Today is the 40th anniversary of the trip to Europe I made back when I was in college. In this photo you see all the belongings I brought with me, of which the Sony Walkman was perhaps the most important. 😁

In my book THE COMIC BOOK LESSON, I needed to invent a manga that had been self-published by Madeline, one of the three mentor characters in the story. Thus was born "Electric Angel Nurse Mizuki," a series that maybe has one or two more concepts jammed into it than it really needs. 😂

This is me back in 1993, standing outside the "Morioka Shokudo" restaurant with the chef. I was about the leave Japan to head back home, so I went around getting photos of various people that were an important part of my daily life. Not sure about my clothing choices here, I must say! 😅

Registrations for my online drawing class will reopen soon for a limited time. Join the waitlist to get a 33% discount off the cost: www.markcrilleycourses.com/waitinglist In the course I show you how to do careful studies like this one of a drawing by the impressionist master Edgar Degas.

I had fun creating this "teacup bowl of ramen" a few years back, fashioning all the key ingredients out of paper. The chopsticks were made from toothpicks.

My online drawing class will soon be open for a limited time only, so now's the time to get on the waiting list, which will allow you to get the course at a substantial discount: www.markcrilleycourses.com/waitinglist

I always look back fondly on the time singer songwriters @meikomusic and @mariedigby invited me to design the poster for their Hapa Tour. The idea was to illustrate anime-style versions of both of them. As a fan of both of them, it was a huge honor for me.

markcrilleycourses.com/waitinglist When I was in college, I was encouraged to do studies like this one of a drawing by Frederick Varley. Years later I decided to turn it into an online drawing class: "Learning from the Masters." Get on the waiting list to receive a huge discount!

My online drawing class will soon be open for registration, so now's the time to get on the waiting list and get a huge discount off the price of the class. "Learning from the Masters: How to Acquire the Drawing Skills of your Favorite Artists." www.markcrilleycourses.com/waitinglist

I am delighted to be moderating a panel with these four fabulous authors later this month at the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book: Jannie Ho, Michael Grover, Kennedy Tarrell, and Arree Chung. September 27th at 3pm in Harbor Springs, Michigan; Can't wait!

I did this careful study of a page from Fullmetal Alchemist while preparing for my BRODY'S GHOST series, with the goal of improving my inking abilities.

If you want to improve your ability to add contrast to drawings, challenge yourself to draw a crinkled piece of aluminum foil. For best results, use a black colored pencil for the darkest areas, and white gouache for the highlights.

This page near the end of THE DRAWING LESSON is one of the more emotional pages from any of my books. When I first came up with the idea to do such a book, I didn't know the story would lead to a scene such as this.

Back in February of last year I made this fan art for the @blottobeatles.bsky.social podcast, basing it on a can of Boddingtons beer. It was fun trying to match the branding of this product, which I've always felt is highly distinctive.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Liam Smith, who kindly gifted me a copy of his marvelous book, The New Artist's Guide to Drawing. We had fun chatting and sharing stories about our lives as artists and online drawing teachers. He's on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/markliamsmith/

These panels from the final pages of THE COMIC BOOK LESSON are somewhat autobiographical, as they are based on memories of my own kids coming to spend time with me while I was working on one project or another. Such is the reality of working from home when there are little ones in the house. 😊

Every couple of months I create a book in pdf form exclusively for my top Patreon supporters. My next one will be all about photo reference, showing how I made use of photos while working on LOST IN TAIWAN, and sharing all my best advice on the subject. patreon.com/MARKCRILLEY

The "do not disturb" sign from my CHIBI how-to-draw book. I figure all of us have felt this way at one time or another 😁 www.amazon.com/Chibi-Offici...

THE MIGHTY ONION allowed me to sneak in lots of jokes, including this "Fornever" stamp, which evidently was part of a special commemorative set celebrating poisonous plants (!). It was processed at the local post office in the imaginary town of Whitless, Minnesota. www.amazon.com/Mighty-Onion...

Yesterday for my live webinar I did a lesson on how to add shading to a drawing of a potato. It may seem like an oddly humble choice of subject matter, but it's actually a great example of a drawing that's maybe 5% line work, and 95% shading.

Hope you can join me for my free drawing webinar tonight at 7pm Eastern. 😊🙏 Sign up here: www.markcrilleycourses.com/free-workshop

For issue no.39 of my AKIKO comic book series, I did this homage to Grant Wood's celebrated oil painting, "American Gothic." Mr. Beeba was apparently not too crazy about the idea. 😂

Hope you can join me for my next free drawing webinar, two evenings from now. www.markcrilleycourses.com/free-workshop

Back in the late 90s I made this fan art of Jeff Smith's landmark comic book series, Bone. A couple months later, Jeff kindly published it on the back cover of an issue of the comic, allowing Bone fans all across the country to see it.

