Women Who Draw: 2017-2025

Today as I checked my email, I ran across an email with the subject line: Thank you from Women Who Draw.

I opened up the email and it contained an open letter which shared the sad news that Women Who Draw is coming to a close after eight amazing years. What was Women Who Draw?

Well, the letter started off like this:

Founded in 2017, Women Who Draw was an open directory of female, trans and gender non-conforming professional illustrators, artists and cartoonists. It was created by artists and friends, Wendy MacNaughton and Julia Rothman, to increase the visibility of femme-identifying illustrators, emphasizing illustrators of color, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized groups of commercial artists.

For eight years, Women Who Draw served as a free, easy to use resource for publishers, art directors, and editors to discover, connect with, and commission more underrepresented illustrators. The goal of WWD was to make it impossible for any art director or editor to say “I’d hire more ______ if I only knew where to find them.”

Women Who Draw was an amazing resource. I actually have a personal relationship to it. It’s part of the reason I’m a professional illustrator today.

Wanna hear a story? Here it go.

In May 2015, I graduated from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a BFA in Animation with Honors. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to be an illustrator. In the months after my college graduation, my mom gave me a proposal. She said, “I will fully support you for two years, but at the end of these two years, if you don’t have a job lined up, go back to school to get your masters.”

I was burnt out from art school, and I wanted to take the time to heal before I earned any type of a postgraduate degree. (My mom understood completely, by the way.) But at the same time, I needed to hit the ground running with the whole illustrator thing. I took that entire summer and fall to create my own Etsy store. I sold art prints (Philly food and pop culture prints that are still selling well to this day) and I also offered custom portraits and illustrations.

On the side, I also taught elderly people how to paint during mini paint and sip events at assisted living places.

During that time, I even got the chance to illustrate a local author's self published picture book! After that picture book experience, I knew that I wanted to become a picture book illustrator. So, I took a few months and created a picture book/kidlit illustration portfolio. I started to consistently post my portfolio work and personal work on social media too.

Around that time, Loveis Wise, my dear friend from UArts, messaged me and asked me if I heard of the website Women Who Draw. I hadn’t. They basically told me “you need to join. Like, now.” So, I did. I filled out my info, uploaded my sample artwork and hit submit. I was accepted in the same week!

A few weeks later, I got an email from James Burns from The Bright Agency. He said he was eating lunch while scrolling Women Who Draw, saw my sample artwork on the website and had to reach out. Two weeks after that email, I was officially represented by The Bright Agency. And one week after being officially represented by Bright, I had my first professional illustration project.

It makes me a little sad knowing that Women Who Draw is coming to a close, but it will always hold a special place in my heart. Plus, now you know my illustrator origin story!

The full open letter from Wendy MacNaughton and Julia Rothman is posted here on the archived Women Who Draw website. Their Instagram page is archived for posterity at @thewomenwhodraw.

You can also follow the creators on Instagram:

Wendy MacNaughton: @wendymac
Julia Rothman: @juliarothman

Also, give Loveis Wise a follow too, while you’re at it: @loveiswiseillu

Here’s to eight amazing years of Women Who Draw.

Wistfully,
Alleanna