Phenology Wheels with Sandy Allnock
Illustrate and record the cycles of nature in your sketchbook with phenology wheels in this online demo with Pacific Northwest artist Sandy Allnock!
By The Art Toolkit Team
This is a recording from our live demo, Phenology Wheels with Sandy Allnock, on April 8th, 2026.
In this demo, artist and teacher Sandy Allnock shared tips on creating your own phenology wheel—one of the most beautiful forms of nature journaling—and shared examples of her own.
A phenology wheel is a circular piece of art with small paintings that can be created each day after a morning walk. Phenology (not to be confused with phrenology!) is the study of the changes in nature over time. We learned in this demo how a tiny daily painting can transform one’s relationship with both the outdoors and with art!
Follow Along and Sketch
Recommended Supplies
For this demo, Sandy recommends you bring:
Brushes: Any small or water brush you have, such as a Rosemary & Co R26 Pointed Round or a size 2 or 4 round. Sandy uses small Da Vinci brushes for nature journaling.
Paint: A selection of tulip-colored hues! Bring any springy, vibrant paints you have. Sandy’s Folio Palette is filled with the Daniel Smith Essential Colors Set, plus an additional Mini Pan of Payne’s Gray.
Pencil & Pen: Sandy likes a technical pen whose cartridge is refillable. She uses a Rotring Isograph Pen in the demo.
Paper: Loose watercolor paper or your favorite multimedia or watercolor sketchbook.
Take a peek at the reference photos Sandy used for this demo!
Highlights from the Demo
Sandy shared some great tips for creating phenology wheels with us, as well as some beautiful examples!
Sandy has a circular calendar with an illustrated 12-month index in addition to a phenology wheel for each month, split into days.
We loved seeing her themes for each month, including greenery for January and clouds for February, and a whole month tracking the blooming of hydrangeas in July.
Sandy advises everyone to follow their curiosity in regards to nature journaling—her curiosity about the mystery organism growing in her driveway led to her month of drawing lichen.
Sandy notes the temperature, sunset, sunrise times for each day on her wheel, sometimes varying the data she tracks and her materials (e.g. gouache for February).
About Sandy Allnock
Sandy Allnock is an eclectic full-time artist based in the Pacific Northwest who has been teaching for over 15 years. While watercolor is her true love, she dabbles in an array of creative media, inspired by a range of subjects.
Sandy finds happiness through playing with color, form, and texture, and she finds a deeper meaning and satisfaction in life through inspiring excitement and growth in others. See more of Sandy's work on her Instagram page, her YouTube channel, and sign up for her monthly newsletter for sketching tips and challenges each month.
Sandy Allnock
Website | Social Media
Thank you to those who joined us live, and we encourage you to explore past demos on our Demos page!