Mark Crilley – författare

Megan and Cass grew up joined at the brush. Every year, their families vacationed together in Michigan, where the girls relaxed by the lake and created art - from scribbles as toddlers to sophisticated portraits in their teenage years. Megan was always cautious, and Cass was always rebellious. But together, each summer, they grew as artists and friends. The summer after her junior year of high school, Megan arranges to stay with Cass and her mother at their apartment in New York City. Suddenly Megan's world explodes into color. The girls begin collaborating on a piece that pushes both of their artistic boundaries, one that will be showcased in a local gallery show. But when a secret comes to light and one of them crosses a line, will their friendship be able to survive?

Akiko and her crew–Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, Poog, and Gax–are competing in an intergalactic race from one side of the universe to the other. Along the way they have to make it through the narrow passages of the Labyrinth of Lulla-ma-Waygo, the notorious Almost Black Hole of Luzbert-7, and the deadly Jaws of McVluddapuck. All Akiko wants to do is make it back to Earth in one piece!But when Spuckler discovers that his old rival Bluggamin Streed is also in the race, winning becomes the most important thing. And Akiko quickly finds herself caught up in the competition. Who will go home with the celebrated Centauri Cup?From the Hardcover edition.

“Poog’s in trouble.” Just three simple words, but they’re enough to launch fifth-grade Akiko and the rest of her crew—Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, and Gax—on their next mission. And it just might be their most important mission yet: To save the planet Toog, home of their good friend Poog.Someone’s out to destroy Toog, and only Akiko and the gang can stop them. But first they have to escape from a Toogolian jail cell, zoom through a barrage of exploding drobe mines, and enlist the help of Spuckler’s old friend Fluggly Ragstubble—who’s anything but helpful. The clock is ticking and every second counts. Will they win the race against time and save Poog’s home planet?From the Hardcover edition.

Akiko''s always prepared for something out of this world, but when she goes on a pleasure trip to Gollarondo with Poog, Mr. Beeba, Spuckler Boach, and Gax she can barely believe her eyes--Gollarondo is a city that was built completely upside down! Forget sight-seeing. All Akiko wants to do is keep both feet on the ground. Which is not so easy. Almost as soon as the gang arrives Spuckler''s robot Gax accidentally flies off one of Gollarondo''s balconies and into the Moonguzzit Sea below. Good news: He survived the fall. Bad news: Anything and everything that falls from Gollarondo is automatically the property of Nugg von Hoffelhiff--the ruler of the seas beneath the city. By the time Akiko and her crew are able to gain an audience with Nugg, he has sold Gax to others. What''s worse, he actually broke Gax down into spare parts to maximize his profits! It''s up to Akiko and the gang to retrieve the pieces of Gax before they are spread far and wide across the Moonguzzit Sea. But the people who bought the parts run the gamut from off the wall to downright villainous, so saving Gax''s neck (and body and wheels) may turn out to be Akiko''s most dangerous mission yet.From the Hardcover edition.

When Akiko’s Smoovian friends, Poog, Mr. Beeba, Gax, and Spuckler Boach, swing by to pick her up in an astroshuttle, she’s feeling bored with her “normal” life and more than ready to go—anywhere. What she doesn’t know is that King Froptoppit has enrolled them all in the Intergalactic Space Patrollers Training Camp on Zarga Baffa. Every planet in the universe relies on patrollers for protection, but no one from Smoo has ever graduated. Akiko and her crew are the planet’s last hope.After a freak accident at nearby Virpling Canyon, Akiko’s crew faces the ultimate final exam. Will Akiko go home, leaving the rescuing to others? Or will she stay and risk everything?From the Hardcover edition.

Billy Clikk’s just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill . . . hero? A guy whose hobbies include skateboarding, extreme mountain biking—and a brand of snowboarding he wishes would include a few good old-fashioned body slams. Unfortunately, 12-year-old Billy’s boring home town of Piffling, Indiana, will probably never host the X Games. But that doesn’t stop him from bungee jumping off a bridge and winning the X-Sports Challenge in front of Dave’s Cycle and Fitness.Then one day, things suddenly get more interesting. Billy discovers his insect-exterminating parents—supposedly the best in Piffling—have been living a double life. In just a few short hours, he’s sucked into a world that his parents have been trying to hide from him. And this world is much bigger, stranger, and scarier than the one he left behind. How could his own dull parents have so many secrets that even their secrets have secrets? On the bright side, this could be Billy’s chance to fight some real bad guys: the huge kind with teeth and too many hairy tentacles to count. Within a few hours of learning the truth, he’s flying to India and testing out some very cool James Bond–style gadgetry, things no average 12-year-old can even imagine. But before Billy can fight alongside his parents, he’ll have to prove himself. Being a hero doesn’t always mean getting the bad guy—sometimes it means keeping a cool head to figure out what’s really going on. And at the end of the day, Billy just might get to save the world—or go down trying.From the Hardcover edition.

