TH FABULOUS WOMii mpORTS VALLE JUL LE BELT4 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL Page 1: Lilith, Boris Vallejo, 1988, calendar Page 2: Black Unicorn, Boris Vallejo, 1995, calendar Journey, Julie Bell, 2001, calendar THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO AND JULIE BELL Text Copyright © 2006 by Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell lllustration Copyright © 2006 by Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Collins Design, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022 HarperCollins books may be purchased for educational business, or sales promotional use. For information, please write; Special Markets Department, HarperCollins Publishers 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022. First published in North America in 2006 by: Collins Design An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 10 East 53rd Street New York, N¥ 10022 Tel: (212) 207-7000 Fax; (212) 207-7654 collinsdesign@harpercollins.com www. harpercollins.com Distributed throughout North America by: HarperCollinsPublishers 10 East 53rd Street New York, NY 10022 Fax: (212) 207-7654 Library of Congress Control Number; 2006928006 ISBN: 978-0-06-115921-3 Commissioning Editor: Chris Stone Design: Philip Clucas MSIAD Text; David and Anthany Palumbo Reproduction by Anorax, UK Printed by Craft Print International Ltd, Singapore Second printing, 2007 Gryphon Keeper, Boris Vallejo, 1989, calendar-THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL INTRODUCTION In 1989, our mom wanted us to meet a man named Boris. We were small-town kids aged seven and nine, and until then, totally unaware of Boris Vallejo and his art. This big man with a strange accent came to our door, and we dutifully stuck out our hands for a polite, manly shake, as our mother made us practice. Boris slapped us five. We were impressed. We'd never met anyone like Boris, and this grown-up who spent all day painting monsters, dragons, and mysterious women, this man with long silver hair who shared his Peruvian street- fighting tactics with us for dealing with school-yard bullies, well... he seemed like a pretty cool guy. Boris was our introduction to fantasy art. Before we knew it, we were family. Julie had been drawing and painting for years, but had yet to fully develop her abilities as an artist. Boris shared his techniques and knowledge with her, for which she proved to be a shockingly quick study. It wasn't long before Julie was illustrating professionally, pupil keeping pace with the master. They set up a pair of easels next to one another in the family room, and painted side-by-side all day long, listening to classical music on the stereo and resting their brushes only for meals and daily excursions to the gym. Having suddenly found ourselves with professional fantasy artists for parents was a great thrill. We'd come home from school to discover that Mom was bringing our favorite superheroes to life more vividly than ‘ Alfa, Julie Bell, 2002, calendar anyone ever had before, or that Boris was painting the artwork for a video-game that hadn't yet been released. Getting the red carpet treatment at science fiction conventions was also a nice treat for a couple of young, geeky boys. Receiving hordes of free comics, coming face to face with the likes of Darth Vader or The Misfits, watching our parents sign autographs, they were memorable experiences. All the while, they painted and painted. Boris helped Julie hone her skills, and she in turn made an unexpected, dramatic impact on his work. It is their meeting which marks a meaningful turning point for Boris. He found his feminine ideal in Julie, and from then on it was strong women who would be the star subjects of his paintings. They are the female embodiment of power and beauty, a vision to behold. Today, more than fifteen years later, we find Boris and Julie still painting alongside one another. They are closer every day, and have collaborating on occasional projects: painting the recently begun elements separately and combining them digitally, or simply passing the board back and forth between their easels as they take turns with the figures. They go to the gym only three days a week now, and the stereo is as likely to be playing one of Julie’s rock CDs as it is a selection from Boris’ vast collection of classical music, but the art continues to be as enrapturing as ever. Monsters, dragons, and mysterious women. Power and beauty, a vision to behold. Anthony and David Palumbo, June 2006 