Newport resident’s design almost in the bag

Newport Beach artist Heidi Dobrott has been chosen as a finalist from 800 entries in grocer Fresh & Easy’s Design-a-Bag contest.

Dobrott’s design is a watercolor-style butterfly with a split-open papaya and romaine lettuce leaves as wings, a carrot for a torso a cherry for a head. It is bright, simple and pretty — just as Dobrott intended.

“I wanted it to be very simple and I wanted to be something that was graphically strong, so that when you saw the bag across the parking lot or in the store you would immediately know was it was,” she said.

Dobrott is a professional graphic designer who grew up in Newport Beach and graduated from UCLA.

Fresh & Easy chose Dobrott and nine other finalists. The designer with the most votes on freshandeasy.com will get his or her work splashed on reusable grocery bags in all of the chain’s stores, as well as $5,000 in groceries.

Dobrott said she’s been encouraging her friends and family to vote every day. The voting ends July 10, and the winner will be announced July 26.

— Alexandra Baird