Discovering the Perfect Surface for Wildlife: Daniel Wilson in The Artist

After over 15 years painting wildlife on every surface from copper to cotton, Daniel Wilson, artist and educator behind Studio Wildlife, shares why ACF Canvasses have become his go-to, transforming not just his process but his entire approach to painting. In this step-by-step breakdown, he reveals how the right surface can elevate both technique and storytelling.

Discovering the perfect surface for wildlife

I have been painting wildlife for over 15 years and I can really say I have never painted on a surface quite like the ACF canvas, and I mean that in the best possible way!

I've tried canvases made of cotton, linen, various wooden panels, copper and aluminium, but as soon as I tried the ACF canvas for the first time it was like I had found a canvas made specifically for me. I've never painted on a surface that suits my approach to painting so perfectly.

I love painting details, so like working on a smooth surface. Normally I'll use a few layers of gesso to prepare the canvas so it takes the paint how I like it. But with the ACF Canvasses I can get started straight away!

Stage 1: Toning the canvas

For this painting I'm using burnt sienna. This does two jobs, it removes the harsh white of the canvas, making it easier to judge values, and it adds a warmth to the painting. If I wanted a cooler looking painting I'd use something like a Prussian blue instead.

Stage 2: Drawing out my composition

Sometimes I'll do this before toning the canvas in pencil, but for this one I drew the design in burnt umber paint. I use a projector to map out the rough proportions in pencil first, and then freehand over the top in the paint.

I deviate from the projected lines and try to add some of myself into the drawing rather than just copying my reference line for line.

My references are usually created from multiple photos and some digital drawing. I like to have a good idea of what I'm trying to create before I put paint on the canvas.

Stage 3: Blocking in

Once my drawing is complete and I'm happy with it I start to block in with colour. As this is oil paint the sienna wash and the umber drawing are still wet. This is exactly what I want. As I start to apply colour to the painting the sienna mixes with the new paint, warming everything up and helping to unify the painting.

Stage 4

The lines I made with the burnt umber start to merge with this second layer of paint. I don't want it to look like I've just filled in paint around solid drawn-out lines, I want those lines to disappear into the painting as it progresses.

This stage is relatively quick and not about detail. I just want to get the basic shapes, colours and values blocked in. It doesn't even matter if these aren't 100%, because I can adjust it in the next layer. This stage is about having fun with the process and letting instinct and intuition take over. It's where I try to be more free with the painting process.

I can be quite heavy handed with this stage and with other canvases I have to watch out for the surface sagging because of the pressure. The ACF canvas didn't sag at all, it held up to my barrage of brush strokes and remained a tight and stable surface to paint on.

Once I'm happy with this stage I need to let it dry a bit, usually I wait a day or two before proceeding with the next layer.

Stage 5: Rendering

This is where I want to be a lot more precise and controlled with my brushwork. I switch to smaller brushes and start thinking about the smaller shapes within each section of the painting. I always start with the furthest thing back and work forwards. So for this piece it was sky, clouds, fields, deer and then the foreground rocks and grass.

At this point in the process I convert my reference into black and white. The colour of the reference doesn't matter, I want to focus on the colours of the painting in front of me. I use the black and white reference to help me create the details and judge the values of this second layer. Getting those values right and creating 3D form within my painting is much more important to me than colour.

Stage 6

I try to distance myself as much as possible from the reference photo, I need it for proportions and anatomy but I need to resist the temptation to reproduce exactly. It's not how I want to approach painting. I want to use the reference photo as a tool to build a greater idea. And those ideas can be hard to generate. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of just trying to reproduce a great reference photo, but I want more than that. I want my paintings to tell a story.

Aside from the technical aspects of painting, finding that story is probably the thing that I find the most difficult and it's a skill I am constantly trying to improve.

Stage 7

I can work at this stage for days or even weeks before it's finished. Sometimes I'm happy with how it looks and I can call it done. If I'm not happy I add one final layer which I use to adjust colours and values with a glazing technique.

The article as printed

Reproduced from The Artist, October 2025, with permission.

The canvas Daniel works on

100% Polyester PET in warp and weft, pre-coated with our own gesso. No extra gesso layers needed, which is the part Daniel mentions in his opening.

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