Whiteboard animation styles
Whiteboard animation styles: 13 looks, each with a narrated sample
Whiteboard animation comes in more styles than black marker on white: chalk on a blackboard, blueprint lines, fine ink, notebook sketches, bright colour doodles and fully illustrated panels. AnimatedBoard has 13 looks: ten doodle looks, where each element is drawn or revealed as the voice names it, and three illustrated story looks. Every one plays a real 30-second narrated sample below, with a table of what each suits, so you can choose by topic, audience and format.
No card required. Your first minute of video with AnimatedBoard is free.
Facts and third-party prices checked on September 26, 2026
Real output, not a mockup
Script
The brain weighs just three pounds, yet it uses 20% of the body's energy…
Generated from a plain-text script, nothing edited by hand. You can make any video like this in 5–10 minutes.
What makes one whiteboard animation style different from another
People say "whiteboard animation" for a whole family of drawn videos. What they share is the idea: a picture that builds up while a voice explains it. What changes from one style to the next comes down to four things, and knowing them makes it easier to describe the look you want, whichever tool you use.
In AnimatedBoard the first three are set by the look you pick. The fourth depends on the family: in the doodle looks the drawing arrives in step with the narration, and in the story looks a full illustration fills each scene.
- The surface: a white board, a blackboard, blue drafting paper, ivory or cream paper.
- The line: marker, chalk, fine ink, ballpoint, bold outline or painted shapes.
- The colour: pure black on white, one or two accents, or a full palette.
- How it appears: traced by a hand, revealed progressively, or shown as a complete illustrated panel.
The ten doodle and whiteboard looks
In the first five, a hand draws each element as the voice names it. The five textured looks (chalk, colour chalk, blueprint, ink and notebook) are revealed progressively by default instead. Real 30-second samples, narrated and uncut.
Whiteboard
Black marker on white, hand-lettered labels and touches of blue and orange. Each idea is drawn as you name it.
Infographics and explainersFreehand Flow
Friendly hand-drawn lines. Make any idea easy to follow.
Everyday explainersQuiet Lines
Fine-line illustration with soft tints and a single warm accent.
Business & trainingIdea Atlas
Connected diagrams that make processes and relationships visible.
Processes & lessonsSpark
Bold outlines and bright colours with a playful personality.
Products & socialMidnight Chalk
White chalk on a blackboard. Detailed diagrams that develop gradually.
Science and explanationChalk Lights
Cyan, pink and lime on black. Luminous, expressive diagrams.
Connected conceptsBlue Draft
Deep blue canvas, precise drafting lines and isometric perspectives.
Engineering and technologyInk Heritage
Fine black ink, crosshatching and detailed drawings on ivory paper.
History and architectureMargin Notes
Blue ballpoint, red annotations and observational sketches on cream paper.
Learning and study
The three illustrated story looks
Full illustrated panels that advance with the narration, with chapters that open on a title card read aloud and optional burned-in captions. All three samples narrate the same short story, so you can compare the looks side by side.
Little Worlds
Simple, expressive characters in a warm illustrated world.
Stories & charactersWax & Wonder
Layered pencil and wax textures with the warmth of a storybook.
Education & storytellingPaper Mosaic
Sophisticated shapes, expressive silhouettes and a magazine illustration look.
Brands & narratives
All 13 whiteboard animation styles at a glance
Every look is available on every plan, the free minute included.
| Look | What it looks like | Best for | How it appears | Captions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteboard (the default) | Black marker on white, hand-lettered labels, touches of blue and orange | Infographics, explainers, YouTube channels | Drawn by a hand | No |
| Freehand Flow | Friendly, loose hand-drawn lines | Everyday explainers, tips, self-improvement | Drawn by a hand | No |
| Quiet Lines | Fine-line illustration, soft tints, one warm accent | Business, training, product explainers | Drawn by a hand | No |
| Idea Atlas | Connected diagrams that show how things relate | Processes, systems, lessons | Drawn by a hand | No |
| Spark | Bold outlines and bright colours | Products, social media, Shorts | Drawn by a hand | No |
| Midnight Chalk | White chalk on a blackboard, detailed diagrams | Science, maths, explanations | Revealed | No |
| Chalk Lights | Cyan, pink and lime chalk on black | Concept maps, connected ideas | Revealed | No |
| Blue Draft | Deep blue canvas, drafting lines, isometric views | Engineering, technology, how things work | Revealed | No |
| Ink Heritage | Fine black ink and crosshatching on ivory paper | History, architecture, biographies | Revealed | No |
| Margin Notes | Blue ballpoint, red annotations, cream paper | Study, revision, learning | Revealed | No |
| Little Worlds | Simple, expressive characters in a warm illustrated world | Stories with characters | Illustrated panels | Optional, burned in |
| Wax & Wonder | Pencil and wax textures, like a storybook | Children's stories, lessons told as stories | Illustrated panels, revealed | Optional, burned in |
| Paper Mosaic | Magazine illustration: crafted shapes, expressive silhouettes | Brand stories, history, narratives | Illustrated panels | Optional, burned in |
"Revealed" means the artwork appears progressively as the narration reaches it, without a visible hand. Whiteboard and doodle videos don't carry captions: the drawing already shows what is being said.
Types of whiteboard animation and other hand-drawn styles, explained
The names the industry uses, what each one means, and the closest look in AnimatedBoard.
Whiteboard
Line drawings appear on a white background, usually traced by a hand with a marker, while a voice explains. Our match: Whiteboard, plus Freehand Flow for a looser line and Quiet Lines for a finer one.
Blackboard or chalkboard
The same idea on a dark board with the grain of chalk, borrowed from the classroom. Our match: Midnight Chalk in white chalk and Chalk Lights in colour.
