About
The Illustrated Spellbook is the work of NYC-based artist Caitlin Rain.
Caitlin has nurtured a lifelong love of fantasy literature alongside a professional background in theatrical costume design. She earned her undergraduate degree in Theatre from UNC-Chapel Hill, after which she was awarded a full scholarship from Southern Methodist University's three-year graduate program in Theatrical Design.
She has spent over a decade as a professional costume designer, working on multiple Tony-award winning Broadway shows, as well as ballet and opera productions with the American Ballet Theater (ABT), the Boston Ballet, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Boston Lyric Opera. Internationally, Caitlin's costume design work has included collaborations with the National Ballet of Latvia and Japan's Saito Kinen Festival. Professional highlights include costume and design work on the Broadway productions of Anastasia, Frozen, The Lion King, Hamilton, and the Radio City Rockettes, as well as world premieres at Lincoln Center of ABT's Harlequinade, The Seasons, and Of Love and Rage.
When not working on professional stage productions, Caitlin has been a player in two multi-year D&D campaigns, one of which is a family game with her husband and two siblings. Her PCs are Vaella Angoldis, a snobby divination wizard, Eilis Evensong, a jolly bard, and Oksana Zamolodchikova, a barbarian inspired by Soviet-era gymnasts. She has also recently begun to explore DMing.
To see her other work, please visit caitlinrain.com or follow her on IG at @caitlinrain_art.
praise for the illustrated spellbook
“Caitlin’s work on this piece was amazing, and I am so glad I worked with her. I commissioned this portrait as part of a D&D campaign I am a part of with friends, and having my character fully fleshed out visually is not only fun, but has made my gameplay more immersive. Working with Caitlin was a delight, and I loved her responsiveness to my ideas and ability to respond to my sometimes vague descriptions!”
— David S.
“Caitlin is super friendly, talented AND quick. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and any commission from her is gonna turn out amazing! I’ve already commissioned more!”
— Sarah L.
“As an end-of-module treat, I bought all of my players portraits of their PCs. [The first] was of Adran, a half-elf sorcerer. Adran’s a bit of a dandy. And from that, who else but The Illustrated Spellbook would have decided to use traditional Georgian clothing in this portrait?! The player was so happy to see his character brought to life!”