Promoting equality and visibility in the industry
Women Who Draw is a new online platform for female artists and illustrators to showcase their work to potential buyers or clients.
Created by Wendy MacNaughton and Julia Rothman, Women Who Draw had its soft launch in December 2016, but soon crashed after it received more than six million views in its first three days.
“We had to close submissions because we were overwhelmed. We received 1,200 submissions in 24 hours,” said Rothman in an article published by BBC News in January. The website is now backed by a new server and showcases 700 artists, with 300 more on the waiting list.
Women Who Draw focuses on creating an online and open directory of female professional artists, cartoonists, and illustrators for freelance work.The directory places an emphasis on female illustrators from the LGBTQ+ community, women of colour, and other minority groups. The site has succeeded in creating an easy client-to-artist relationship and is an extensive resource for artists looking to promote their work.
It is unfortunately commonplace for women to be passed over for designs due to a hiring bias in the publishing world.
In an interview with BBC News, Rotham said, “We counted a certain magazine that often has illustrated covers and noticed that in the past 55 covers, only four were by women.”
Women Who Draw was invented to make it easier for artistic directors to find minority artists and illustrators.
The artists featured on the site are also able to add tags underneath their works and profiles, allowing interested parties to search for specific styles, works, or specialities.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.