Every Golpo Video Style (2026 Guide): Sketch, Canvas and Pen-in-Hand
A 2026 gallery of every Golpo Sketch and Canvas visual style, including Notebook, Compact and Expanded Canvas profiles, Classic with words, Infographics, Illustration, Custom Style, and all three Pen-in-Hand options.
Picking a Golpo video style from a dropdown is hard when you can't see what each one actually looks like. This gallery brings the current Golpo Sketch and Canvas choices together on one page.
For Sketch, the core comparison keeps one prompt fixed while the style changes. For Canvas, each Compact/Expanded pair uses the same subject in both videos, so the profile is the only change within that pair.
→ Jump to Sketch styles · Jump to Canvas styles · Jump to Custom Style · Jump to Pen-in-Hand animations
The setup
We asked Codex (via the Golpo skill plugin) to generate the shared Sketch comparison prompt:
How Golpo transforms internal company documents and knowledge into engaging visual explainer videos
The core Sketch comparison videos are 2 minutes long and use that same prompt. Classic with words and Infographics use clearly labeled reference prompts. The Canvas section reuses the ten matched Compact/Expanded pairs from the dedicated comparison guide; each pair keeps its subject fixed. Every style label matches the Golpo dashboard dropdown one-to-one.
Golpo Sketch styles
The original Golpo pipeline. Hand-drawn-feeling whiteboard animation rendered through Golpo's line-art engine. Pick a built-in Sketch style under the Style dropdown, or choose + Custom Style to follow an image, video, or written description.
One thing to know about pace: all the Sketch videos below were generated with the default Pace setting of Fast — a tighter, quicker-feeling animation that matches what you get out of the create-video screen by default. Switch Pace to Normal in the dashboard (or set the equivalent field in the API payload) if you want slower, more deliberate pacing.
Classic
The default Golpo Sketch style. The same Classic style produces a black-and-white video or a colorized one depending on the Use color toggle — both variants are shown below.
Classic — black and white:
Classic — color:
Classic with words
Classic with words keeps the hand-drawn Golpo Sketch look but adds a few large key words and labels directly to each scene. This 30-second reference example uses the prompt Why is the sky blue?
Classic with words — color:
Classic with words — black-and-white comparison:
Both players use the same front cover. The color clip is a public Golpo Classic with words render; the black-and-white clip is a grayscale comparison made from that same master so the narration, words, frames, and timing stay identical.
Improved (Beta)
Golpo's newer Sketch line-art treatment.
Dry Erase
The traditional dry-erase whiteboard look — thicker outlines, hand-drawn feel.
Professional Clean
A pared-back Sketch treatment with cleaner lines and more whitespace.
Crayon
Looser, more illustrative line work that leans into a hand-drawn crayon feel.
Formal
A more refined Sketch treatment with denser composition per scene.
Infographics
A data-forward Sketch treatment that organizes ideas into labeled diagrams, icons, callouts, and visual summaries. This reference example uses the Golpo Prompt Cheatsheet rather than the shared comparison prompt.
Custom Style
Custom Style is now available in Golpo Sketch as well as Canvas. Instead of picking a built-in Sketch look, upload an image, upload a video, or write a description. The three examples below use each kind of reference. The full walkthrough is in the Custom Style guide.
From a video — Lila's Story:
From a description — Love Triangle, using stickman characters and realistic solid-color objects:
From an image — Ganesha and Sage Vyasa:
Sketch styles not shown in this gallery (available in the dropdown — generate a sample to see how each looks): Chalkboard (Black on White), Creative, Formal (Legacy).
Golpo Canvas styles
Golpo Canvas is the image-generation-driven pipeline. Ten established visual-style families offer both Compact and Expanded profiles. The examples below use the same matched pairs as the Compact vs Expanded guide.
Chalkboard White on Black
High-contrast white drawing on a dark chalkboard. Both examples explain Galileo and Falling Objects, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Chalkboard Black on White
Dark chalk-style drawing on a light background. Both examples explain Life in the Indus Valley, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Chalkboard Color
Chalkboard drawing with color accents. Both examples explain How Cities Build Public Budgets, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Whiteboard
A clean, familiar whiteboard treatment. Both examples explain The Monty Hall Probability Puzzle, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Modern Minimal
A restrained, modern composition with generous white space. Both examples explain How Compound Growth Works, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Playful
A brighter, more expressive visual treatment. Both examples explain The Octopus That Vanished, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Technical
A schematic treatment for processes and technical ideas. Both examples explain How GPS Calculates Your Location, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Editorial
A designed, magazine-like illustration style. Both examples explain How Vaccines Train the Immune System, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Sharpie
Bold marker-like strokes and an intentionally direct feel. Both examples explain The Shared Meadow Problem, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Illustration
A fuller scene-led illustration treatment. Both examples explain A Raindrop's Water Cycle Journey, so only the Canvas profile changes within the pair.
Expanded
Compact
Compact-only Canvas style
Notebook
Notebook gives structured visual explanations a notebook-like treatment. This example explains Mean, Median, and Mode. Notebook is Compact-only, so there is no Expanded counterpart.
Golpo Canvas Pen-in-Hand animation styles
Canvas also lets you choose how the artwork appears. Pen-in-Hand animation places a realistic hand and drawing tool on screen as each illustration is revealed, giving any Canvas visual style a more handcrafted whiteboard feel. Choose the visual style first, then pair it with one of these three animation options.
Pen in Hand
A fine-tipped pen draws precise, elegant lines. Pick it for clean professional explainers, detailed diagrams, and restrained visual styles. Watch How to be a good person:
Marker in Hand
A bold marker produces thicker, more confident strokes. Use it when you want the energy of a live whiteboard session and stronger visual punch. Watch Secret for success of a startup:
Stylus in Hand
A digital stylus draws on a tablet-like surface. It feels modern and tech-forward, making it a natural match for SaaS, product, engineering, and digital-native content. Watch How to Ace an Exam?:
Compatibility and access: Pen-in-Hand works with all Canvas visual styles. Pen, Stylus, and Marker are available on the Scale plan and above.
Picking a style
Watch the videos above and pick the one whose look matches the audience and tone you're targeting. There's no wrong answer — generate a quick 30-second test in two or three candidate styles and compare side by side before committing to a longer video.
If none of the visible styles fit, try the three remaining Sketch styles from the same dropdown, or create a Custom Style from an image, video, or description. For Canvas, compare Compact and Expanded where both are offered, then compare the default reveal against Pen, Stylus, and Marker animation before committing to a longer video.
Related guides
- Golpo Canvas Compact vs Expanded — matched pairs for all ten established Canvas styles plus Notebook.
- Golpo Canvas styles guide — deeper notes on each Canvas style.
- Custom Style guide — create a reusable look from an image, video, or description in Canvas or Sketch.
- Golpo prompt cheatsheet — prompting patterns that work across every style.
- Generate Golpo videos from Codex — the workflow we used to produce this gallery.
- Golpo API payload examples — full payload reference if you're generating programmatically.
- Golpo AI complete tutorial — end-to-end walkthrough of the dashboard.
Have a use case where none of the styles fit? Book a 15-minute call and we'll help you pick — or extend a style with a custom image-style description.