a.THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 9 « Amazon Rider, Boris Valllejo, 1983, book cover Boris painted more than 400 book jackets over a period of 20 years. In this cover from the early Eighties, we see how Bor'is’s vision of powerful females has evolved over time. Julie Says, “She looks like she is powerful in temperament, but her body isn’t as powerful as those of the women Boris paints now. That animal is insane, look at the feet!” Boris laughs, “It’s a wild, crazy unicorn.” Russian Fairy, Julie Bell, 2002, calendar “There was a certain person who was questioning whether or not | was really doing my own work. This person was suggesting that Boris was hiding income by having me take credit for his paintings When | did this for the calendar, | video taped myself doing every step of the painting and explaining what | was doing. | never had to show anyone the video though. I’ve never even watched it.” — Julie{ Commander, “Something of a departure from Boris’ typical illustration, this painting focuses less on the body and more on the intensity of the woman’s face. The sense of “danger, drama, and action, are ' described though the character's tense expression in an otherwise static composition. SIHE MESSAGE OF | mae FIRST ONE WE SSHOULD LOVE IS BOURSELVES.’ BORIS BIHIS PIECE IS THAT THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 11 First Love, Boris Vallejo, 1987, Mirage interior art Boris spent three years preparing work for Mirage, during which he was under no art direction, thus creating some of his most personal pieces. “The message of this piece is that the first one we should love is ourselves.”12 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL “ILLUSTRATIONS HAVE TO TELL A STORY USING ONLY PGTURES, AND WHEN | ADD SOMETHING UNEXPECTED FO bEEL LS DERE EM GREATING A REO T TWisd: Blessed are the Stars, Boris Vallejo, 71995, calendar A common ingredient in Boris’ fantasy paintings is unexpected imagery from other genres. ‘Illustrations have to tell a story using only pictures, and when | add something unexpected to it, | feel it’s like I’m creating a plot twist.” Dangerous Kiss, Julie Bell, 1994, calendar Both Boris and Julie were fans of the old Zorro movies as youngsters. They got the chance to live out a childhood fantasy by taking on the roles in this painting. Says Julie, “I liked Zorro’s accent, which is also something | like about Boris!”Space Guardian, Boris Vallejo, 1978, book cover In this painting, we can see the influence of Esteban Maroto, a Spanish fantasy artist whom Boris has long held in high regard End of the Day, Julie Bell, 2003, calendar Julie was very inspired by her model, Lana, while working on this piece. “Her poses are always very sensuous. She immediately got into this character, making me think she was part dragon. When | started this, | saw the dragons as her lovers, but as | painted, | began to see that she is their child and will become a dragon. She's got little fins and she’s gonna become her mother some day. That sucks!” she laughs.16 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL ‘TTS: A FUNNY STORY ON THIS ONE. ORIGINALLY IT WAS A PAINTING OF A CABLE REPAIR GUY PARTING THE SEAS LIKE MOSES. AFTERWARDS, BORIS TOOK OUT THE GUY AND PUT THE GIRD ING! JULIE Parting the Seas, Boris Vallejo, 1999, calendar >>aes - 2 :18 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BEL Bodybuilding, Boris Vallejo, 1986, promotional poster Boris has always worked primarily in oils, but with this painting he experimentally incorporated the use of an airbrush. “I didn’t like it. | felt it made everything look too mechanical.” I a Sun Princess, Boris Vallejo, 1978, book cover This painting shows Boris’ early experimentation with blending graphic art nouveau patterns and highly rendered figures. This is an idea he would further develop in his first book, Mirage. |) DIDNT LIKE IT [WORKING TNL OLES!: [PEL IL MADE EVERYTHING LOOK TOO MECHANICAL.’ BORISsurprised tc in the film Th influen whil22 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL “WHEN JULIE PAINTS THE WOLVES, SHE DOES THIS VERY BELIEVABLE FUR. