Ralph was born, raised, and still resides in the state of Massachusetts where he lives with his wife, Stephanie, daughters Alexa and Talia, stepsons Ben and Sam, and their dog, Mr. Bojangles. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA, Illustration, 1985), Ralph has illustrated for magazines, newspapers and books, created posters and prints, and shown his fine art paintings in galleries throughout the world. Beginning with The Icky Bug Alphabet Book in 1986, Ralph has has become internationally known for the children’s books he's written and illustrated. Since 1987, he has visited over 2,300 schools all over the world, inspiring children with his life story, humor, and art. While visiting schools, he is often inspired himself by the enthusiasm, creativity, and hard work of the students and teachers. This led him to create his unique “How to Draw” book series. The most recent, Ralph Masiello's Ancient Egypt Drawing Book was released in July 2008 to rave reviews. In 2010, his work will appear in a strange and mysterious book called The Mystic Phyles: Beasts, which is the first in a series of books sure to become instant classics.
In 1961, the year of the Ox, I was hatched from an opal colored dragon egg that lay in a dung heap on a skunk cabbage farm near my parent’s house. Taking pity on me, they raised me as one of their own, but always wondered about me. They knew I was “different” from my brothers somehow.
- I ate Brussel sprouts.
- I liked the color purple.
- I liked to watch television standing on my head.
- I played with toy knights, not those green plastic toy soldiers that my brothers enjoyed.
- I drew pictures while hiding under my bed, where I talked with my friend, Charlie Pistachio, the little nut man who lived under my radiator (heater).
- I stared at the clouds for hours on end.
- I went to the College for Children Born from Dragons where I studied Artistic Alchemy. I graduated and became the Grand Poobah of the Artistic Wizards Guild.
- Through a mixture of mythology and alchemy, my two daughters were born after hatching from a similar egg lying in a dung heap.
- During a midsummer nighttime mushroom hunt, I came upon the enchantress Stephanie, who rose from a cool spring near my house. We fell in love and were married. Her two boys were born from the bubbling spring waters.
We now live in a creepy old Victorian mansion, where nearly ANYTHING can happen…
…and sometimes DOES.