Art School Graduate Becomes Pencil King

Notes from Chris

Episode 1099

Mitch Bowler knew early on that he was going to stray from the beaten path. After all, when you grow up in a tiny village in Manitoba, Canada, that “beaten path" doesn't lead to many places. He now teaches people how to draw through online courses, under the moniker “The Pencil King.”

Of course, stories of royalty always begin with “Once Upon a Time.”

When he finished art school in 2002, Mitch didn't go to his own graduation. Instead, he hopped on a plane to China. He taught English to support himself. But he quickly figured out that instead of giving private lessons, he could teach kids in groups—at a discount to them, but more overall money for him—cutting his workweek down to eight hours. That gave him plenty of time to pursue his other interests: Tai Chi and 3D art.

Improving his art skills in his off-time meant that Mitch soon landed a job as an artist for a Chinese studio that supplied art for big video game companies, such as EA and Activision.

During a holiday trip back to Canada, Mitch asked himself a fateful question: "How can I make money in my sleep?"

Even though he was a paid artist, Mitch was nervous about putting his work out there under his name. To him, there were so many other talented artists all over the internet. Fortunately, he had conditioned himself to create regularly when he had more time with his English-teaching schedule. So, to keep himself accountable in the face of imposter syndrome, he set a goal to make new art every day, and share video lessons with anyone who wanted to watch at his new website DrawingCoach.com.

His setup was barebones. He balanced a tripod between his desk and a window and sat below it, reaching up to draw. Any additional startup costs were simple materials purchased in runs to the art supply store for less than $50-100.

Interestingly, Mitch didn't charge for these lessons. They were the content that was going to bring advertising money in. That made Google Mitch's first "customer," since their ads were the first he tried putting on his website.

Earnings were small at first. Drawing Coach made about $30/month in those early days, but after ranking for keywords and pumping out content consistently, the earnings started to climb.

Off and on, Mitch spent about five years growing Drawing Coach by putting out this consistent quality content and lessons, before quitting his job. By this time, he was making enough money to sustain a digital nomad lifestyle in Southeast Asia.

Plus, he had an idea for his next website: PencilKings.com.

Where Drawing Coach was a website with basic lessons that relied on on-site advertising revenue to make money (and him to create all those lessons regularly), Pencil Kings was an entirely different model.

For Pencil Kings, Mitch teamed up with other artists to offer courses covering topics like anatomy, Photoshop, caricature art, and more. The site charges a flat monthly fee for access to all its courses.

Mitch also used many of the same tactics he'd already learned, focusing on SEO. After growing Pencil Kings, Mitch added a third, called Evolve Artist. Replicating his success converting students from Drawing Coach to Pencil Kings, he uses Evolve Artist as a way to teach the business and fundamentals of art. He partnered with another well-known artist to create the lessons, freeing up time for him to focus on the strategy and marketing.

Instead of focusing on just one site at a time—Mitch keeps all three running for one simple reason: They all generate income.

All together, the sites bring in more six figures in annual income. And while a good chunk of that goes back into the business, it's enough for Mitch to support himself and save for retirement. Plus, he gets to work with fellow artists every day.

The Pencil King’s reign appears secure, and Mitch is living the dream.

 

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about Mitch from his first website, DrawingCoach.com.
• PencilKings.com: Mitch's second website that offers online courses.
• Evolve Artist: Mitch's third website focuses on helping artists create their own businesses.

 

SEE ALSO:

• Freelance Illustrator Helps Other Artists Sell Their Work: A successful illustrator creates a side business earning more than $25,000 a year by helping artists sell their work online.
• Graphic Designer Sketches Old Homes for New Money: An Australian graphic designer discovers a way to save for a house of her own by drawing the homes of others.
• Frustrated Employee Finds Inspiration in Frida Kahlo Instagram Account: When a tech worker finds herself dissatisfied, she starts an Instagram account that turns into an online store and a social mission.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,