For this project (the illustration) I knew I wanted to try it immediately because it left a lot of room for creativity. I love making things that have heavy irony or contrast as well, so the negative piece concept attracted me. My intention was to take some iconic and easily recognizable pieces and twist them to match my crazy thoughts. I wanted my positive piece to be colorful and easy to replicate using my imagination to make it match my theme. As for my negative piece it didn't make too much of difference because I wanted to use darker colors, either way, to add to the theme of the piece. These colors would add to the negative vibe I was trying to display in my final piece. 

      Working on this piece and experimenting with oil pastels, something that I have previous experience with, but not much success has taught me many things about the coloration and use of certain medium and the effects it can have on the evaluation of the piece. Oil pastels allow the piece to match the baroque period better but are harder to portion and can cause the piece to look rushed or low quality overall. Colored pencils are good in the fact that they are easy to manage and distribute, making the maintenance of the piece easier. They, however, can cause the piece to look more preliminary and simple, losing its artistic crutch and its creativity. 

     In May, a few months from now, I will be fasting Ramadan, a month where I cannot eat or drink from dawn until dusk. One of the reasons my religion practices this month of fasting is to recognize and understand the hardships poor people have to go through daily, going long times without food or drink. I wanted to reflect this concept in one of my pieces. I chose to represent poverty by taking a piece from a very high-living standard and reducing it greatly. I wanted my piece to be the exact inverse of the milkmaid. 

     To successfully do this I have replaced the Milkmaid with a lonely man. The table is empty, showing the lack of money and lack of food that he has. I turned the clean, painted wall of the milkmaid into a torn, wallpaper wall with numerous holes and gashes in it. The clothes of the man are also torn and rugged, unlike the clothes of the milkmaid that were clean and washed. I included a window as well, however, it is covered, allowing light through a few rare holes in it, only seeping through the slightest of rays from the outside. This is to show the poor living conditions of the man and representing the poverty of the neighborhood around him as well. The table in the piece is much lower, representing a lower status. the man is holding leaning on a cane in the piece showing bad health from bad nutrition. Finally, the controversial part of the piece, a part that I simply can't leave out of any of my art, is the dog. The dog is in a soft and comfortable bed, with a bowl for food and is facing away from his caretaker. That represents how people take better care of their dogs then themselves now and shows how ungrateful one can be, even if they are face to face with their fate.

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     The piece Man at the Crossroads is a very controversial piece, and that is something that my art needs. I wanted to represent society somehow and this piece was perfect for this. I wanted to represent media and power and I used this piece because of its perfect movement and use of space effectively to bring the viewers attention to the centerpiece.

     I placed in the center of the piece a man with an iron mask and wings, representing society's elite. In the man's hands are two things, one is a coin and the other is a plant. the coin represents wealth, and the plant represents creativity and growth. The man is wearing a suit to show his higher status and power, as people who are dressed nicely are generally better respected and represented. Behind the man are people blocked off by roadblocks and are attempting to grab at the main character of the piece. They represent the people of society and they are all faceless, showing their lack of personal creativity and their tendency to follow. Some of the figures of the crowd have similar masks on, but they are clearly fake showing their absolute failure in replicating the blessings of the powerful man. Behind the man is also an elevator, showing his loss of consciousness, as celebrities are always rushing to leave, never being there for their people. The elevator also represents the very top of society.