Sam Sheinin was born in Calgary, Alberta on November 22, 1972. While he was growing up, his family moved around a lot, settling in places such as Spokane, Washington and Anaheim, California. His artistic abilities became apparent at an early age; it has been said that he was spotted with pencil crayon in hand even before he was able to walk. As a child, Sam was most inspired to draw by his favorite superheroes and his favorite rock band, KISS. Their colorful characters and old-fashioned rock n’ roll inspired him to emulate KISS on paper.