I'm Brittany McDonald, an author and illustrator bringing stories to life through words and art. I create memorable characters, strange creatures, and fantastical worlds inspired by fantasy, folklore, gothic imagination, and the endless possibilities of what if?
From strange creatures lurking in the woods to fantastical characters and worlds waiting to be explored, my illustration work focuses on storytelling through character, atmosphere, and imaginaton.
Every illustration begins with a story, and every story creates a world waiting to be seen.
Brittany McDonald is the author of The Horrors of Alchemy, a dark fantasy adventure filled with mystery, unforgettable characters, and a growing sense of dread.
Inspired by her lifelong love of Dungeons & Dragons and fantasy storytelling, Brittany creates worlds where adventure and danger are never far apart.
When she's not writing, she works as a freelance illustrator, bringing characters, creatures, and fantastical worlds to life through art.
The Horrors of Alchemy
When a quiet town falls victim to a series of mysterious attacks, a young woman joins a band of adventurers to uncover the truth. Their search leads them toward forgotten knowledge, dangerous alchemy, and dark forces hiding beneath the surface.
Adventure. Mystery. Alchemy. And horrors best left forgotten.
The World Behind the Work
I Don't Just Create Pictures. I Create Worlds.
Every story begins somewhere.
Sometimes it starts with a character who refuses to leave my imagination. Sometimes it begins with a strange creature, an unfamiliar place, a single sketch, or one simple question: What if? Those questions are often where my creative work begins. I create stories and illustrations centered around characters, creatures, forgotten places, strange ideas, and fantastical worlds. I'm drawn to the spaces where imagination becomes a little unusual—where fantasy meets folklore, where beauty can feel eerie, and where even the strangest creature might have a story worth telling. My work explores fantasy, gothic imagery, monsters, folklore, tabletop adventures, and the darker corners of the imagination. Whether I'm developing a written story or creating an illustration, I'm interested in more than simply making something look interesting. I want to create something that sparks curiosity and invites you to wonder what exists beyond the frame.
From Words to Images
Writing and illustration are two different ways of telling the same kind of story.
As an author, I use words to develop characters, explore ideas, shape emotions, and build worlds that exist in the reader's imagination. As an illustrator, I approach those same elements visually—using composition, expression, atmosphere, environment, and detail to communicate what words sometimes cannot. A character's clothing can hint at where they've been. A creature's expression can suggest a personality that isn't written down. An abandoned building can tell a story before anyone steps inside it. Even the smallest visual detail can become part of a larger narrative. That's what draws me to visual storytelling. I don't want my illustrations to simply show the viewer what something looks like. I want them to suggest who these characters are, what happened before the moment captured in the image, and what might happen next.
Where Stories Become Art
My creative process is rarely a straight line.
A sketch might lead to a character. A character might suggest a story. A story might introduce a creature or location that needs to be illustrated. Sometimes an illustration comes first, revealing a world I hadn't planned to create until I saw it taking shape on the page. I enjoy that unpredictability. Rather than treating writing and illustration as completely separate disciplines, I allow them to influence one another. Each medium gives me another way to explore an idea, solve a creative problem, or discover something unexpected. This approach allows my work to grow organically. A single drawing can become the beginning of a larger story, while a written description can provide the foundation for an entire visual world.
Creating Worlds Worth Exploring
At the heart of everything I create is a love of discovery.
I'm interested in the characters who have more to them than first meets the eye, the monsters hiding in forgotten places, the ruins that make you wonder who once lived there, and the stories that linger long after you've finished them. My goal isn't simply to create something that can be looked at or read. I want to create something that can be entered.
A character you can imagine walking beside.
A creature you can almost hear moving through the forest.
A place that feels familiar even though you've never been there.
A story that leaves you wondering what exists just beyond the edge of the page.
Whether you discovered my work through my writing, found one of my illustrations, or simply wandered into this little corner of my creative world, you're welcome here.
There's always another idea waiting to take shape, another character waiting to be discovered, and another world waiting just beyond the page.