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU COULD TOUGH PE. PYWVISE | COULD DO LAS WELL. BORIS Wolf Girl, Boris Vallejo, 1997, calendar »24 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL “SOMETIMES IT’S FUN TO IGNORE THE RULES- EIS ONE OF THE THINGS [LOVE ABOUT FANTASY ART." Suzanne, Boris Vallejo, 7993, calendar Boris: “This painting was a sort of exercise for me. | forced myself to leave out the lower body, which is! an area | enjoy painting. | wanted to Witch and her Familiar, Boris Vallejo, 1982, calendar challenge myself, to be as - - outrageous as possible, so | tried to “Boris always liked horror movies and this reminds me of a include as many fantasy clichés ab | horror movie. He used to sit up at night as a kid and hope could.” that ghosts would come to him. That’s something | would Julie: “Sometimes it’s fun to ignore never do ‘cause | was really scared of ghosts and witches the rules. It’s one of the things | love when | was a kid!” - Julie about fantasy art.”26 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 4 Bride, Boris Vallejo 1981, book cover This is the original cover of Mirage, of which several variations have been printed. Boris says, “It was probably used as the cover because it didn’t show nudity. Looking at this painting after so many years, | see that | never get tired of painting water. One of the reasons why | think | love the sea so much is that | grew up at the shore. My house was about two blocks from the ocean. If | woke up at night, | would hear the waves.” Boris was raised in La Punta, Peru, outside of Lima. He has yet to learn how to swim. Gemini, Boris Vallejo 1987, calendar “The image of Gemini being twins. | wanted to create a butterfly out of the two women, which was exactly what | saw when | shot the pictures of my model.”28 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL Gryphon Keeper, Boris Vallejo, 1991, calendar The model in this piece is Janice Ragain, a top female bodybuilder of her time. One reason that Boris enjoys working with bodybuilders is because they know their physiques very well, and they know what kind of poses will show them off.| , PiHippocampus, s Vallejo, 1997 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & Ash, Julie Bell, 1994, trading card This painting appeared in the Creators’ Edition Master Series trading cards, in which the participating artists presented their own original characters. Here we see Julie’s Ash, the element of fire on her planetTHE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 33 « Berserk, Boris Vallejo, 7994, calendar A recurring theme in Boris’ paintings is that of Beauty and the Beast, with Beauty typically being a woman in control of the Beast. AT SHOWS HER POWER, THAT SHE IS IN COMMAND OF THESE MONSTERS THAT ARE ALL FIGHTING WIE EACH OTHER. BORIS34 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL “MOST OF MY FEMALE MODELS WANT TO BE MERMAIDS... [ PREFER MERMAIDS WITHOUT THE FISH TAILS: sonsTHE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 35 « Nyads, Boris Vallejo, | 1989, calendar “Most of my female | models want to be | mermaids. | have to "say | prefer mermaids _ without the fish tails. | The Nyads are | creatures of Greek mythology, and fish tails are never mentioned in any of the descriptions I've seen.” Piranha, Boris Vallejo, 1995, calendar “| like the simplicity of a high-tech gradient background to enhance the details in the main subject.”THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 37 BY LAAMING IT \ al \ XPLOSTON Bitch, Julie Bell, 1996, calendar38 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL «¢ Ice Queen, Boris Vallejo, 1997, calendar “We ran into this girl at the gym. We get a lot of our models there. | often wonder what this girl is doing in the ice without any clothes, but heck, she isthe Ice Queen, so who am | to question?” The Angel Rides, *? Julie Bell, 2000, calendar “This girl is a total bad-ass.” says Julie. “She just goes all over the place, wherever she wants, not afraid or restricted, totally free.” The piece was born from her design of a fantastic motorcycle figurine for the Franklin Mint. She was taken with the idea and elaborated on it, eventually developing the concept into a painting. “*...1 used to wear this bathing suit as a teenager.”THE FABULOUS EN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 39THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 41 Winged Warrior, Boris Vallejo, 1997, calendar Boris hired Dinah Anderson, one of Julie’s bodybuilding heroes, to model for this paintingTHE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 43 « Fish Queen, Boris Vallejo, 1992, calendar ‘This girl was from New Jersey and she had the hair to prove it,” says Boris with a smile. “Seriously though, the creature in the piece is very dominant, more important even than the girl. That's very unusual for my paintings.” mS | GET OLDER, STEND.TO FOCUS ON THE BEAUTY, COMPLEXITY, AND STRENGTH OF