neil packer

illustrator

ILLUSTRATION

Various Spreads from One of a Kind, written and illustrated by Neil Packer winner of the Bologna Ragazzi Award for non fiction 2021.

Illustrated Train Garden No. 1 was created in the early part of 2016. It was built as a response to my concerns over the destruction of a great many pubs, venues, shops and institutions which have meant a good deal to me over the 30 years that I have called London my home.

This is a very personal map, and although many of the buildings depicted here are still very much in place and functioning, many are not, and others are under threat, they all however have a significant meaning to me. It feels like every time I take a walk through a neighbourhood that I have not visited for a while I am struck by the absence of another much loved building ,or these days more often than not an entire block.

I sense that I am loosing my own personal history of London, indeed we are loosing our collective history of London as it is rapidly replaced by a profoundly dull version of itself, as quaffed and polished and un-interesting as the inhabitants that are now displacing many of us who can no longer afford to live in our own home.

Part memorial, part educational and part toy it was made with my own son in mind in order carry the joy that I and his mother found in our city into the conscience of new generations.

This is very much my own London, unique to me in its totality, but all of its parts were shared with millions of others, perhaps even you. I am happy to create other versions of this or any other city to your own specifications. Should you be interested in commissioning such an object for yourself then please do not hesitate to contact me via this website.

ILLUSTRATED TRAIN GARDEN PAGE. CLICK HERE

BESPOKE TRAIN SETS, ILLUSTRATED TO COMMISSION . CLICK HERE.

PATTERNS CLICK HERE

These images are from a project undertaken in the early 2000s, the idea being; to create a forged one off painting of a vintage postcard in a photorealistic style to the exact size of the original postcard. I had intended that it would be unrecognisable as an illustration unless it was subjected to close examination. To what extent I succeeded in this primary objective, I am not sure! the above are digital scans of a colour photocopys of the originals and do them less than justice, but it gives an idea at least.
The second phase of the project was to then affix a postage stamp to the reverse of the illustration, now rendered on card similar in weight to that of a picture postcard and post the illustration along with a suitable message written on the reverse to the address of the buyer of the work. The idea being that the artwork is exposed to both the elements and the rigours of the postal system, with hopefully some franking added along the way. Any damage incurred would then become a part of the art.
The first work was bought by a client in Atlanta and mailed from a box as near to the site of Cliff House as I could find. It survived its 3 day journey intact and with disappointingly very little weathering or damage applied. Others sustained more, but eventually I stopped making them, as the stress of worrying for anything up to a week as to whether or not £3000 of uninsured artwork would reach its destination proved too much.
The second was never posted and remains un distressed. I re discovered it on an old friends west last weekend and was struck by how much better my eyesight was then.

1 Cliff House illustration by Neil Packer 4 ins x 6 ins
Gouache on cardboard with additional distressing by the US postal service and weathered by God.
2 New York Times Square by Neil Packer 4ins x 6 ins
Gouache on cardboard.

The Cat of Kazan Lubok created for the Iranian international peace exhibition 2022.

Illustrations from the Folio Society edition of Dante”s The Divine Comedy.

Above are two examples of re worked artwork from One of a Kind.