Penelope Dullaghan

I’ve been doing Creat-a-thon for three years now. It’s a day where you work around the clock to help out non-profits. This time I worked with Vision 3 Creative on a really unique project — interior space design for a thrift store who helps needy people. We had to come a way to differentiate the space from the area around it… oh, and for almost NO money. Yipes.

So we came up with illustrations on a sparse printed banner (saves on ink costs) and striped paint around the outer walls. And fun window graphics as well. I also created design elements for the art director to use in the printed pieces that were to promote the store. They went along with photographs of the clothing that the store offered. (I’ll try to get some pics and add those to this post later.)

It all looks very sparse to let the clothes stand out and not get in the way of the actual purpose of the store. And the design we came up with saves on printing costs all around. Check out the elements below:

Banner to go along back wall:

Element from banner:

Element from banner:

Element for printed material:

Design elements for printed material:

This is a poster for Panera Bread that I recently finished for a test store in the midwest. I was thrilled to be able to play with typography as well as the illustration. Fun stuff!

Shambala Publications called wanting a cover image for their fall catalog, and I jumped all over it. How exciting… getting to play with fall colors and zen-like books — two of my favorite things. The masthead needed room at the top so I tried playing with some interesting perspectives. And they chose this one. After a few color comps we went to final and I really like how this piece turned out.

The NY Times Book Review called with a unique review for me to illustrate. The book, called “The Unfortunates”, was not an actual bound book, but a series of booklets that come in a box which you can read randomly. There is no set order… just a definitive first and last chapter. And it’s about one man’s memories and interpretations of his life… true to life. Pretty cool. I took that idea and ran with it. So I drew the author, and had him contained within the booklets that all add up to one big book.

Just a quick hello before I start on the massive pile of work I have in front of me…

- Saw this movie. Loved it. I think it helps put poo into perspective, a reminder I needed right now. Plus, every dining outdoors scene had me swooning and wishing for something similar. (I love eating al fresco.)

- My favorite tea right now. (Caffeine free Chamomile.) I’m completely out so I’ll have to stock up before the move… But it’s also available on Amazon. (side note: don’t you think Amazon’s site is an eye-sore?)

- This book is so pretty. Miss Kalman is a wonder!

- I got a wild hair and added three new sections to my site: fine art, type, and pattern. I love the type section especially and hope to get more work that allows me to play with lettering.

- Have been reading a lot of articles on this site. They seem to stand me up straighter.

Anyway, enjoy! And have a groovy Wednesday!

xo

Last night instead of continuing discussion about all this poo that’s happening right now, we decided to take ourselves to cheap dinner out and margaritas. (I don’t drink much at all, if any, these days since we’ve been trying for a kiddo. So an icy lime margarita was a real treat.) And we toasted to “right now, this very moment”. Because right then, that very moment? Our deep down divine selves were intact, perfect and wanting to party.

Then we went home and danced around the living room coffee table like idiots to some Al Green. hee.

Rock on.

Calling all miracles. You are needed front and center immediately.

There’s so much going on right now that I’ve been quiet about here. But I think I finally need to open it up and just ask for some good vibes, if you have any to spare…

The thing is: During May’s blog break, we sold our house here in South Carolina. It was truly a miracle because it sold one week after we told our realtor that we were hoping to move. We never even had a FOR SALE sign in the yard! And in this market? That’s amazing.

The plan is to move in with my brother and Alison for a while because she hasn’t been doing well since their move back to Indiana. I know I haven’t talked about her much here lately because she’d been doing so well. But now she’s not. Lots of pain. Radiation. Chemo. Throwing up. Losing weight. You name it. So we want to be there to help as much as we can… Get her to doctors appointments, cook some healthy meals, have some healing heart to hearts, etc. Just be a support and maybe help take some pressure off.

Everything was going according to plan (if not better) until last week…

Since then we’ve been hit with a bad inspection. (I don’t even want to talk about it.) And a bad appraisal. (Don’t want to talk about that either…)

It seems like roadblocks are going up one after the other. And it’s damn frustrating.

My husband said today that from way up above, we must look like tiny ants ringing our hands over grains of rice. Just ridiculous, really. But here, smack dab in it, it feels gross and unfair.

I am trying to live by the mantra: “This too shall pass.” Because it’s true. In five years none of this will matter much. And that does actually help me step back and gain some perspective. The home sale and stress and major repairs and all this crap do not matter… What matters is getting up to help family and be there with them.

But while we schlep along through this time, would you mind sending any good thoughts and prayers for Alison, and for us to get through this move quickly and as painlessly as possible? Just the tiniest little prayer would help and be much appreciated.

I’ll let you know what happens next…

thank you, friends!

It’s been crazy busy here in Lopie-land. I’ll tell you more about all that later… when the coast is clear.

But had to stop in quick to show you this palette idea that I just sent over to a client. Loads of vibrant and silvery blues. I LOVED putting this together and just immersed myself in the task (no pun intended). And after it was done, a little goggle-eyed swimmer appeared. (Sadly, she didn’t make it into the email.)

What colors are you noticing lately?

I was honored to do the cover for Cricket Magazine for their May/June 2008 issue. The assignment was a seasonal cover, not related to the stories in the issue… but meant to evoke the feeling of early summer.

What could be better than to capture being outside, chasing butterflies?

(If you pick up an issue, you can see a picture of me as a five-year-old. hee.)

A new piece for the SF Chronicle. This was about a little girl who was in foster care. After settling into her new home for a few months, she decided to give herself a new personal history: she gave birth to herself. Hence the story title.