Pencil Kings
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersTreherne, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Pencil Kings firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pencil Kings
- Legal name
- Pencil Kings Media Group Inc.
- Website
- https://pencilkings.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Pencil Kings is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Treherne
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pencil Kings business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Subscription Membership: Monthly or annual subscription providing access to all current and future Pencil Kings courses, the private artist community, private chat room, online hangouts, and live training workshops and coaching programs. Month-to-month pay-as-you-go or discounted yearly plans available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly subscription with pay-as-you-go flexibility |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription at discounted rate |
| Subscription | Monthly | Special introductory offer for new members |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Pencil Kings product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pencil Kings operates a subscription-based online art education platform that gives members access to video courses taught by professional working artists, a private artist community for feedback and challenges, and live training workshops and coaching programs. Members pay monthly or annual fees for full access to all current and future courses, with content available exclusively online through member accounts.
Product overview
Pencil Kings is an online art education platform offering a subscription-based membership model with three core offerings: pre-recorded video art courses taught by professional artists (including those who have worked at major studios like Marvel, DreamWorks, EA, and DC), a private artist community with forums, challenges, and chat features, and live training workshops with coaching programs. The platform also produces a podcast series. Course content is organized into guided learning tracks (Beginner Breakthrough, Figure Drawing, Character Design, and Designing Creatures and Animals) as well as individual courses covering drawing foundations, digital painting, anatomy, and specialized topics. All content is accessible exclusively through member accounts and cannot be downloaded.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pencil Kings Online Art Courses A subscription-based online learning platform offering video art courses taught by professional artists, including those who have worked at studios such as Pixar, Marvel, DreamWorks, DC, Blue Sky, and EA. Members pay a monthly or annual fee for access to all current and future courses covering drawing foundations, digital painting, character design, figure drawing, anatomy, and other specialized topics. Content is accessible exclusively through member accounts and cannot be downloaded.
- Private Artist Community A members-only community forum where artists interact, share work, receive feedback, participate in challenges, and track their progress through the community chat room and online hangouts. Designed to combat the isolation of self-taught learning and provide ongoing peer support beyond the course content.
- Live Training Workshops & Coaching Programs Online live training workshops and coaching programs delivered periodically, providing interactive instruction beyond pre-recorded courses. Available to members as part of the subscription offering.
- Pencil Kings Podcast A podcast series featuring interviews with professional artists and discussions on creative careers, art techniques, and industry insights. Distributed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Deezer, Radio Public, iHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIn.
Companies that use Pencil Kings
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Pencil Kings technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pencil Kings partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Evolve ArtistminorEvolve Artist is a separate company co-founded by Mitch Bowler, the founder of Pencil Kings. Evolve Artist is described as 'a breakthrough online training system that aims to inexperienced talent to become world-class artists' with premium oil paint materials supplied by Old Holland and shipped globally.
Scale indicators2 records
Pencil Kings competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Domestika: Subscription-based online creative school offering project-driven courses in illustration, design, and visual arts to a global hobbyist and aspiring-pro audience — directly overlapping Pencil Kings' enrollment model, customer personas, and self-serve subscription delivery.
- CG Master Academy (CGMA): Subscription online school for concept art, character design, figure drawing, and VFX taught by working studio professionals — directly comparable to Pencil Kings on topic mix (character/creature/figure design), instructor pedigree, and subscription delivery.
- Skillshare: Large-scale subscription creative learning marketplace with a robust catalog of illustration and art courses — same subscription/PLG delivery model and same aspiring-creator customer base as Pencil Kings.
- Proko: Online figure drawing, anatomy, and portrait instruction brand with courses, free YouTube content, and a paid community — directly comparable niche (figure/anatomy) and revenue model to Pencil Kings' Figure Drawing track and broader subscription.
- Schoolism: Long-running online art school focused on concept art, character design, and creature design taught by industry artists — overlapping Pencil Kings' core curriculum (character design, creature/animal design) and target student profile.
- Ctrl+Paint: Subscription-based digital painting tutorial library focused on foundational and intermediate art skills — comparable in self-serve online delivery, low price point, and hobby-to-career learner audience.
- New Masters Academy: Subscription-based online art education platform offering drawing, painting, and figure courses with live critiques and community features — closely mirrors Pencil Kings' subscription model and community-first positioning.
- SVSLearn: Subscription online art education service offering structured courses on fundamentals through advanced topics, serving hobbyists and aspiring professionals — comparable to Pencil Kings in pricing model, course structure, and learner personas.
Others
- Patreon: Membership platform enabling independent creators, including many visual artists, to monetize directly through subscriptions — indirect competitor/substitute that Pencil Kings' instructors and aspiring artists could use instead of (or alongside) Pencil Kings.
Broad incumbents
- Gnomon School of Visual Effects: Established entertainment-arts college offering degrees plus online tracks in concept art, character design, and animation — overlaps Pencil Kings' curriculum areas but operates from a larger institutional footprint with broader portfolio offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pencil Kings social profiles
Digital presencePencil Kings financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pencil Kings leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Pencil Kings funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pencil Kings M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pencil Kings
What does Pencil Kings do?
Pencil Kings operates a subscription-based online art education platform that gives members access to video courses taught by professional working artists, a private artist community for feedback and challenges, and live training workshops and coaching programs. Members pay monthly or annual fees for full access to all current and future courses, with content available exclusively online through member accounts.
Is Pencil Kings a public or private company?
Pencil Kings is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pencil Kings founded?
Pencil Kings was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pencil Kings based?
Pencil Kings is headquartered in Treherne, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Pencil Kings make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Membership.
Who are Pencil Kings's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Domestika, CG Master Academy (CGMA), Skillshare, Proko, Schoolism, Ctrl+Paint, New Masters Academy and SVSLearn. Patreon is listed as an others. Gnomon School of Visual Effects is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Pencil Kings have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pencil Kings.