Neil Podbery Fine Artist

I Am Pleased To Welcome You To My Website

ART

I started drawing as a young child and was fascinated by railways, aircraft and cars. Following school and Art College, I made my first foray into the commercial art world through membership of the Guild of Railway Artists, and in the years since, my photorealistic work has become collected by private individuals and corporate clients around the world. Oils are my preferred medium, and among my favourite pieces is the composition of the Aston Martin DB6 Volante belonging to the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle at the first Concours of Elegance, in 2012. The commission came about following my appointment as Artist in Residence for the Concours.
Please contact me by email or telephone if you are interested in commissioning a painting.

WEATHERING

Age 10, due to my love of railways, I built a model layout with the help of my Dad. I wished to make the locomotives and rolling stock I had look as realistic as possible. This led me to weathering them, always using photographic references from railway books and magazines. Being an artist nearly all my life, I have gained considerable experience in the use of colour and the understanding of how to create texture and form in two dimensions. I use this directly when undertaking my weathering work. The knowledge and skill enables me to create a completely bespoke weathered locomotive, piece of rolling stock, road vehicle, plus model buildings and their surroundings, for a customer. I like to think of the work much as my artwork on canvas, in that I try and attain a photorealistic quality to it, but in this case with three-dimensional models.
Please contact me by email or telephone if you are interested in commissioning weathering work.

SCENERY AND BACKSCENE PAINTING

I've always had a fascination and love for the landscape; rolling countryside, suburban settings, or gritty urban scenes. As previously explained, I wished the locomotives and rolling stock I had to look as realistic as possible when running on my layout and I wanted the landscape they ran through to be equally so. Once more, the knowledge I have gained from my life as an artist I use directly when creating modelled scenery, painting a backscene and combining the two to create forced perspective for a model layout or diorama. I'm employed professionally in this capacity by a number of private individuals, both as a landscape modeller, backscene painter and a diorama builder.
Please contact me by email or telephone if you are interested in commissioning a diorama, any scenic modelling, backscene painting or a combination of all three

Weathering

The techniques I use to create the weathering effects on locomotives and rolling stock are pretty varied. I use a dual-action airbrush to blow over some basic weathering tones, mainly on the chassis, roofs and boiler barrels (if a steam loco) but the majority of the process is undertaken by brushwork with oil and enamel paints, powders and water-soluble pencil crayon. None of the effects are 'fixed' per se, as this has a habit of making everything look the same tone and texture. However, I do use the airbrush with a tiny amount of 'weathered colour' from a distance, nearing the end of the project (at a low pressure) to 'semi'-fix the powders in place. It also helps to blend the whole together, to create a cohesive look, whilst retaining the different textures and effects
The images below are courtesy of Chris Nevard/Model Rail Magazine.
Shed Diorama owned by David Thomas, built by Paul Bambrick

Steam Locomotives

Malcolm Mitchell Kit

Built and painted my David Thomas depicting GWR 4407
Eric Underhill Kit

Built and painted by David Thomas depicting GWR 2069
Eric Underhill Kit

Built and painted by David Thomas depicting GWR 2012
Malcolm Mitchell Kit

Built and painted my David Thomas depicting GWR 5634

Diesels

Heljan RTR 1011

'Western Thunderer'
Heljan RTR 1011

'Western Thunderer'

Scenery

The majority of the scenery building techniques I use are based on the teachings of Paul Bambrick, Gordon & Maggie Gravett and Giles Favell. Good research and reference are essential; nothing modelling-wise is undertaken without studying various reference material first. I make much use of the modern modelling phenomenon of static grass as well as using other techniques based on 'old fashioned materials' such as dyed carpet underlay and twisted florist wire for trees (I'm also not averse to using natural products such as plant roots to create trees and bushes etc). There is a huge range of wonderful products on the market from the likes of Tremendus, Polak and some of the continental ranges such as Anita Decor and NOCH that all aid me in creating as realistic a scene as possible.

Backscene Painting/3D Backscene Modelling

The work of Paul Bambrick has been fundamental in changing the perception of what a backscene can truly be, and modelling in general! Combining sensitive controlled painting in 2D with forced perspective in 3D to create something incredibly realistic that fools the eye, or to use its official term Trompe L'oeil. Working with these techniques, under his guidance, I now produce work in this way in order to generate realistic backscenes that blend the 3D elements of a model or diorama with the 2D backscene. (All painted in Oils)

Cow Parsley

Field Margin Detail - 7mm Scale
Dainton Bank Backdrop

Looking South - 7mm Scale (Forced Perspective)
Dainton Bank Sidings

Looking West - 7mm Scale
Dainton Bank Sidings

Looking East - 7mm Scale
Railway Boundary

(work in progress) - 7mm Scale
Gropers Lane

Dainton Bank - 7mm Scale

Painted Sky

the beginnings of a backscene
Painted sky with landform

Initially in 2D to be later blended into 3D

Panorama

The Generate a Panorama program is a way of gaining specific knowledge about how the landform of the 2D-3D backscene could look and is a terrific aid in getting the landform correct for a chosen prototype. In the case of a fictitious place it is still possible with this software to base a models surroundings somewhere geographically.

Panorama 1
Panorama 2
Panorama 3

MOTORING

a selection of motoring art

A wet day at Montlhery

Oil on canvas, monochrome, 10" x 12"
Private collection
Legendary Bentley, 1930 Le Mans

Oil, Monochrome 10" x 8"
Private collection
Ascent through the Stelvio Pass

Oil on canvas, 12" x 10"
Private collection
Two Racing Legends (1955 Le Mans)

Oil on canvas, monochrome 15" x 12"
Private collection
The Next Leg

18" x 14"
Private collection
Windsor Reflections

Oil on canvas
Private collection
Rodriguez continues on his winning way

Oils, monochrome, 10" x 8"
Private collection
Bugatti Aerolithe Prototype

Oil on canvas, monochrome, 30" x 24"
Private collection
Home From Home

Pencil drawing, 7" x 8"
Private collection
Straight-Eight Thoroughbred

Oil on canvas, 18" x 14"
Private collection
Sheene

Oil on canvas, monochrome, 20" x 16"
Private collection
Time out at Studland Bay

Oil on canvas, 12" x 10"
Private collection
1956 Millie Miglia

Oil on canvas, monochrome 27" x 13.5"
Private collection
Simply Speed

Oil on panel, 9.5" x 5"
Private collection
Morris Minor

Pencil Drawing, 10" x 8"
Available for purchase £495
Moss racing through the shadows

Oil on canvas, monochrome, 11" x 7"
Private collection
GT40

Oil on panel, 13" x 7.5"
available for purchase £1495
The Count on the Carousel

Oil on panel, 10" x 5"
Private collection
Master And Creation

Oil on canvas, 12" x 10"
Private collection
1985 Haspengouw Rally

Oil on canvas 35" x 27"
Private collection
5 of the Magnificent 7 and the boy with the Red GTO

Oil on canvas, 14.5" x 7"
Private collection
Return To Le Mans

Oil on panel, 9" x 6"
Private collection
Hawthorn on his way to victory

Oil on canvas, 10" x 12"
Private collection
Nuvolari and The Count (1934 French Grand Prix)

Oil on canvas, Monochrome 10" x 6"
Private collection