Customer Reviews

Soft as Steel: The Art of Julie Bell

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book combines comments from Julie with a variety of her work from oil paintings to pencil sketches. Especially exciting is seeing some of her trading card art in a larger format. The only problem is the binding. It can be hard to view double page spreads, as part of it is obscured in the binding. This is a great, inexpensive way to get your hands on some of Julie's art.

This is the 2nd book i got hold after "Hard Curves". Fans of Julie Bell's fantasy art get to keep her prints in a single book. That's luxury! Profusely illustrated and a sure treat for fantasy illustration. Near flawless fantasy art collection in oil captured on prints. Perfect interpretation of human anatomy through her oil painting techniques. Definitely a must for fantasy art collector. One pity is some prints are printing over 2 pages and over time the paperback give way in the saddle and the prints gets torn out. Would have been better if it's a hardbound.

SPECIFICS:
Page Count: 128
Number of images: 84
Small images: 24
Half page images: 11
Full page images: 41
2-page spreads: 8
BW images: 7

TEXT:
2 page introduction
2 page foreword
Scattered text about the chapter's topic and the artist
Long comments on the paintings

ART:
18 images: 5 stars
43 images: 4 stars
17 images: 3 stars
5 images: 2 stars
1 image: 1 star

Overall: 4 stars

This is a review of the first 107 pages.
Pages 108 to 128 are comprised of 2 chapters. One is a private gallery with mainly portraits (19 small images), the other is about figure studies and it has 23 images, most of which are black and white sketches.

Julie is an inspiration for all artists! The book shows some of her best work. It also reveals a little of what goes on in that beautiful head of her's. Outstanding artist and human! Love the woman and her art!

Julie is my favorite fantasy artist so it was nice to have a book specifically with her work in it.

The book covers a range of Julie's art (not just that wonderful metal she does) up until the late 90s. I have the Boris and Julie Ultimate Collection so a lot of the works in this book are images that I already have, but there are enough ones I had not seen before to make it worthwhile.

The text in this book is interesting and enjoyable helping me know the reasons and ideas behind the paintings and more about Julie herself.

Another great book for my collection.

When asked the difference between art and pornagraphy, it is said one just knows. I "just know" that this books crosses the line way too often. I'll be enjoying a piece, eraptured by it's beauty, turn the page and be disgusted as nude characters fornicate on the next page.
I have no problems with nudity in art. In fantasy art nude and nearly nude women (and some times men)are the excepted standard. When done with class and taste, like Amy Brown for example, it ehances the piece not distracts or in some cases disgusts. True art is something I can share with my children, discuss it with them, let it enrich their lives as it enriches mine; rather than hide in it the back of my closet so they don't see it.