After months of intensive training, Billy is finally ready to go on his first solo creatch op for AFMEC (Allied Forces for the Management of Extraterritorial Creatches). Godzilla-like monsters are menacing the Chinese mountain village of Hua Qing. Billy is more than fired up to fend them off–until he discovers that bossy Ana García will be tagging along. Though Ana is no older than Billy, she’s a full-fledged AFMEC agent–and doesn’t hesitate to remind him of that fact. Whenever possible.At first, the mission is pretty straightforward. Billy and Ana help Hua Qing fight off the monsters, and life for the villagers goes back to normal. But Billy can’t shake the feeling that things in Hua Qing are not what they seem. Is Billy being paranoid? Or is something really bad about to go down? If Billy is right, then he, Ana, and the villagers of Hua Qing are in a whole lot of trouble.From the Hardcover edition.

Eliot Quigly is sure of one thing and one thing only: He is sitting on the greatest superhero comic idea of all time. Combine radioactive onion rings with a run-of-the-mill kid and you get the Mighty Onion, a crime-fighting superhero who gains extraordinary powers whenever he eats onions. It's genius! Eliot can't wait to get his brilliant idea out into the world, but there's only one problem: he's terrible at drawing. Eliot is about to throw in the towel when he lucks upon the perfect illustrator-classmate Pamela Jones, who begrudgingly agrees to help.? With his ambition and her artistic talent, there's no stopping this dynamic comic-creating duo. But partnership is a tricky road, and creative differences arise quickly. Will Eliot and Pam stick together long enough to make this vision a reality? Using a mix of comics pages, journal entries, handwritten letters, and more, author-illustrator Mark Crilley explores the triumphs and tribulations of the creative process-and teamwork-in a series opener that's unlike any you've seen before!

In this hilarious illustrated novel about the chaos of the creative process, Pam and Eliot are back-and creating comics for their local newspaper this time! But when their careers start taking them in different directions, will this dynamic duo figure out how to keep working together?When we last saw our heroes-comic-book creating heroes, that is-Eliot and Pam had just gotten the opportunity of their dreams: The Mighty Onion comic is going to be featured in The Piffling Bugle newspaper. This is the big leagues: that means every week, they'll write and illustrate new issues of The Mighty Onion to be printed for the whole town to see. Stardom here they come!But with new opportunities come new priorities. Pam gets recruited to be the artist of one of the Bugle's highest-profile comic strips, forcing her to juggle her time between both creative projects. With Pam too busy and Eliot feeling betrayed, the strain soon splits the two apart.Does this spell the end for the adventures of the Mighty Onion and Guinea Pig Girl...and Pam and Eliot, too?Mark Crilley dazzles with a compelling blend of journal entires, comics pages, handwritten letters, and more in this humorous and creative illustrated novel.

A captivating, step-by-step guide that teaches artists to draw and paint exact duplicates of common objects, rendered in the trompe l''oeil, hyperrealistic style of artist Mark Crilley''s popular YouTube video series. Are You Up to the Challenge? With just watercolors, colored pencils, and white gouache, artist Mark Crilley takes you step-by-step through his process for producing stunning, hyperrealistic recreations of everyday items. Based on Crilley’s mega-popular “Realism Challenge” YouTube videos, The Realism Challenge contains thirty lessons demonstrating how to render mirror-like duplicates in the trompe l’oeil tradition of everything from shells, leaves, and candy bars to your very own still life arrangements. Each lesson builds off the previous one, as you’ll master essential artistic techniques like creating drop shadows, adding highlights, and building from light to dark. Learn the secrets of one of hyperrealism’s biggest stars. Come take . . . The Realism Challenge!From the Trade Paperback edition.

