no one else gets mocked.
October 18, 2025 at 9:21 PM
A few years back I did a series of cartoons that I posted on my various social media accounts. I think this one owes a lot to the work of @artbymoga, who is a master of having a laugh at her own expense. I've always admired this self-deprecating form of humor, in which no one else gets mocked.
Artwork from CHIBI!, my instructional art book devoted to drawing in this style. I have happy memories of creating this book-- the one time in my career when I was drawing chibi characters all day, every day. 😊
www.amazon.com/Chibi-Offici...
www.amazon.com/Chibi-Offici...
October 17, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Artwork from CHIBI!, my instructional art book devoted to drawing in this style. I have happy memories of creating this book-- the one time in my career when I was drawing chibi characters all day, every day. 😊
www.amazon.com/Chibi-Offici...
www.amazon.com/Chibi-Offici...
From THE REALISM CHALLENGE: My illustration of a leaf that fell from a tree outside our home. The image was created using watercolor and colored pencils.
www.amazon.com/Realism-Chal...
www.amazon.com/Realism-Chal...
October 16, 2025 at 9:26 PM
From THE REALISM CHALLENGE: My illustration of a leaf that fell from a tree outside our home. The image was created using watercolor and colored pencils.
www.amazon.com/Realism-Chal...
www.amazon.com/Realism-Chal...
Every month I give away a piece of original art to one of my top supporters on Patreon. This time it's this piece, which was created based on various random suggestions from my YouTube viewers.
patreon.com/markcrilley
patreon.com/markcrilley
October 15, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Every month I give away a piece of original art to one of my top supporters on Patreon. This time it's this piece, which was created based on various random suggestions from my YouTube viewers.
patreon.com/markcrilley
patreon.com/markcrilley
Many thanks to Jakub J. in Poland, who ordered this piece of original art from my Etsy shop today: a close up pencil illustration of Michelangelo's masterpiece sculpture, The Pieta.
etsy.com/shop/markcrilley
etsy.com/shop/markcrilley
October 13, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Many thanks to Jakub J. in Poland, who ordered this piece of original art from my Etsy shop today: a close up pencil illustration of Michelangelo's masterpiece sculpture, The Pieta.
etsy.com/shop/markcrilley
etsy.com/shop/markcrilley
Here's a comparison between the rough pencil version of a page from BRODY'S GHOST with the inked and computer-toned version. Usually I would put a bit more detail into the rough, but in this case I postponed almost all of that work until I sat down to finalize things.
October 12, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Here's a comparison between the rough pencil version of a page from BRODY'S GHOST with the inked and computer-toned version. Usually I would put a bit more detail into the rough, but in this case I postponed almost all of that work until I sat down to finalize things.
The season seems appropriate for this chibi illustration I did of Heath Ledger's Joker. I normally say that all chibi illustrations are cute, but I'm not sure that's the case with this one! 😅
October 11, 2025 at 9:35 PM
The season seems appropriate for this chibi illustration I did of Heath Ledger's Joker. I normally say that all chibi illustrations are cute, but I'm not sure that's the case with this one! 😅