Seven. Whole. Years!
Seven years of constantly checking his blog and seeing what new benchmark had been made (like the 500 page mark). Finally- 672 pages of an amazingly masterfully crafted, gorgeous work in my possession. I read it over this past weekend, and am already looking forward to re-reading it.
The design of the book, the calligraphy, the storytelling, and the drawings are all equally breathtaking. It's not a comfortable read, being very dark in multiple ways (one of them being the multiple sex scenes, including those involving rape and a sex with a child), and the story is largely propelled by agony and loss - but it's beautiful regardless.
In any case, I got my copy of Habibi on its release day, and got it signed-- so it's pretty much one of the most awesome things I own now.
Oh yeaaaaaah, soakin' up the talent by osmosisss.
If I ever produce something half as good as that book, I'd be satisfied with myself for the rest of my life.
Welp, have my goals set.
Here's an example of me feeling creatively discouraged:
This one I did today is based on how there's been this bamboo plant growing in a small glass soft drink bottle in my house now for what seems like forever-- probably for 10 years now. I've never paid much attention to it until recently, when I noticed how top-heavy it looked.
Not having quite fully outgrown its container yet, but silly-looking nonetheless.
I personally think that the first set works, and the second set doesn't at all. Trial and error, is all.