How Art Fundamentals helped an aspiring illustrator realize 'Oh yeah, I'm meant for this'

As a youngster, Kaneráhtaien Doxtador-Swamp's creative passions were inspired by the people who surrounded her.

“Everyone on both sides of my family is an artist — not just visual art, but creating many different types of things,” she says. “For example, my mom is a carver, and she also makes dolls.”

Doxtador-Swamp was most drawn towards drawing and painting, dreaming of one day becoming a book illustrator. As a high school student, she designed orange T-shirts marking National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with all proceeds going to the Mohawk Village Memorial Park in Brantford, Ont.

But even with her natural talent, Doxtador-Swamp admits she still had a lot to learn when she began Sheridan’s Art Fundamentals program in 2024. We recently sat down with her to discuss her experiences in the program, including what she learned, how she was once again inspired by the support of an artistic community, and how it cemented her career goal of becoming an illustrator.

Why did you enrol in Art Fundamentals?

A lot of Sheridan's art degree programs are very competitive, especially Animation and Illustration. I wasn't able to get into Illustration, but they offered me admission to Art Fundamentals.

I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't taken Art Fundamentals, to be honest. It was really helpful to my growth as an artist and as a person. You're surrounded by fellow artists who are very hopeful. It's motivating because we're all working on our portfolios together and giving each other feedback and trying to help each other.

“I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't taken Art Fundamentals, to be honest. It was really helpful to my growth as an artist and as a person.”

Art Fundamentals is also a great way to gauge whether an arts degree will be the proper path for you. A four-year degree is a big commitment, and you don't want to get halfway through a degree program before realizing that you really don't like it. Or, if you're like me, you see how much you've grown in just one year, and you can't imagine how much more you're going to continue to grow as an artist.

Taking Art Fundamentals helped me get accepted into Sheridan’s Illustration degree, starting this September, and I'm really excited for the next four years.

What are some other valuable things that you've learned or gained from the Art Fundamentals program?

When I was a kid, I liked painting, but I stopped when I was 10 years old because I was getting frustrated. Art Fundamentals helped me pick it up again because I actually learned how to paint. It taught me basics like how to do underpainting first, or how to make blacks without using black paint. Now I'm developing my own style, and I'm learning to love painting again.

I've also learned how to create art digitally. Part of that is being surrounded by peers who are all on their iPads and using Apple Pencil and Procreate. Their work all looked so great that it made me want to try it as well.

My improvement has been unbelievable. I don't even want to look at what I created on my first day of life drawing because it wasn't good at all. But by the end of one month, I was already using shading and I'd learned so much about what a body looks like and how to properly portray it.

Was there a particular moment when you realized that studying Art Fundamentals at Sheridan was the right decision for you?

The moment that I really felt 'Oh yeah, I'm meant for this' was a day after I moved onto campus.

I was walking around the school, just trying to find my classes, and I saw all the art that was hanging up on the walls. I couldn't wait to meet all the people who were making this great art, and it made me want to someday have my art hanging up on those walls as well.

“The moment that I really felt 'Oh yeah, I'm meant for this' was a day after I moved onto campus.”

Now your art is literally on display at one of Sheridan's campuses! Can you tell us about that?

Near the end of my first semester, I created a beadwork design and submitted it into a logo contest for Sheridan’s Office for Indigenous Engagement and Education (OIEE). I chose beadwork because it's something that is shared across many nations, so people would recognize it as Indigenous art.

Once I designed it, I thought maybe it was a bit too complicated for a logo. But OIEE really liked it, and asked me if they could wrap it around a pillar in the Hazel McCallion Campus.

That was really exciting because I'd never seen my art on such a large scale before, and it was also one of the first digital pieces I've done.

In what other ways have you felt supported at Sheridan as an Indigenous student?

I go to the Centre for Indigenous Learning and Support (CILS) pretty often, mainly just to visit people and talk. It has helped me become more social and gain a sense of community at Sheridan.

In February, the CILS ran a workshop that taught us how to create traditional Haudenosaunee baskets. It came at a time when I was really stressed about putting finishing touches on my portfolio and getting into the program I want. Being able to talk to other people while making baskets was really relaxing and a nice break from my academic stress.

Now that you’ve been accepted into Illustration, what are you looking forward to next?

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a bookworm who has always been enchanted about the illustrations. It inspired me to draw like that, and it’s what made me want to become an illustrator.

So I’m really excited that the Illustration degree is specifically aimed on developing those skills and isn’t just about art in general. I’m also excited about the internship between third and fourth year, since I think it can really open get my foot in the door of the industry.

---

Learn how Sheridan’s Art Fundamentals program can awaken the artist in you with classical instruction in life drawing, painting, sculpture, two-dimensional design, technical drawing and more.