MY SUBJECT’S CHARACTER AS WELL AS THEIR PHYSICAL BEAUTY” JULIE Jesse, Julie Bell, 2002, calendar * “It’s a portrait of a friend of mine.” says Julie. “| didn’t glamorize her, and that approach led to other jobs with new art directors. As | get older, | tend to focus on the beauty, complexity, and strength of my subject’s character as well as their physical beauty.”Pearls, Julie Bell, 1997, comic book This was for the cover of Penthouse Comix. [he painting has a simple purpose — to show a sexy lady.” Cynthia, Julie Bell, 1995, trading card As is often the case, atriend was asked to pose for this painting. Julie gave her the painting as a gift, but it wound up lost and currently its where- abouts are a mystery. FAB OUS WOMEN Of R 5 VALLEJO & JULIE 45Summit, Boris Vallejo, 994, book cover/calendar Originally a landscape, Boris reworked this painting to add he kneeling figure. THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL Music Lesson, Boris Vallejo, 2000 * This painting was done for an exhibition of pin-up art at Meisel Gallery in New York. Often Boris and Julie sell their original paintings to collectors, but they very rarely exhibit them in galleries. 47THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 49 “LE WAS ASKED TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE CALENDAR WITH SOME REAL ACTION: THEY WANTED A BATTLE SCENE, HER HAIR WAS INSPIRED BY BORIS’ PAINTING, THE BRIDE: JULLE Monster Bash, Julie Bell, 2007, calendar50 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 4« Robobird, Julie Bell, 7997 Obstacle Course, } Julie Bell, 71998, book cover “Lloved making my own obstacle courses asa kid. I’d_test my physical reactions, setting it up so I'd have to jump over stuff or get sprayed by the hose, I'd run or ride my bike through them.”THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELTHE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 53} Pompeii, Boris Vallejo, >> 1986, film poster “| was asked by the producers to not include the actual lead actress in this poster, despite a great deal of pressure on me from her agent. When the painting was finished and she wasn’t included, he called me up. | answered the phone and the first thing he said was ‘You son-of-a-bitch.’ What could | do? The producers write the checks!” _ Empress of a New World, Julie Bell, 1995, trading card ‘| was influenced by the movie Stargate when | painted this. |liked the idea of a high-tech Egyptian priestess.”THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 55 « Dragon’s Mentor, Julie Bell, 2000, calendar Exuding a graceful feminine power, this sorceress instructs her dragon in the ways of her mysterious art. TTS INTERESTING, A CONTRAST BETWEEN MY WORK AND JULIE'S. I AM MOSTLY CONCERNED WITH PAINTING THE FEMALE FORM, WHILE FOR JUELE, THE CHARACTERS COSTUME TS OFTEN OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE TO THE FIGURE. FOR ME IT IS JUST AN ACCESSORY.” BORIS56 THE FABULOUS WO) WEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL Cindy, Boris Vallejo, 1997, portrait commissiol Boris and Julie do portrai commissions on occasioi though always with their own fantastical twist ont conventions of portraiture This painting was eventually featured in their calendar. Tara, Boris Vallejo, 1997, calendar Boris recalls Julie's painting, “Possibilities Bound", as the inspiration for this piece. “The creature is like time, moving slowly and deliberately. The girl is the present moment, contemplating.”58 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL « Amazon Queen, Boris Vallejo, 1985, film poster Boris says of this movie poster, “There was a series of Roger Corman fantasy movies featuring female warriors. They are cult classics. These movies were not much in the way of substance, but visually they were appealing. Roger Corman is a great guy. | had a long working relationship with him. There is precious little traditional illustration in movie posters these days. Most of what you see is digital. Things shift all the time and move around, so you move with the times.”2 him want to hire me and the girTHE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 61 ‘WHEN IT DO A PAINTING, I SEE I} HAPPENING IN MY HEAD, LIKE A MOVIE. WHEN | SEE A FRAME THAT SLIKE [EREEZE IT. HHERE IS NO STORY, JUST AN IMAGE.” BORIS The Eye, Boris Vallejo, Alone, Boris Vallejo, 1980, Mirage interior art * (1994, calendar Mere 2 ee cone “All of the paintings | did for Mirage were of an obviously sensual nature. The idea here, of course, is the woman's fantasy. The