Eric Hill was born in North London and, apart from a brief period of evacuation, lived there for many years. His career as an artist began when he was employed as a messenger in an art studio and was encouraged to draw. Eric's son was born in 1976 and he began to write stories about a puppy to read to him at bedtime, and so Spot was born. The family moved to California in 1983 but Eric continues to visit the UK several times a year and is very involved in developing Spot projects.