Art & Design students from Waltham Forest College embarked on a live brief to design prints of iconic locations in Walthamstow, now for sale in the E17 Art House ‘Summer of Colour’ exhibition.

The College’s Creative Department collaborated with E17 Art House in Walthamstow to create a live brief to visualise some of Walthamstow’s most iconic buildings on prints and greeting cards. This was a great opportunity for our students to demonstrate their high-level skills in industry and gain valuable experience of the practitioner/client relationship.

Students were asked to consider the interests and constraints of E17 Art House as a creative business. They were encouraged to explore Walthamstow, take photographs and experiment with a series of drawings and image manipulation exercises before arriving at their final outcomes. This process was an integral part of the students’ assessed coursework. Students received valuable feedback to help keep them on brief throughout the process.

Emma Bailly, Art & Design Level 3 student, whose artwork of the iconic Walthamstow Assembly Hall is now on sale at the E17 Art House commented:

“It’s been a challenging experience that has opened me up to new skills. It was a big surprise to find out my work has been chosen and displayed for sale at the E17 Art House! It has inspired me to experiment further with architectural photography, illustration and design.”

Ilford Recorder:

Peter Cottrill, Art & Design Lecturer said: “An art challenge can be a great way for any artist to improve their skills, build a body of work and is a social activity. It was an enjoyable experience and students came back to the studio to review and share what they had seen before working towards their final pieces.”

The results from the live brief were so positive that E17 Art House co-owners, Kirsten Schmidt and Elaine McCloskey, selected some of the work to sell and exhibit alongside established artists' work.

Kirsten said: “We are very excited to include work produced by students from Waltham Forest College in our latest exhibition, ‘Summer of Colour'. We are so impressed by how talented these young artists and designers are.

"This valuable experience of working to a live brief, deadline and technical specifications will benefit the students in their early careers. We hope that this has given them even more confidence in their work.”

Ilford Recorder:

The ‘Summer of Colour’ exhibition is open and running until Saturday 19th August at E17 Art House, based at 54 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 4PG. The gallery, which champions local artists, is open Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm.

If you would like to apply for an Art & Design course at Waltham Forest College visit www.waltham.ac.uk for more information.