monochromatic red gives it a hot nature. The sun in the background makes it even hotter.”nm PEEL VERY BONNECTED TO THIS CHARA Bik S VERY NATURAL AND WILE, LIKE THE WOLF, AND EPUTE A LOT OF MYSELF INTO: HER: JULIE Obsidian Dragon, »} Julie Bell, 264 THE EABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELI The Locusts, Boris Vallejo, 1998, calendar ‘Insects really intrigue me. | like the jewel-like quality of an insect’s body and the colors in their wings. | used to be phobic of spiders, but not any more. One time, going to bed, | looked at the ceiling and saw hundreds of little spiders. | thought of them dropping on me in the night. The only thing | could do was go with my thumb and squish ‘em. So that’s what | did. | decided | had to get over my irrational fear.”THE FABULOUS MEN OF BORI LEJO & JULIE BELL 67 Cave Fairy, Boris Valle; First Touch, Julie book. She was en g lisher to complete painting is about how fi K iique, like68 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELLStar Giver, Julie Bell, 7994, trading card An early example of a theme common to Julie’s paintings: a strong woman with a small creature. Lenda Murray, eight-time Miss Olympia, was the model. "She's a very graceful woman,” says Julie. Spring Garden, Boris Vallejo, 1987, Mirage interior artwork Julie cites this piece as one of her favorites from the time before she ever met Boris, saying that she had always been attracted to its Art Nouveau style. According to Boris, this quality resulted from his desire to combine an abstract and graphic representation of the wings with the sensual realism of the woman.70 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELI “THIS WORK WAS SUPPOSED TO SHOW NEW YORK, SOMETHING LIKE 1000 YEARS FROM NOW. | ASSUMED THAT, THOUGH THE BUILDINGS COULD BE ABANDONED AND COVERED IN MOSS, THE TWIN TOWERS WOULD STILEL BE LELERE.” BORIS Debbie in New York, Boris Vallejo, 1997, calendarQueen of the Galaxy, | met her thr prTHE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 75 « The Librarian, Boris Vallejo, 7992, film poster ‘|was asked to do something like the poster | painted for National Lampoon's Vacation. What they really stressed was that | ‘give her good legs’.” Unfortunately, this painting was never used for the film. Shannon’s Fantasy, Julie Bell, 1997, book cover At a time when her work-load consisted primarily of superhero paintings, Julie found it difficult to change gears for this quiet scene. “| kept myself focused by painting familiar things. | used my niece, Shannon, as the model for the girl and based the background on Schenley Park, in Pittsburgh, where | used to go for walks.”Alpnu, Boris Vallejo, 7989, calendar Noteworthy not only as the first painting that Boris ever did of Julie, this painting also foreshadows the changes in his style over the years to come.1994, book cover Jason and the >> Golden Fleece, Julie Bell, 2000, £ cover In and the Argonauts one of my favorite movies when | was a kid, so | was very excited out doing this painting. | also remember starting this just after ng a Maxfield Parrish show, which really influenced me.”THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 81 “ONE INTERESTING THING I FIND IN PAINTING AMAZON WOMEN: YOU Team, Boris Vallejo, 1988, calendar “One interesting thing | find in painting Amazon women: You can go on infinitely with different variations on the theme. The challenge is in finding different ways to do it. You work with different settings, different colors, different lighting... You can get many things from the same model. Elvgren painted the same subject hundreds of times and all of his paintings were beautiful and different.”VALLEJO: & JULLE BELL 4¢ Julie Strain, Boris Vallejo, 1996, “She really loo Julie Strain, who posed § for this painting, seems to enjoy her wi dness) quite a bit. That really appeals to me.”84 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL Dueling Bitches, Julie Bell, 1996, comic ¥ cover TEEOPLE LIKE TO SEE A GOOR CATFIGHT. Ls UGLY #OrSEE UN REAL IEE YEE GLAMORIZED IN PAINTINGS AND MOVIES.” JULIE Vampires, Boris Vallejo and » Julie Bell, 2004, magazine This was one of the first paintings by Boris and Julie to be executed in separate pieces, which were later combined digitally. The man was painted by Boris while Julie worked on the woman.86 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL Andromeda, Boris Vallejo, 1988, calendar When Boris paints mythological scenes, he often likes to expand on or alter the original story. “Since myths are not