Lyon studied art at Ultimo Technical College and became a theatrical scenery painter with Greater Union Theatres, before moving to Queensland in 1929 to work as a cane-cutter during the depression.

His career as a commercial artist continued when he returned to Sydney In 1931. He freelanced for Smith's Weekly, The Bulletin, Guardian, Sydney Mail, Australian Women's Weekly, Australian Woman's Mirror and Humour (until at least 1958).

During the wartime comics boom, around a stint in the army from 1942-1945, Lyon created adventure adventure comics for Frank Johnson (from ~1942?), Avian Tempest for Frank Douglas James (~1942), 'New Chum’ for Syd Miller (Monster Comic, 1945) and 'Devil Doone' with June Mendoza for KG Murray in Man (1948) . He created the 'Tim O’Hara’ strip for the Daily Mirror (1946) which was reprinted as a comic book by Invincible (~1949) and 'Black McDermott' in the Sydney Sun (1948). He drew biographies in Sporting Life for Associated Newspapers (1950), detective comic The Astounding Mr Storm (1954), and covers for Catholic comic Topix (1955).

He also did many covers for pulp magazines, illustrations for magazines and children’s books, advertisements and fashion drawings.

In 1957, he began work with Stan Cross on 'Wally and the Major' and took over when Cross retired. He continued exclusively on this strip until 1979.

Lyon painted traditional oils and watercolours, particularly bush landscapes of the Burragorang Valley, which is now flooded by the Warragamba Dam.