Allan graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1994 with a BA in graphic design, his studies included figure drawing, painting, and sculpture. His interest in prehistoric life has grown from a childhood fascination that never quite seemed to waiver.

Allan fueled his fascination with prehistoric life by collecting model kits and began sculpting when he discovered that many of the animals that he was most interested in had not been recreated in kit form.

His models quickly gained public interest and in early 1998 he began working with Lost World Studios in a relationship that would lead to Allan's models appearing in exhibits, museums, schools and botanical gardens around North America.