Hey there. I’m Val Trullinger. 

To the best of my knowledge, there aren’t any other Val Trullingers out there, but just in case you’re still not sure you’ve got the right one, here’s a quick bio: 

Born: May 9, sometime in the early ’70s. 

Lived in: The greater LA area and Orange County; I’m a native. Apart from that horrible stint in Ithaca, NY, when I was two, and discovered I loathed snow. 

Education: Chapman University; Watts Atelier; Studio 2nd Street; Art Center at Night. 

Employment: Art director; Artist; Illustrator; Photographer; Writer/Editor. Basically, I make pretty trash for a living, and I become restless if I just do one thing professionally. My 23+ year design career’s spanned print, web, and editorial, including 11 years of experience managing a successful team. In that time, I’ve never missed a single deadline. I’ve won 11 national design awards for my work at Chapman University, including their website, and won eight service awards here at UCLA. I also have a background in traditional figurative art and illustration — most recently, I worked on Stan Lee’s New York Times #1-bestselling memoir as a colorist.

Portfolio: Check out the Paintings, Photography, or Design galleries here. Or, I can show you my book in person. And by book, I mean, tome. 20+ years in the design business will do that. 

Other: I lift weights, and do both powerlifting and Olympic lifting, though I’m better at the former. I've recently started working out at a strongman gym, and love it. In the past, I’ve been a fencer, basketball center and power forward, archer, thrower (shotput and discus), and an orange belt in Kenpo karate. This is what happens when you start reading fantasy novels at an early age, I’m afraid. My pal Scalzi based a character on my love of lifting heavy things.

Nearly every spring for 20-odd years, I’ve been at the original Renaissance Pleasure Faire, with its strange blend of improv comedy, historical reenactment, and hippie shenanigans. Man, did my folks ever regret taking me there when I was six. Little did they know what a beast they created when they sat me on my first hay bale. This has led to a life where, every spring, photos of me in a ridiculous costume wind up on tens of thousands of people’s fridges and Instagram feeds. Note: this is probably why I look familiar to half of Los Angeles.