A commissioned piece I did a couple of years back. Poog presents challenges when it comes to creating a composition: You can't exactly have him sitting in an armchair, can you? 😂

Original art from AKIKO AND THE INTERGALACTIC ZOO, one of the young reader novels I created for Random House Children's Books. This is one of five different Akiko illustrations I'm planning to offer for sale on my Etsy tomorrow.

Every month I give away a piece of original art to one of my top supporters on Patreon. This is the piece I'm giving away this month. It's from a YouTube video I did in 2011, which has been viewed more than 822,000 times (!). patreon.com/markcrilley Original video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9hD...

My wife took this photo of her mother with our daughter in Japan. I've never seen what it looks like in color, and now I kind want to just keep it that way. 😊

My next free drawing webinar is on Monday morning at 11am Eastern! This time the topic will be cross hatching-- hope you can join us! Sign up here: www.markcrilleycourses.com/freeworkshop

My mom saved this drawing that I made when I was two months shy of my 3rd birthday. Is it peas in a pod? I wish I knew the answer!

My mother found this drawing I did when I was in the 1st grade. Interesting how I put a "?" after the word "fish"-- it is a pretty odd-looking creature, it must be said!

Tuesday at 7pm! Join me as I share tips about how to add shading to a drawing in my first ever live webinar! You can sign up here: www.markcrilleycourses.com/free-class

My mother sent me this old photo taken when I was in Taiwan. It's a bit of a mystery as to the exact time and location, but I would guess it was from my first stay over there, 1988-1990. I made a good number of trips to the mountains, of which Taiwan has plenty!

Every couple of months I create a "collaborative illustration" for my top Patreon backers. This time I invited them to name characters that I could turn into little figurines being sold by Trudy (from my graphic novel, THE COMIC BOOK LESSON). patreon.com/markcrilley

Today I want to celebrate the work of the delightful and incredibly talented @artbymoga.bsky.social. Her cartoons can be hilarious, or moving, or very often both at the same time. By all means go follow her on Instagram; you'll be very glad you did! www.instagram.com/artbymoga/

Have you ever noticed this? True confessions: I never did until I started working on my "Ultimate Book of Drawing Hands." 😅

This is especially true of indoor lighting situations, where reflected light bounces into the shadows and partially illuminates them.

I've been listening to The Radcliffe and Maconie Show for years, so I couldn't resist sneaking in a little shoutout to them in my MIGHTY ONION series. If you live in the UK you really ought to tune in to their radio show-- it's delightful! #radcliffeandmaconie

I snuck in a little shoutout to @scottmccloud.bsky.social by putting "McCloud Gallery" on the awning above the window. Looking back, I feel very lucky that I was asked to contribute to this project. There were so many comics legends involved; to be expected, given the legend they were honoring.

Today I had a great time conducting two drawing workshops at the library in Almont, Michigan. Here's one of the ten drawings I did at my easel and gifted to the venue at the end of the sessions.

Looking forward to a busy week of drawing workshops at libraries in three different michigan locations. Will someone ask me to draw Luffy from One Piece again? Watch this space!

www.amazon.com/Mighty-Onion... As of today, my second Mighty Onion Book-- THE MIGHTY ONION AND GUINEA PIG GIRL-- is in stores! Many thanks to anyone who decides to get a copy-- I greatly appreciate your support. 😊🙏😊🙏

Just 3 more days until my latest MIGHTY ONION book hits the stores! Many thanks to anyone who gets a copy; I really hope you'll be pleased. I've had so much fun creating this series-- it involves many more writing and drawing styles than any other project I've done. www.amazon.com/Mighty-Onion...

I am delighted to say there is now an Italian edition of LOST IN TAIWAN out in the world, thanks to my good friends at @tunue. The Italian subtitle, "La via dei sogni" translates as "The road of dreams."

Even if you are creating a book that you intend only to exist in digital form, it's well worth keeping this tip in mind, just in case you later decide you'd like to have a print version.

If you have trouble drawing hands, it's important not to be too hard on yourself: Artists who can always draw hands flawlessly from memory are a rare breed, and sadly most of us are not among them! But this tip about the relative length of the fingers can make a big difference if you memorize it.

Just a little over two weeks until my latest book hits the stores. This one takes the format of the first book and sends it spinning off into a bunch of bold new directions. Many thanks to anyone who decides to pick up a copy! www.amazon.com/Mighty-Onion...

The average height of a grown adult is generally in the area of 7.5 heads tall. Artists will often draw heroic characters taller than that, though. Which system looks best to you?

Dark outlines also make something appear closer to the viewer, so in this case they also contribute to an illusion of three-dimensionality.

When I was young I often drew pictures in which the art floated in the middle of the page, surrounded by whiteness. I later learned that having the art extend all the way to the edge of the frame can make for a more dynamic composition.