A legend of the sword-and-sorcery genre, Boris Vallejo was born in Lima, Peru on January 8, 1941. After receiving formal art training in his home country, Vallejo immigrated to the United States in 1964. Over the last fifty years, he has painted nearly every major fantasy figure: Tarzan, John Carter, Conan the Barbarian, and many more. However, his most-viewed work may be the illustrated film poster for National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), in which Vallejo parodies his own barbarian-themed work.

One of today’s great fantasy illustrators, Julie Bell dabbled in children’s book illustration before pursuing a career in bodybuilding, becoming a nationally ranked competitor. In 1989, she began modeling for well-known fantasy artist Boris Vallejo and was inspired to return to illustration. Her work appeared on the cover of Heavy Metal magazine in 1992. Since then, Bell has created advertisements for several companies and found work in the comic book industry, where she became the first woman to illustrate Conan the Barbarian for Marvel Comics.

Bell and Vallejo married in 1994. They continue to inspire each other, often collaborating on paintings.