Born in 1941[4] in Lima, Peru, Vallejo began painting at the age of 13, in 1954, and obtained his first illustration job three years later in 1957 at the age of 16. He attended Escuela Nacional Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes on a five-year scholarship, and was awarded a prize medal.[5]
Career
After emigrating to the United States in 1964, at the age of 23, he quickly garnered a fan following from his illustrations of Tarzan, Conan the Barbarian, Doc Savage, and various other fantasy characters (often done for paperback-fiction works featuring the characters). This led to commissions for movie-poster illustration, advertisement illustration, and artwork for various collectibles, including Franklin Mint paraphernalia, trading cards, and sculpture. Along with his wife Julie Bell, Vallejo presents his artwork in an annual calendar and various books.
Vallejo's preferred artistic medium is oil on board, and he has previously used photographs to combine discrete images to form composite images.[6] Preparatory works are pencil or ink sketches, which have been displayed in the book Sketchbook. He and Julie Bell have worked on collaborative artworks together, in which they sign the artwork with both names.[7]
^Vallejo, Boris; DelRey, Lester, eds. (1979). The fantastic art of Boris Vallejo (4. print ed.). New York, NY: Ballantine Books. ISBN978-0-345-29027-4.
^Vallejo, Boris; Bell, Julie; Calendars, Workmen (2024). Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell's Fantasy Wall Calendar 2025: A Year of Classic Images for 2025. Workman Publishing Company (published August 6, 2024). ISBN978-1523524594.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boris Vallejo.