A primarily self-taught artist, Ken Musselman attended The Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was born. Upon his high school graduation, he followed his fathers advice to "Take up a trade" and joined the US Navy to train as a structural mechanic. While attending technical training at Naval Aviation Station, Memphis, TN, Ken's artistic talent could not be subdued and he found an outlet in painting murals on the walls of the base's dining and entertainment facilities. His superiors soon observed that he could better serve the Navy as an Illustrator-Draftsman and Ken's career as a mechanic came to an end.