We are an all-female group of children’s illustrators who live just east of Seattle. We meet in person monthly to critique each other’s work, share resources, and lend support. Among our group are pre-published and published illustrators, writers, poets, designers and teachers. We are all active members of the Western Washington Chapter of SCBWI. Scroll down to learn more about us.
Sorry, we are not currently accepting new members at this time.
Who are The Broad Strokes?
Anait Semirdzhyan is a children’s book illustrator from Seattle, WA. Besides drawing, she enjoys spending time with her family and afternoon walks with her four-legged shaggy friend. She is the illustrator of The Arabic Quilt by Aya Khalil, Meditation Station by Susan B. Katz, and The Cottonwood Tree by Serena Mangus. She is represented by Christy Tugeau Ewers at the CAT agency.
Leanne Hatch is the author and illustrator of Unraveled. She’s also a women’s accessories and textile print designer in the fashion industry. She loves sewing and true crime podcasts and has a weakness for beautiful shoes. She is a native of the Pacific Northwest and lives with her husband, two children, three cats and a dog. She is represented by Janine Le at Janine Le Literary Agency. Tina Hoggatt is a writer, illustrator, and educator creating books for young readers. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. She illustrated My Jim by Nancy Rawles, a Seattle Reads book in 2009, and Home Field: Writers Remember Baseball, edited by John Douglas Marshall. Her permanent public artwork is installed in the Seattle Mariners’ ballpark, in schools, and in Portland’s light rail system.
Ellie Peterson is a picture book author, illustrator, and science teacher living in Kirkland, WA. She is the author/illustrator of How to Hug a Pufferfish and School is Wherever I Am. She believes in books that help children question how they know what they know. Ellie is also Diversity, Equity and Inclusion coordinator for the Western Washington SCBWI. She is represented by Adria Goetz at Martin Literary Management.Pamela Martin is a children’s book illustrator and writer. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest gave her a great appreciation for the outdoors, wildlife and especially the ocean. She likes to imagine the magical world that exists in the deep waters and her love for whales has led to over a decade of serving as a marine naturalist. She has worked with multiple organizations to educate people about marine mammals, and assisted with killer whale research projects on Puget Sound.
Pamela is also the co-executive director at the Northwest Art Center in Duvall. She lives in the Seattle area with her family and golden retriever.Kelly Rae Bahr is a picture book author/illustrator and dance instructor. With a degree in graphic design, she enjoys creating art in many mediums and finds that one creative avenue informs the next. Her picture books The Clean Teeth Club (2020) and The Search for the World’s Greatest Smile (2021), published by Delta Dental of Washington, have been donated to classrooms and libraries around the state to educate kids about taking care of their teeth. She lives with her husband and two children near Seattle, WA. Kelly is represented by Tara Gonzalez at Erin Murphy Literary Agency.
Polina Gortman is a children’s book illustrator from Seattle, Washington. She was raised in Siberia, and spent her childhood exploring taiga and making up stories about precarious adventures of toys lost in a vegetable garden. When creating visual narratives and developing characters, Polina draws inspiration from sketching people, wildlife and everyday playground shenanigans. Polina is the illustrator of Randall and Randall by Nadine Poper and The Weed That Woke Christmas by Alayne Kay Christian.
Michaele Razi is a children’s book writer and illustrator from Seattle, WA. She’s the writer and illustrator of the picture book, Frank the Seven-Legged Spider, and has another book, Sunny the (Super-Excited, Over-Eager, In-Your-Face) Snake out in Fall 2023. Michaele graduated with an Art Degree from the University of Washington and has volunteered as a reading buddy at her local elementary school for the last seven years. She lives in North Bend with her husband, two kids and two rascally cats. She is represented by Janine Le at Janine Le Literary Agency.
The Broad Strokes Art 