Ryan Heshka was born in Manitoba, Canada, and grew up in Winnipeg. Fueled by long prairie winters, he spent a lot of his childhood drawing, building cardboard cities and making super 8 films. Early influences that persist to this day include antiquated comics and pulp magazines, natural history, graphic design and music, movies and animation. Formally trained in interior design, he is self-taught as an artist and his illustrations have appeared in several publications. He has been selected to appear in American Illustration, Society of Illustrators, and Communication Arts. He lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife and daughter.