Isabel • 15 • Wicklow

12-15 Category   •  2026
Volatile Vermillion is my depiction of a raging, vicious, roaring bear. It is inspired by human nature. As a teenagers we often experience moments of frustration and anger, and resistance to orders, wanting to find our own path and be independent, as all humans do. I convey these ideas of frustration and anger through the use of strong, Ragged, agitated, slashes of graphite pencil on the bear’s fur and outline. These lines also act as motion lines, so it makes it seem as if the bear is lashing out at the viewer – as if it is out of control with rage. This is where “volatile” in the title comes from. I think that using aggressive lines helps to capture the nature of the enraged beast. The bear is roaring as it shows its frustration and anger and its resistance to orders - just as teenagers are. For the background I chose to use red, as it further reinforces the idea of rage and danger. The red can also be viewed as blood from the bear’s prey. This colour contrasts with the colour of the bear, making it stand out. Again for the background I used aggressive, Spontaneous slashes of coloured pencil to show the volatile rage and danger.