the midlife crisis of tarboush boy

the midlife crisis of tarboush boy . 2026

twenty years ago, i created 'tarboush boy' when i was a student at university. the story behind the character was of a shy kid from the arab world who felt out of place, until he put on his lucky fez (or tarboush in arabic) and transformed into the confident tarboush boy! the last time i illustrated him was circa 2009 – some of you might have seen him exhibited a few times.

a lot has changed in twenty years, for both of us! but tarboush boy seems comfortable in his own skin now more than ever...

if you're an og follower of this blog and my work, do let me know if you remember the original tarboush boy, or if you happen to have any old sketches of him that i might've shared or gifted. 

i don't know why i never got around to working on an actual comic of his adventures over the years. maybe we weren't ready to go on those adventures together yet. but i think i might be ready now – stay tuned...

until then, i'm ending this post with a couple of thumbnails of tarboush boy from days past, pulled from my second-ever blog post back in 2010...

on the way to 403

on the way to 403 zine . 2026

floor mats . 2026

it's officially summer and things are very hot, and very slow – the perfect time to share a fun little zine i worked on to cope with the heat!

every time i visit my friend in apartment 403, i'm always drawn to the doormats outside other people's apartments along the way. each tells a little story about who's inside – some are simple, some are fun, and some are just pure cringe! i thought it would be a fun idea to photograph these doormats and collect them in a zine, titled 'on the way to 403'.

the zine is different from the work i usually share as it doesn't include any of my illustrations. but doormats are technically textiles so maybe there is a connection to my practice after all! regardless, it was a needed activity to do, stepping away from what i regularly do and try something different. another special thing about this zine is that it's fully riso printed, courtesy of my favourite riso studio in town, full special studio. the riso print quality really plays into the textures of these mats.  i'm really happy with how it's all come together as a final zine.

'on the way to 403' is officially out in the world and limited to fifty copies only (each are hand numbered and signed). stay tuned for announcements on where they'll be available very soon.