Ryan S. Brown began his formal visual arts education at Brigham Young University where he studied illustration. While there he worked closely with Robert Barrett and Ralph Barksdale. Ryan graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration in August 2002. That same summer he began studying under William Whitaker, a master portrait and figurative painter, who quickly became one of Ryan's greatest mentors. Soon after graduation, Ryan entered the Florence Academy of Art where he studied drawing. Upon his return from Florence, Ryan began teaching these academic drawing principles at BYU where he still teaches today. In May of 2004 Ryan opened the Classical Drawing Academy where he teaches traditional academic drawing methods. Ryan is continually working on increasing his abilities to see and paint accurate and natural forms.