Shellshock: Chapter 1
Written by Lisa Mitrokhin
fully illustrated by Katherine Dattilo
Artist, Illustrator & Florist
Katherine Dattilo
I've been drawing and painting since childhood — these days it's fantastic realism, portraits, ocean creatures, and anything that lets me get lost in watercolor or a good digital brush.
My own coloring book
Bloomin, Volume One: Oceans
Every page started as one of my own hand-drawn originals — grinning manatees, a whole reef of coral, sea turtles, jellyfish, and more — before I turned it into line art ready for color. There's no wrong way to use it: color it with your kids, hand it to the colorist in your own life, or keep it for yourself on a quiet evening. It also makes a genuinely nice gift for pretty much any age — I made sure of that on purpose. This is the one I'd love for you to pick up first.
Floral design
Floristry
I'm an experienced professional florist, and it's some of the work I've loved most. There's something about standing at the counter with a customer, hearing what the day calls for, and putting together the right arrangement for them face to face that studio work alone never quite gives me.
Now that we're getting settled into our new city, I'd love to get back into floral work here. It's a craft that puts both my hands and my eye for color to use in the same afternoon, and there's nothing I'd enjoy more than bringing a smile to the faces of my new neighbors in Lansing, Michigan, one arrangement at a time.
About me
I work primarily with mechanical drafting pencils, ink, watercolor, and oil pencils — and I absolutely adore digital painting. Somewhere in there I've also worked as a comic book colorist and cover illustrator, taken on freelance illustration and graphic design, and co-created a science-fantasy book series with my husband. I'm forever on a quest to learn new things and push past my comfort zone.
I co-created the Nemia Rising series with Joseph Dattilo — worldbuilding and the visual side of a story about two dragons and a past that doesn't stay buried. Read about it at nemiarising.com, or see all of Joseph's books at josephdattilo.com/books.
We're in the middle of settling into a new city, and I'm hoping to be more active here again once we're settled in — thank you for your patience in the meantime.
What I work in
- Watercolor
- Ink
- Drafting pencil
- Oil pencil
- Digital painting
- Comic coloring
- Portraiture
- Fantastic realism
Illustration work
Some of my favorite illustration work has been for Lisa Mitrokhin's graphic novel series, Shellshock — I illustrated both chapters, start to finish, and they're two of the pieces I'm proudest of.
Shellshock: Chapter 2
Written by Lisa Mitrokhin
fully illustrated by Katherine Dattilo
More coming soon
I'm working on adding more here as we get settled in — my resume and CV, photos from past floral work, and a few of my favorite fine art and illustration pieces I can't wait to share. Check back soon.
- Resume / CV
- Floral work photos
- Favorite fine art & illustrations
My art practice
Art commissions
Alongside everything else, I take on a small number of art commissions here and there — portraits (people and pets), logos and identity work, illustrations, emote sets and streamer branding, and book or album covers. It's a side practice, not a studio, and I only take on what I have time for.
- Portraits
- Logo & identity
- Illustration
- Emote sets
- Stream overlays
- Book & album covers
If you have an idea, I'd love to hear about it — see the contact section below for how to reach us.
Commissions, licensing & business
My husband, Joseph Dattilo, handles licensing and business inquiries — commissions, wholesale, all of it — so I can keep my focus on the art. Reach out to him and he'll get you sorted.