Elham Numan

Black tiger parents is an illustration I did from the perspective of a child who is up against an authoritarian parent. It is difficult for the child to understand the dominant attitude of the parent - that attitude depicted as a looming tiger - and it is even more difficult to see how this controlling nature can be rooted in necessity and even survival for a Black parent. While the colourful, organic shapes are meant to evoke childlike wonder, the solid rigidness of the tiger's outline acts in contrast, representing the parental figure’s strict control.

Elham Numan is an award-winning graphic designer and illustrator who has been creating curious and colourful illustrations and editorial work that focus on translating complicated social challenges into plainly understood visual terms. Her design and illustration work has appeared in FLARE, Chatelaine, Today's Parent, The Varsity, and the ADCC Directions Annual. Elham has a growing interest in collaborative art making and co-created work with a keen curiosity towards the book as an art object.