true, | have flexibility to interpret them as | please. In this piece, for example, there is no Perseus coming to Andromeda’s rescue. | didn't want her to appear helpless and she is certainly not afraid.” SINGER MYTHS ARE NOT TRUE | HAVE FLEXIBILITY TO INTERPRET THEM AST PLEASE: BORISNew Beginnings, Julie Bell, 2002, calendar “| hadn't done anything with metal flesh in a few years and | wanted to come back to that with something different. This painting is reflective of who this model is. She became an Olympic cyclist. She is setting off on her life adventure.” « Unicorn and the Maiden, Boris Vallejo, 1979, book cover A rare occurrence in Boris’ catalogue of paintings, we see here a fully clothed female “Years ago | did a few romance pieces with period clothing. |’d much rather just paint the body.” This piece would later provide an influence to Julie’s painting, “First Touch’. THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE 8990 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 4 Clone Dance, Boris Vallejo, 1994, calendar “WHEN | DID THISM PAINTING, THERES WAS ‘TALK IN THEM NEWS ABOUT CLONING. | THINM IT WILL HAPPEN ONE DAY. | DON'T OBJECT TO IT MORALLY, BUT I EXPECT THERE Will BE PROBLEMS.” BORIS Mermaid Love, Boris Vallejo & Julié Bell, 2004, advertisement Painted for a British deodorant ad, and once again a digital | combination of several layers, Boris says, “It’s tricky to keep the sense) of depth between figure and q background in mind when they're 9 painted separately.” qJLOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 93 The Void, Boris Vallejo, 1996 “I think the computer is a tool like anything else, like airbrush. | used an airbrush a long time ago, in two or three paintings. I’m not against using any kind of digital help sparingly, though | wouldn’t go totally digital. | like using real pencils and paints, and | like having an actual painting. One thing that bothers me when | finish a digital composition is that | don’t end up with a physical painting.”& JULIE BELL long Julie y theJane Blonde, Julie Bell, >» 1995, trading card This painting is a perfect example of Julie’s famous ‘liquid metal” technique. “The trick is to handle the warm and coo! colors correctly. If you get the right balance, it gives volume to the surface and really pops out at you.” THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 95THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 97 “| LOVE TO PAINT WATER. THE MOTION AND TEXTURE ARE VERY EXCITING TO REPRODUCE, ESPECIALLY WITT A VERY OMINOUS SEA LIKE THis ONE. BORIS Sea Creatures, Boris Vallejo, 1993, calendarSun Goddess, Boris Vi d Warrior of Aries, » Bel 4, tradiaie Pe b Ae ———" “ii100 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL ' j | | 4 : Egg of Life, Boris Vallejo, 1993, calendar = Barbarian Queen, Boris Vallejo, 1986, film poster >» “| get ideas for surreal paintings “This is another one of the Roger Corman movies. The sometimes before | go to sleep, or even two posters have basically the same elements: barbarian when I’m riding in a car late at night. girls showing lots of skin and looking very pretty. It is | | see odd things, like giant grasshoppers certainly directed at a male audience. The idea is that jumping down the roads.” you would see yourself getting into a fight with these girls. Is that something to look forward to, or something to be scared of?”THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 103 “ERUIS ISSR GALLY AN ALLUSION TO UMY FEELINGS ON HAVING CHILDREN. [LP PAC HCOE WS Ds OUR OWN UNIVERSE, THEN HAVING A CHILD IS LIKE SETTING A WHOLE NEW UNIVERSE INTO MOTION.” Galaxy Weavers, Julie Bell, 2000, calendarPrimitive World | & Il, Boris Vallejo, 1996, Penthouse Comix cover “It would bother me to have to paint something historically accurate, rather than fantasy... They probably aren't fighting about anything in particular, it’s just the competitive nature of women.” - Boris “One time, somebody wanted me to participate in a professional wrestling match with another woman. | wouldn’t do it. They wanted me to lose too. It was all choreographed, it was just too stupid.” - Julie “You didn't do it cause you didn’t want to lose!” — BorisTHE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 107 4¢ Flaming Hair, Boris Vallejo, 1997, Penthouse Comix pin-up “| had fun concentrating on the figure without having to worry about a background. The pin-up artists of the 50’s influenced me a bit here,” The Secretary, Julie Bell, 1993, tradi card ‘he workspace in this painting was based