Mark Marderosian

Mark Marderosian (born 1955) is a prolific cartoonist, animator and children's book illustrator, a comic book artist and noted toy designer.

Biography

Early life and career Born in Cambridge, Marderosian grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. He started drawing when he was seven years old, inspired after his parents took him to see Pinocchio. After high school, Marderosian worked for advertising agencies and an art supply company, where he prepared paste-ups and mechanicals for catalogs. During this time, he also drew cartoons and comic strips, and freelanced for various magazines. In 1979, Marderosian enrolled at Massachusetts College of Art, He also worked with Howley on the design of a set of Classic Toys Trading Cards around the same time.

Disney years After an early-career rejection, Marderosian "finally [got] his foot in the Disney door in 1990," working on merchandise related to Jessica Rabbit. Over the course of his career, Marderosian has gone on to illustrate several dozen movie and television tie-in books for Disney, as well as for Golden Books. He has also provided illustrations for other licensed merchandise such as character figurines, story books, and coloring books. Among the many characters he has drawn are Mickey Mouse, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Hello Kitty, and Jimmy Neutron. He is most commonly recognized for his work on merchandise and books featuring the Disney Princesses. "Because of the constant reprinting, especially in coloring books, somewhere there's someone looking at something I drew every single day," said Marderosian.

Editorial cartoons Marderosian began working as the editorial cartoonist for the Newton TAB in 2006. "There aren't as many editorial cartoonists in this country as there used to be and I'm happy to be able to practice my art and offer my opinions in this manner every week," he said. "The show's overall theme is about helping kids unlock their creativity, especially in these days of brutal budget cuts on so many institutions, which are struggling to present creativity and art in various forms," Marderosian said.