Sarah • 12 • Dublin

12-15 Category   •  2026
For my This is Nature! artwork, I created a girl standing in front of trees. The girl is based on my Lottie doll called “Forest Friend”, and I named her Esther. Esther is not just a doll to me. I love writing, and this artwork is part of a story I am creating about my doll collection. In the picture, the grey shapes in the background represent a village that has been destroyed. Esther has special powers — she can grow plants and flowers whenever she wants. When she was thirteen, she was sent into the forest to collect wild fruit. While she was gone, her village was attacked by Vikings and left in ruins. When Esther returned, she used her plant magic to grow a large forest around the village and created a mist to hide it from the world. Because Esther fully embraced her connection to nature, she gained eternal life and stopped ageing at thirteen. She treats the animals in her forest like family because she lost her own. This artwork connects to the theme This is Nature! because it shows how nature is connected to both life and loss, and how it can protect, heal, and remember. My inspiration came from the movie The Secret of Kells, which includes forests and Viking history, and from Encanto, especially the character Isabela, who has plant magic like Esther. I used Zierler Graphic Markers, Sharpies, and Brilliant Colours for this drawing. I found it difficult to decide on Esther’s hair colour, so I researched it and discovered it was red. Instead of using maroon, I chose light and dark browns to make it more interesting. I also used different shades of colour to create a shading effect. I really enjoy making art and have been drawing from a very young age. I made mistakes while creating this piece, but I believe that is part of art — experimenting, learning, and trying new colour schemes. I started this drawing in pencil and originally planned to draw Esther holding a bunny, but I changed the idea as the drawing developed. I hope you enjoy my artwork.