The world of manga (Japanese comics) has captured the imagination of artists, both aspiring and professional alike. Now best-selling artist and art instructor Mark Crilley presents the most complete look yet at the variety of creative options available in the world of manga. Crilley fills each chapter with gorgeous, original artwork created with a variety of tools (pencils, colored pencils, digital art, pen and ink, and more) and in a variety of manga-inspired styles. He pairs each piece with information on the materials used and the inspiration that led to its creation. Manga Art provides readers a one-of-a-kind chance to hear from one of the leading artists in the field of manga instruction, as he reveals the unlimited possibilities of manga and the creative secrets behind over 100 pieces of original, never-before-seen artwork.

Akiko''s back! No longer simply a shy fourth-grade girl, she''s become an intergalactic leader, taking her band of would-be heroes on a quest to find a kidnapped prince!Armed with a map showing the way to Alia Rellapor''s castle, Akiko, Mr. Beeba, Spuckler, Gax, and Poog are nearing the end of their mission. But first they have to scale the Great Wall of Trudd. Like the Great Wall of China only bigger, the Great Wall of Trudd stretches across the landscape -- there''s no way around it, under it, or through it. So Akiko and the gang will just have to find a way to go over it!But the Great Wall is just one of the many strange obstacles in their path that Akiko must overcome if she''s finally to rescue Prince Froptoppit.

Akiko and her crew — Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, Poog, and Gax — have faced dangers unimaginable to the average fourth-grade earthling. Now their mission is finally coming to an end. At last they’ve reached the castle of Alia Rellapor — but that doesn’t mean that things have gotten any easier. The castle is heavily guarded by robots and getting inside won’t be easy. If they do get in, they have to locate Prince Froptoppit, free him from captivity, and escape from the castle without alerting the guards or their leader, the half man — half machine Throck. Can a girl who’s too scared to be school safety leader pull it off? If anyone can, Akiko can!

From the best-selling artist and YouTube art instructor, this book features step-by-step lessons that show you how to draw professional-quality portraits, landscapes, travel sketches, and animals using only two ordinary pencils.Great art doesn''t have to be expensive. For the cost of a regular graphite writing pencil and an equally ordinary black colored pencil, you can create drawings worthy of framing and displaying. In this straightforward, aspiring artist''s guide to rendering a variety of popular subjects with only two pencils, artist and art instructor Mark Crilley presents a direct, approachable, and achievable method for drawing just about anything. The Two-Pencil Method breaks down Crilley''s techniques across six chapters of five lessons each. In each lesson, you''ll learn how the two-pencil method can add depth and shading, allowing you to create bold and distictive drawings that go beyond mere sketchbook doodles. The book moves from a primer on drawing basics to step-by-step examples of still lifes, landscapes, animals, travel sketches, and portraits. With each chapter, Crilley''s confident and encouraging voice and expert insights demonstrate how to achieve stunning artistic results from the simplest of art materials.

When this fourth-grader comes home from school one day, she finds an envelope waiting for her with no stamp and no return address. The message inside reads Dear Akiko: We are coming to get you. Meet us outside your bedroom window tonight at 8:00. Don''t forget your toothbrush. How could anyone meet her outside her window? She lives on the 17th floor, for goodness sake. But that evening, as Akiko is preparing to study for tomorrow''s geography test, she finds a small spacecraft hovering outside her window with two odd little men inside. They have been sent to whisk Akiko off to the Planet Smoo where she will lead a team enlisted to find the King of Smoo''s kidnapped son, Prince Froptoppit. Akiko, the leader of a rescue mission? She''s too timid to be on the school''s safety patrol! So begins Akiko''s adventure across the land of Smoo to find a prince and become a leader.

In this companion novel to Akiko on the Planet Smoo, fourth-grade earthling Akiko and her odd team are on a journey to save the kidnapped Prince Froptoppit from the evil Alia Rellapor. Unfortunately, on their way to Alia Rellapor''s castle, the group has gotten lost while sailing over the Moonguzzit Sea in their flying boat. With no maps available, the team''s best hope is to find Queen Pwip of the Sprubly Islands, a clairvoyant, who will be able to point them in the right direction. But the Sprubly Islands aren''t like Akiko''s hometown, and when Spuckler and Mr. Beeba disappear one night, Akiko is left to decide how she is to survive in this strange new world.

