A Welwyn primary school has become a little bit more beautiful thanks to a brand new mural.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Clara working on the mural. Picture: supplied by Clara NicollsClara working on the mural. Picture: supplied by Clara Nicolls (Image: supplied by Clara Nicolls)

Oaklands Primary School has cheered up one of its hallways by inviting illustrator Clara Nicoll to design and paint artwork on the wall.

Clara, 43, is a professional illustrator and portrait artist from Bedfordshire, counts the Sunday Times and numerous business-to-business publications among her clients, but had never done a commission for a primary school before.

After paying a visit, she got inspired by the school’s tree-themed name and logo, and its core values of respect, honesty and kindness.

“My idea shows the children interacting with the tree and each other in a way that illustrates these values,” she said.

“It’s a lovely school, definitely,” she said, saying she particularly liked the natural and organic feel of the playground.

The mural is approximately 1.5m by 1m in size, and painted in acrylic and emulsion.

Clara, who was born in Hitchin, keeps a blog showing the process of her work at www.claranicoll.com.