About Mark

The quick version:

  • University of Hartford Art School graduate with a BFA in Illustration
  • Published author/illustrator of several books
  • 30 years experience drawing thousands of people at corporate events across the US and internationally
  • Clients include Google, Harvard Law School, Boston Red Sox, Celebrity Cruises, Barnes & Noble
  • Drawing instructor at schools like RISD and taught countless private lessons to all ages
  • Lives in Framingham, Massachusetts

My Story

I’ve been drawing since I was 3 years old. It all started with doodles of Batman on my mom’s wallpaper. Then it was Star Wars characters and my favorite rock stars. I grew up drawing people  – my favorite subject.

In the summer of 1990, I got paid for the first time to draw caricatures at a popular Cape Cod restaurant. I had a blast and my drawings made people laugh. I was hooked.

For the next few summers I drew thousands of tourists in Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston.

Meantime, I pursued my “serious” illustration work. I illustrated stories for Alfred Hitchcock and Asimov magazines. I drew artwork for billboards, businesses, and book covers.

I also started teaching drawing lessons. I taught courses at several schools: RISD, Mass Bay, Dean College, and other continuing ed programs. Teaching cartooning to kids inspired me to make my own comics. Teaching adults to draw realistically was especially gratifying.

People started hiring me to draw at their parties, then corporate events, then it was a business. I booked other artists to draw with me. My caricature skills have taken me around the world, entertaining guests on cruise ships and at corporate events across Greater Boston and the U.S.

My caricature clients include Google, Bose, Celebrity Cruises, Barnes & Noble, Harvard, Mass General Hospital, and many more.

Meanwhile, I’ve pursued and achieved my dream of authoring and illustrating my own books. My first published book was Cape Cod Invasion! (Commonwealth Editions), then Young Jesus Chronicles (Andrews McMeel), Mark Penta’s Sketchbook (2015), The Daydream Garden (2020), and most recently, the Totally Weird Activity Books kids series, published in fall of 2022 (West Margin Press).

I feel blessed to be an artist and to share my work with others. Thanks for following me and my work! Let me know if I can draw for you!