Suzanne Butler has always thought of her artwork as just a hobby.
However, she now has a reason to start looking at it a bit more seriously.
Butler, a junior at Lake Orion High School, recently won first prize in the 11th- grade category of the 18th North American International Auto (NAIA) Show Poster Contest.
‘I love doing graphic design,? Butler said. ‘My mom calls me a mushroom because I sit in front of the computer so long.?
For her efforts, Butler won $500 and tickets to the NAIAS.
Her work will be displayed at the show, as well as in the LOHS showcase.
The poster was created using Butler’s original design and artwork in Adobe Photoshop, as part of an assignment for Mrs. Stephanie Harris? Computer Art 3 class.
‘One of the benchmarks (of the class) was that we had to enter a contest,? Butler said.
‘That’s a big part of this class,? Harris said of the submission process.
Submitting work in contests is something Butler is very shy about doing.
However, she hopes that attitude will go to the wayside, now that her work has been recognized.
Harris said the NAIAS contest is very popular in this area, making Butler’s achievement even more notable.
‘We enter every year,? she said. ‘Everybody enters. It’s a huge participation rate.?
There were over 300 entries from 49 Michigan high schools.
The recognition Butler received could be the start of big things for her in the design field.
‘You have to be an extremely hard- working person,? Harris said of the qualities the industry desires.
‘It’s tough to break into the top of the industry.?
Harris said that Butler has some of the skills needed to make it.
Butler, who is also interested in business and marketing, credited those around her for making the end result what it was.
‘My starting idea and ending idea were two completely different things,? she said.
‘I got a lot of advice from a lot of different people.?
Butler started with the wheel idea, and things grew from there.
She credited her mother with the idea to put words on the spokes.
Butler will be making three trips to the NAIAS.
One of the visits she took was during design week, where she got a chance to meet some of the top designers in the industry.
Her work, along with other metro area winners, is on display at the NAIAS, which runs through Jan. 22.
A copy of the poster can be viewed at www.naias.com.