Crilley has published three manga-drawing instruction books: Mastering Manga, Mastering Manga 2: Level Up with Mark Crilley, and Mastering Manga 3: Power Up with Mark Crilley. In addition to these three manga books, Crilley has published The Realism Challenge (2015), a book on drawing hyper-realistic drawings of everyday objects, and The Drawing lesson (2017), a graphic novel that aims at teaching readers how to draw through the adventures of David and his mentor.

Book One in the Brody’s Ghost series was released 14 July 2010. Book Two was released in 2011. Book 3 was released in May 2012. Book 4 was released April 2013. Upon release, the series received positive feedback including a grade B+ from Detroit News’s Eric Henrickson.

Crilley distributes drawing advice to artists via YouTube videos and his DeviantArt account. His YouTube videos teach beginners how to draw various manga and anime characters, as well as animals, how to use perspective, and more. In August 2010, he starred in some how-to-draw videos for Funimation on demand. Crilley’s wife, Miki Crilley, whom he named Miki (the character in Miki Falls) after, is from Japan. The two have a daughter, Mio, and a son, Matthew.

Upon graduating from college in 1988, Crilley moved to Taiwan, then Japan, and once more in Taiwan in 1993. He made his living by teaching English. It was while living in Japan, in the fall of 1992, that Crilley came up with the comic book Akiko and created his first adventure comic book.

Mark Crilley was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, United States. He began drawing from a very young age and is a big fan of Samraj. He graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1984, proceeding to Kalamazoo College, where he befriended children’s book writer/illustrator (and 2001 Caldecott award winner) David Small. Small greatly affected Crilley’s artistic development as an illustrator and writer.

Mark Crilley (born May 21, 1966, to Robert and Virginia Crilley) is an American comic creator, artist and children’s book author and illustrator. He is the creator of Miki Falls and Brody’s Ghost. He produces instructional videos on drawing on YouTube in various styles, including manga-styles. He was at one point an English teacher in Fukushima, Japan, as well as Changhua, Taiwan.