David Allen
Tattoo artist, painter, and speaker — working in black and gray botanical imagery.
David Allen is a tattoo artist based in Chicago, working primarily in black and gray botanical imagery. His practice is shaped by attentiveness to bodies that carry change, to the permanence of marks, and to the histories held in skin.
Much of his work centers on supporting people through transition — particularly in post-medical and post-mastectomy contexts — using plants and flowers as a visual language for adaptation, regrowth, and resilience.
In addition to tattooing, David speaks and teaches about embodied design, ethics, and care-based creative practice across medical, academic, and arts spaces.
Booking
Working Together
- 1Floral & fine art tattoos. Books open periodically — submit a tattoo inquiry through the site.
- 2Newsletter & exclusive availability. Sign up on the home page to receive advance notice of openings.
- 3Mastectomy & scar tattooing. A dedicated process — see the full information page for how the waitlist and consultation work.
Botanical Tattooing & Mastectomy Work
Since 2010, David has focused a significant portion of his practice on tattooing people who have undergone mastectomies — using design principles to integrate scars, redirect the eye, and restore a sense of wholeness. He has completed over 250 mastectomy tattoos.
His work was published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) in a piece titled "Moving the Needle on Recovery From Breast Cancer." The article became the highest-viewed piece ever published in JAMA's "Art and Medicine" section, reaching 62,000 views.
JAMA · Art and Medicine
"Moving the Needle on Recovery From Breast Cancer: The Healing Role of Postmastectomy Tattoos." The highest-viewed piece in the section's history — 62,000 views.
Talks & Lectures
David uses his career in tattooing as a foundation for talks that bring humanity into medical, academic, and arts spaces — on embodied design, empathy, care-based practice, and the relationship between client and practitioner.
- 2021 "The Healing Power of Tattoos" TEDx · Chicago
- 2018 "On Empathy" Chicago Medical School — Rosalind Franklin University
- 2018 "Healing and Postmastectomy Tattoos" Living Well Cancer Resource Center — Northwestern
- 2018 Keynote — "Moving the Needle on Recovery from Breast Cancer" Paris Breast Rendezvous · Paris, France
- 2016 "Communicating with Empathy" Patient-worthy Medicine · Drexel University, Philadelphia
- 2016 "Expanded Practice: Post-Mastectomy Tattoos & Oil Painting" Hyde Park Art Center · Chicago
- 2015 "Walking the Tightrope: Between Client Needs and Artistic Integrity" FITC · Chicago
Selected Exhibitions
- 2021 Beauty — Fondation d'entreprise Martell, Cognac, France
- 2020 Sagmeister & Walsh: Beauty — Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg
- 2019 Beauty — MAK Austrian Museum for Applied Arts / Contemporary Art, Vienna
- 2018 David Allen: Mastectomy Tattoos and Post-Surgery Healing — International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago
Media Coverage
David's work has been covered in major outlets across health, arts, and general interest media.
Location & Contact
Studio
NoPattern Studio
4507 N Ravenswood Ave, #109
Chicago, IL 60640
TEDx Talk
Artist Course
Mastectomy Tattooing Course — for tattoo artists