on the ‘fice of Julie’s father, an architect in Texas. Boris’ ‘alendar can be seen hanging on the bulletin board.HE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULLE The Storyteller, Julie Bell, 2002, calendar “The first time | met Julie, | instantly recognized that she is 100% Mommy. She really adores her kids. You can see it in her paintings. When | do a creature, it’s flerce. When Julie does a creature, it needs protection.” — Boris110 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL Serpent Song, Boris » Vallejo, 1994, calendar That's a far cry from some girl just being pretty, there!” — Julie Ember, Julie Bell, 1994, trading card “LT LIKE USING PERSONIFICATION IN My WORK, HAVING A PERSON- REP RESENT112 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL Bird Woman, Boris Vallejo, 2002, Franklin Mint concept piece Originally painted to be printed on a tankard, this piece ultimately found its way into Boris and Julie's calendar when that project fell through. This painting was originally a panoramic composition, but in the end it was cut down to fit its new purpose.THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL « Brinke, Julie Bell, 1995, comic cover As this was done for the cover of her own comic book (Brinke of Destruction), Brinke Stevens provided her own props and hand-made costume. Mistress of the Cats, >» Boris Vallejo, 1987, calendar A piece that has not been very widely reprinted, Boris questions why it was not more popular. “I really enjoy this one. | suppose it’s an example of how the artist tends to like something for reasons other people may not see.”THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 117 oodsong, Boris Vallejo, 7985, book aaver Vestal Virgins, Boris Vallejo, book cover = When presented with the opportunity, Boris is always ready and willing to paint more and more sexy women. “It is clear looking at this piece which anatomical feature | enjoy painting most,” says Boris, “the butt.” Ih, the female warrior again...” Boris ighs when asked about this painting nd the thing is, | could go on doim male warriors for the rest of my lifel!” Boris 30 recalls the invention of the stome itdol, love painting the different texturesi. Itt\was n to design him.”118 THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL By the Sword, Julie Bell, 2007, calendar When this painting appeared in the calendar, the woman had to be clothed, so two separate versions exist. “SOMETIMES I PREFER THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF NUDITY. ANIMALS LOOK BEAUTIFUL AS TREY ARE IES A SHAME PEOPLE HAVE TO BE COVERED JULIETHE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 121 4 A Second of Forever, Boris Vallejo, 1994, calendar Boris demonstrates here how | likes to build up an environmer through a variety of bizarre text and elements. “I like to be surf at what comes out. I'll just start the pose of the model and worl from there.” a LIKE TO BE SURPRISED Al WHAT COMES Ol [LL JUST STARI WITH THE POSI Or THE MODE! AND WORK FROM THERE. BORIS Defenders of Paradise, Julie Bell, 1998, calendar In her paintings, Julie often enjoys injecting humor into what would otherwise be a tense situation. “It’s so hilarious. They both look so serious with their primitive weapons against these high tech machines!” The small metal creature was inspired by Julie’s pet rabbit.THE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 123 « Hatching, Boris Vallejo, 1993, calendar Julie's sister Suzanne posed for this painting. “She has such beautiful skin, | wanted to push that with these really pearly colors,” says Boris. Young Apollo, Julie Bell, 71997, book cover “| like the contrast between the macho imagery of the wolves, and the grace of the woman, like a ballerina.” explains Julie. Julie studied ballet as a child. She carried the sense of poise and balance learned in those early lessons with her throughout her bodybuilding days and on into her painting career. WS FARD TO MAKE THE ANATOMY OF TWO HEADED ANIMAL LOOK BELIEVABLE, ND aERE JULIE DID J7 WITH THREE IRISTHE FABULOUS WOMEN OF BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL 125 CDRS WiELLEE STUPRF IS JUSTAONE OF THOSE THINGS | ENJOY DOING LS A PRAME FOR LEI FIGURE, WITH A MYSTERIOUS ORIGIN. YOU CAN T TELL IE TTS AND ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, OB MINERAL T JUST LET [T HAPPEN. BORIS Emerging, Boris Vallejo, 1997, calendarBELL BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE FABULOUS WOMEN OF THE 126 Chicago, Julie Bell, 1994, trading card