In this exciting graphic novel about stepping out of your comfort zone, a traveler finds himself lost in Taiwan with no way of finding his brother—but he soon learns that this forced disconnect is helping him explore and experience the big wide world around him. THIS WASN’T PAUL’S IDEA. The last thing he’s interested in is exploring new countries or experiencing anything that might be described as “cultural enrichment.” But like it or not, he’s stuck with his brother, Theo, for two weeks in Taiwan, a place that—while fascinating to Theo—holds no interest to Paul at all. While on a short trip to a local electronics store, Paul becomes hopelessly lost in Taiwan’s twisting, narrow streets, and he has no choice but to explore this new environment in his quest to find his way back to Theo’s apartment. In an unfamiliar place with no friends—and no GPS!—there’s no telling what adventures he could happen upon. And who knows? Maybe it turns out he has friends in Taiwan, after all.

In this exciting graphic novel about stepping out of your comfort zone, a traveler finds himself lost in Taiwan with no way of finding his brother—but he soon learns that this forced disconnect is helping him explore and experience the big wide world around him. THIS WASN’T PAUL’S IDEA. The last thing he’s interested in is exploring new countries or experiencing anything that might be described as “cultural enrichment.” But like it or not, he’s stuck with his brother, Theo, for two weeks in Taiwan, a place that—while fascinating to Theo—holds no interest to Paul at all. While on a short trip to a local electronics store, Paul becomes hopelessly lost in Taiwan’s twisting, narrow streets, and he has no choice but to explore this new environment in his quest to find his way back to Theo’s apartment. In an unfamiliar place with no friends—and no GPS!—there’s no telling what adventures he could happen upon. And who knows? Maybe it turns out he has friends in Taiwan, after all.

It's THE book on manga from YouTube's most popular art instruction Guru! There's more to manga than big, shiny eyes and funky hair. In these action-packed pages, graphic novelist Mark Crilley shows you step-by-step how to achieve an authentic manga style—from drawing faces and figures to laying out awesome, high-drama spreads. You'll learn how a few basic lines will help you place facial features in their proper locations and simple tricks for getting body proportions right. Plus, you'll find inspiration for infusing your work with expression, attitude and action.This is the book fans have been requesting for years, packed with expert tips on everything from hairstyles and clothing to word bubbles and sound effects, delivered in the same friendly, easy-to-follow style that has made Mark Crilley one of the "25 Most Subscribed to Gurus on YouTube." Take this opportunity to turn the characters and stories in your head into professional-quality art on the page!Packed with everything you need to make your first (or your best-ever) manga stories!30 step-by-step demonstrations showing how to draw faces and figures for a variety of ages and body typesInspirational galleries featuring 101 eyes, 50 ways to draw hands, 40 hairstyles, 12 common expressions, 30 classic poses and more!Tutorials to create a variety of realistic settingsAdvanced lessons on backgrounds, inking, sequencing and layout options

Master the skills to create your very own manga!Expert manga artist Mark Crilley guides you to another level with this powered-up drawing book. Complete your Crilley collection with this third installation, which elevates the instruction to focus on drawing methods to help you create distinctive and detailed professional-level manga art. Through 40 in-depth step-by-step demonstrations not covered in other Mastering Manga books, Mark reveals his secrets for adding color, how to draw manga-style animals, ways to use photo reference, his preferred art supplies and how to fix character inconsistencies. The book is broken down into three sections:Characters and Styles. Learn how to draw characters in every manga style--elegant Shojo, angular Dark Fantasy, action-packed Shonen and cute cartoon. Includes non-human characters like animal familiars (realistic or chibi) and aliens. Break-out lessons focus on anatomy, hairstyles and all genres of clothing, from classic anime uniforms to fantasy costuming.Poses and Action. Make your characters bold, memorable and full of vitality. Get the most out of your poses by learning how to create natural, standing and dynamic running poses, plus sword fights, romantic Shojo interactions and stances for animals, manga monsters, chibi cuties and mech a robots. Advanced lessons include how to convey a sense of motion, tips on body language and how to effectively using foreshortening.Finishing Touches. Elevate your art with Mark's professional instruction on completing your comic. These final lessons include page layouts, logo design, how to place a character in a setting, correctly using dialogue and speech bubbles, advanced costume design (fantasy armor, wings, and more) and how to create attention-grabbing cover art."Manga is all about fresh concepts and fascinating characters. You've got ideas. You've invented new characters. There's a whole world waiting to see what you've come up with!" --Mark Crilley