Portfolio preparation · London, Ontario
Art portfolio preparation in London, Ontario, through academic drawing
Elena Ant teaches academic drawing to students preparing portfolios for art, design and animation programmes: perspective, form, tone, symmetry and composition, drawn from observation.
| Class | One class | Five classes |
|---|---|---|
| Group class | $35 | $150 |
| Individual class | $40 | $175 |
Adults preparing a portfolio take classes for adults: a group class is $40, or $175 for five, and an individual class is $45, or $200 for five.
Why start early
Why Elena Ant asks future art students to start before college
“I teach students to read fluently. Others arrive at college and only then start learning the alphabet.”
Elena Ant especially wants students who are preparing for college in art, design or animation to come for academic drawing. She sees many arrive without an understanding of perspective, form, tone, symmetry or composition.
Without those skills they struggle instead of learning, doing assignments at night that they do not know how to do. With them, students can take in what a college programme teaches.
Her advice to parents: if a child shows real interest in drawing, bring them to learn academic drawing and practise the skills early.
What schools ask for
Art, design and animation programmes that ask for a portfolio
- Bealart, H.B. Beal Secondary School (opens in a new tab)London
A portfolio of 5 images for Grade 9 Enriched Studio, and 10 for Grade 11 and After Grad Studio Practice.
- Western University, BFA in Studio Art (opens in a new tab)London
12 pieces of recent artwork showing a range of subject matter, approaches, techniques or media, with a personal statement.
- Sheridan College, Bachelor of Animation (opens in a new tab)Ontario
Observational drawing, including drawings of the human figure from life, and perspective line drawings.
- Sheridan College, Bachelor of Illustration (opens in a new tab)Ontario
A drawing test that counts for 70% of the assessment, plus observational drawing from life.
- OCAD University, BFA and BDes (opens in a new tab)Ontario
8 to 10 finished works, with process work; drawing from direct observation, such as figures and still life, is recommended.
- Seneca Polytechnic, Animation (opens in a new tab)Ontario
A life drawing of the whole body, your own hand and an object from observation, and a room in two-point perspective.
Requirements as published by each school in October 2026. They change from year to year, so check the school’s current admissions page before applying.
How to make an art portfolio: what to include, and how to photograph it
An eleven-year-old’s skull drawing
A skull is an academic drawing: it asks for volume, form, light, shadow and tone, and for showing near and far on a flat sheet. One of Elena Ant’s students drew it at eleven, so well that she corrected only a few points. The result looked like the work of an applicant to an art university.
See also: art classes for teens, ages 12 to 18, every price and how to enquire.
Ask Elena Ant about a place in a class
Tell her which class you are interested in. Groups take at most six students.