Vasyl Yermylov was born 22 March 1894 in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.
In 1910 he studied at the School for Applied Art in Kharkiv, and had lessons in the studio of Eduard Steinberg, having an interest in fresco painting and mosaic work.
From 1911 to 1912 he was a member of the Golubaya Liliya (Blue Lily) in Kharkiv.
In 1912 he attended the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. In the same year he met Vladimir Mayakovsky and David Burliuk.
In 1913–1914 he was a member of the group Budiak (Weed), Kharkiv.
In 1914 Yermylov returned to the School for Applied Art (Kharkiv) where he graduated with a Diploma in Decorative Painting.
In 1918 he founded the group League of Seven, together with the artist Maria Sinyakova. In the same year he had an exhibition with the group League of Seven (Kharkiv).
In 1919 he founded the Industrial Teacher Workshop (Kharkiv).
In 1920 Yermylov became head of the Ukrainian Telegraph Agency for Propaganda Purpose (UKROSTA) project.
In 1920 he became decorator for the agitprop movement Red Ukraine and the Club of the Red Army (Kharkiv).
In 1922 he was a co-founder of the Technical Art Institute in Kharkiv.
In 1925 Vasyl Yermylov became the member of the Association of the Revolutionary Art of the Ukraine (ARMU), together with David Burliuk, Vadim Meller, Alexander Bogomazov, Victor Palmov and others.
In 1928 Yermylov participated in the International Press Exhibition Pressa, Cologne, together with Lissitzky, Meller and Aleksandr Tyshler.
In 1928–1929 he was the artistic director of the magazine Avantgarde, and also made designs for book covers, illustrations for Ukrainian magazines, and designs for interiors.
From 1944 to 1947 he was the teacher at the National Art Institute in Kharkiv.
From 1963 to 1967 Yermylov continued to teach at the National Art Institute (Kharkiv).
Vasyl Yermylov died 6 January 1968 in Kharkiv.
Other sources have his date of death as 7 January 1968).