Glassboard or lightboard
Originally filmed, not animated: a presenter stands behind a lit pane of glass and writes on it facing the camera, and the footage is mirrored so the writing reads the right way round. Some editors imitate it with drawings on a see-through board. We don't offer a glassboard look.
Colour doodle
Whiteboard drawings with colour fills or a coloured palette instead of pure black on white. Our match: Spark for bold colour and Chalk Lights for colour on black; Whiteboard itself adds touches of blue and orange.
Cut-out and paper
Scenes built from flat shapes that look cut from paper or card. Our match: Paper Mosaic, a magazine-style look shown as illustrated panels that advance with the narration, not as moving cut-outs.
Frame-by-frame hand-drawn animation
Traditional animation draws every frame so that characters move. Whiteboard animation shows a drawing being made, not a drawing that moves, and none of our looks is frame-by-frame animation.
Chalkboard animation: Midnight Chalk and Chalk Lights
Chalkboard animation, also called blackboard animation, puts the drawing on a dark board with the texture of chalk. It reads as a lesson before a word is said, which is why it suits science, maths and any topic that benefits from a teacher's tone. A dark board also sets a channel apart from the many that use white.
Midnight Chalk is white chalk on a blackboard, with detailed diagrams that develop gradually: in its sample, a tower and two falling objects for the old question of whether heavier things fall faster. Chalk Lights uses cyan, pink and lime on black for diagrams that glow; its sample follows a city's budget from income to transport, parks and schools. In both, the chalk is revealed as the narration reaches each part, by default, rather than traced by a visible hand.
- Keep labels short. Chalk texture is at its best with a few words and a diagram that grows.
- One board per idea: let a diagram build across a scene instead of starting a new picture every sentence.
- Save colour chalk for relationships. In Chalk Lights, colour works best when it separates things the viewer has to tell apart.
How to choose a whiteboard animation style for your video
Five questions, in the order that usually decides it.
Start from the topic
Processes and relationships suit Idea Atlas or Whiteboard; science suits the chalk looks; engineering, Blue Draft; history, Ink Heritage or Paper Mosaic; study material, Margin Notes; a story with characters, one of the three story looks.
Think about who is watching
For children, Wax & Wonder and Little Worlds. For colleagues and clients, Quiet Lines. For a social feed, Spark's bold outlines and colours.
Check the format
A 9:16 video is watched on a phone, where bold lines and a few elements per scene read more easily than fine detail. The format is set per project and changing it later redraws the images, so decide before generating.
Decide whether you need captions
Only the story looks can carry captions, burned into the video and optional. If your audience often watches with the sound off, that can settle it.
Keep one look for the whole series
Viewers recognise a channel or a course by its look. Use the same style across a series and put your logo in a corner of the video, which any plan can do.
A custom look on a paid plan
The 13 looks cover most topics, but a brand or a long-running series may need its own. On any paid plan you can customise the look: upload a reference image to guide strokes, colours and textures across every scene, add written instructions, set your brand colours, and save the result as a style to reuse in the next video. Our AI draws new content in that look; it doesn't paste your image into the video.
Paid plans can also keep characters looking the same in every scene, from a reference image of each one. Two things to know before you start. A scene whose drawing uses a reference image counts at least 8 seconds instead of 4, and the editor tells you before you confirm. And a minute pack on its own doesn't unlock customisation: it comes with Starter, Creator or Pro, from $29 a month.
Hear every look on your own script
All 13 looks are on every plan, the free minute included. Paste a script, pick a look and download your first minute, with no card.
Frequently asked questions
What are the different types of whiteboard animation?
The classic types are whiteboard (dark lines on white), chalkboard or blackboard (chalk on a dark board), glassboard (writing on lit glass, usually filmed), colour doodle and cut-out paper. AnimatedBoard offers 13 looks across these families, from Whiteboard and Midnight Chalk to Blue Draft and three illustrated story looks, each with a narrated sample on this page.
What is chalkboard animation?
A whiteboard-style video drawn on a dark board with the texture of chalk, often used for lessons and science. In AnimatedBoard, Midnight Chalk draws in white chalk on black and Chalk Lights in cyan, pink and lime, and both reveal the drawing as the voice explains.
What is the difference between glassboard and whiteboard animation?
Whiteboard animation draws on a white background, usually with an animated hand. A glassboard or lightboard video is filmed: a presenter writes on a lit glass pane facing the camera, and the footage is mirrored so the writing reads correctly. AnimatedBoard makes whiteboard, chalkboard and illustrated looks, not glassboard.
What is the doodle animation style?
Simple sketches that look hand-drawn and appear while the story is told, often traced by a hand. It is the looser, more playful side of whiteboard animation. In AnimatedBoard the doodle looks range from Freehand Flow's friendly lines to Spark's bold colours.
Which whiteboard animation style is best for YouTube?
It depends on the channel's topic: Whiteboard or Idea Atlas for explainers, the chalk looks for science, Ink Heritage or a story look for history, Spark for Shorts. Pick one look per series so viewers recognise your videos at a glance.
Do some whiteboard animation styles cost extra?
No. All 13 looks are included on every plan, the free minute too. A custom look (reference image, instructions, brand colours, saved styles) needs a paid plan, from $29 a month, and scenes drawn from a reference image count at least 8 seconds each.
Can I make a whiteboard animation in my brand colours?
Yes, on any paid plan: set your brand colours, add a reference image or written instructions, and save the result as a style for your next video. You can also place your logo in a corner of the video on any plan.
Thirteen looks, one script away
Create a free account, paste your text and hear it drawn in the look you choose.
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