Ever wonder how artists make their art? Well, there are artists that do take the time to make free, instructional videos on how to draw certain things. One of the more notable artists that does this is Mark Crilley. He makes instructional videos on Youtube. His username is markcrilley and is a big hit on the internet, especially for those who are interested in drawing Manga. Even if one does not have any interest in drawing manga, Mark Crilley has  videos on how to draw other things, such as mermaids, dogs, cats, people, and more.

A common theme in a lot of Mark Crilley’s popular videos is how to draw eyes. One might assume there’s only one or two ways to draw eyes. In fact, there are several different versions of eyes that can be mastered. Some examples include drawing a realistic eye, a photorealistic eye, a realistic eye with a teardrop, and manga eyes. It is astounding how one can make so many videos on the subject of drawing eyes alone. It truly shows the amount of effort the artist makes in order to provide such in depth teachings on such a small feature.

In one video, Mark Crilley teaches his viewers on how to paint a realistic eye. Although he skips some of the parts, he does take the time to show the different layers, as well as the different mediums that are involved in this painting. As the video goes on, it is fascinating how the colors used can make a painting come to life. The amount of work he puts into in his art truly pays off. The intricate details he includes during his fine-tuning really adds to the overall quality of his artwork.

His time-lapse videos serve as a quick video fast forwarding his artwork. In contrast, his instructional videos are extremely detailed and can be over twenty minutes long.

Though most of his videos are how-to-draw and time-lapse videos, Mark Crilley does take advantage of using his gift and large following to spread important messages.  In one time-lapse video, he draws a typical smiley face. However, he alters the smiley face by first adding cracks. Afterwards, he changes it to a puke-green color. At the end, the smiley face is unrecognizable. This video is part of The Ugly Truth Campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to bring awareness of the dangers of smoking, which can lead to lung cancer and emphysema. There are no words in this video. There is just music, a few words, and the drawing. It shows how amazing art can be because one does not need to say anything in order to get his or her point across.

Mark Crilley also sometimes posts challenge videos on his Youtube channel. The 100 Hearts: A Time Lapse Challenge challenges those to figure out how many ways one can draw 100 hearts. The hearts Mark Crilley makes are so creative. He has made a heart by shaping the spaghetti sauce. One of my favorites is when he draws music notes into the shape of the heart. Another creative way is when he shaped flower petals into the shape of a heart. It was really cute how he incorporates his family to his video.  His son and daughter finished off the video with their own self-created hearts.

Mark Crilley continues to update his Youtube channel frequently by posting videos a few times each month. As of now, he has over a million subscribers. With all the hard work Mark Crilley has put into his Youtube channel, it is no wonder he is a success.

Mark Crilley is not only a famous Youtuber. He is very active on other websites. His website markcrilley.com displays his published works. Akiko and Brody’s Ghost are two published comic books. Miki Falls is a published manga series. He also sold his first how-to book, Mastering Manga. However, his website feels too commercialized, since there are so many links to buy his books. But, it is understandable because he is trying to make a living.

Mark Crilley is also on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. His Facebook page is very popular with over 180 thousand likes. Despite this popularity, he still takes the time to ask for other people’s input on what would they like to see. Even better, he actually listens to other people’s suggestions on what they want. His newest video on How to Draw a Mermaid was suggested by his viewers.

Mark Crilley has his own deviantArt account, where he posts his artwork to the public. He even has his own forum. Despite this fame, he seems very genuine. He always thanks his viewers for watching in every video.

To those who are interested learning how to draw certain things, or even to to those just curious to see how artists create their work, Mark Crilley’s Youtube channel is a great place to start.