 She later honed her illustrating skills under the direction of the iconic Alan E. Cober at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.Soon after, Sweeny became a staff designer and illustrator for The Detroit News, working alongside other notable illustrators like Don Asmussen.During this time, Sweeny developed as a caricaturist, and received national recognition; an original illustration of musician Paul Simon is now part of a Library of Congress collection.