Ian Heard was born in Cornwall. He studied in Falmouth and Camborne and worked as an artist and illustrator in Falmouth and Truro before moving to Oxford at the age of 28 to pursue a career in design. In 1993 he moved to Tavistock. He continues to exhibit in Cornwall and in 2014 created a series of painting workshops in conjunction with the National Trust at Cotehele. He has also written articles for 'The Artist' magazine.