Mark Crilley
@markcrilley.bsky.social
Author and Illustrator of books published by Random House, HarperCollins, Little Brown, and Dark Horse Comics
Another of my online comics. For me it now reads as a cautionary tale about writing jokes, since three years later the word "retweet" seems already a thing of the past 😅
November 24, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Another of my online comics. For me it now reads as a cautionary tale about writing jokes, since three years later the word "retweet" seems already a thing of the past 😅
Artwork from my graphic novel, MY LAST SUMMER WITH CASS. I wanted this image to have a soft, misty look to it, so I reduced the darkness of the line art, and in some areas used no lines at all.
November 22, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Artwork from my graphic novel, MY LAST SUMMER WITH CASS. I wanted this image to have a soft, misty look to it, so I reduced the darkness of the line art, and in some areas used no lines at all.
Every month I give away a piece of original art to one of my top supporters on Patreon, personalized and signed, of course. Here is the picture I'm giving away this month.
www.patreon.com/markcrilley
www.patreon.com/markcrilley
November 21, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Every month I give away a piece of original art to one of my top supporters on Patreon, personalized and signed, of course. Here is the picture I'm giving away this month.
www.patreon.com/markcrilley
www.patreon.com/markcrilley
Panels from a feature in my AKIKO comic book series, in which I challenged myself to imitate different classic cartoons.
November 19, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Panels from a feature in my AKIKO comic book series, in which I challenged myself to imitate different classic cartoons.
Artwork from my "How to Draw a Yorkie" video, which I'm pleased to find was purchased today from my Etsy shop. It's high time I restocked, really, so I should be back soon with an announcement of newly available pieces.
etsy.com/shop/markcrilley
etsy.com/shop/markcrilley
November 17, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Artwork from my "How to Draw a Yorkie" video, which I'm pleased to find was purchased today from my Etsy shop. It's high time I restocked, really, so I should be back soon with an announcement of newly available pieces.
etsy.com/shop/markcrilley
etsy.com/shop/markcrilley
In my book THE REALISM CHALLENGE, I show how to get from the first picture to the second, using watercolor and colored pencils. As I recall, I went to a florist and bought a single rose for the purpose of creating this lesson 😁
www.amazon.com/Realism-Chal...
www.amazon.com/Realism-Chal...
November 16, 2025 at 11:59 PM
In my book THE REALISM CHALLENGE, I show how to get from the first picture to the second, using watercolor and colored pencils. As I recall, I went to a florist and bought a single rose for the purpose of creating this lesson 😁
www.amazon.com/Realism-Chal...
www.amazon.com/Realism-Chal...
As part of my presentation at the Royal Oak Public Library I did a brief slide show of family photos, all of them taken when we lived in Royal Oak. Since our son Matthew was born at that time, many of the photos featured him. This one has always been a personal favorite of mine.
November 15, 2025 at 11:34 PM
As part of my presentation at the Royal Oak Public Library I did a brief slide show of family photos, all of them taken when we lived in Royal Oak. Since our son Matthew was born at that time, many of the photos featured him. This one has always been a personal favorite of mine.
This was the first online comic I made, with the subject matter being-- naturally-- social media. I still kind of feel this way when I get no reply, though of course I myself am guilty of failing to reply to others, so it's completely irrational!
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
This was the first online comic I made, with the subject matter being-- naturally-- social media. I still kind of feel this way when I get no reply, though of course I myself am guilty of failing to reply to others, so it's completely irrational!
Here's the piece of original art that I created for my presentation at the @royaloaklibrary last night and gifted to the venue. Such a pleasure to speak at what was once my hometown library, circa 1998-2001. Many thanks to Tracy Karbel, who invited me and made all the arrangements for my visit.
November 14, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Here's the piece of original art that I created for my presentation at the @royaloaklibrary last night and gifted to the venue. Such a pleasure to speak at what was once my hometown library, circa 1998-2001. Many thanks to Tracy Karbel, who invited me and made all the arrangements for my visit.
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.