Smith was born in Syracuse, New York and grew up in Washington, D.C. After receiving a BFA from Cooper Union in 1998, he studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine and went on to receive an MFA from Yale University in 2001.

[1] Apart from his work as role-playing game author and artist Smith is also known as a hardcore porn actor.

[9] He is known for his portraiture in a style that blends influences including abstract painting and comic book art.

[12] Smith lived and worked in Brooklyn, New York until October 2007, when he moved to Los Angeles.

[17][18][19][20][21][22] Kenneth Hite, a former RPG collaborator, apologized to the women and said he would donate the proceeds from their upcoming book to a non-profit addressing domestic violence.