Painting Your Way: Pastels and Acrylics with Jim Warwick
Course | Available
Painting Your Way – Pastels and Acrylics
This course is designed for both beginners and advanced students interested in exploring the vibrant mediums of pastels and acrylics. Led by James Warwick, an adjunct professor with over 20 years of teaching experience and a professional illustrator for more than 50 years, the course offers personalized guidance aimed at unlocking each student’s creative potential. James has worked with renowned clients like Reader’s Digest, Newsday, The New York Times, Burger King, and RJR Nabisco to name a few. He believes that everyone has the ability to create professional-looking art, regardless of prior experience or perceived talent. Join us and discover your artistic capabilities.
Six (6) Tuesdays: September 2, 9, 16 and October 14, and 21, 2025
- Class will be held on FIU's Biscayne Bay campus. Members save $25 and enjoy free parking.
Please note: Participants may choose to focus on either acrylics or pastels in this class. There is no need to purchase supplies for both—simply select the medium you prefer to work with.
Pastels:
Pastels offer a unique blend of drawing and painting, providing quick, forgiving results ideal for beginners while also allowing advanced artists to refine their skills. This portion of the course will cover still life, figurative, and landscape techniques. The choice of paper significantly impacts the color and tone of pastel work, and the instructor will guide students in selecting the right materials. New students are encouraged to bring samples of their previous work, if available, for an initial assessment to tailor the instruction to their strengths and areas for growth.
Required Supplies: • Hammermill Bond paper (hard to find) or smooth tooth pastel paper, medium to heavy weight, white or gray sheets (11”x14” or 14”x17”) • Smudges (tightly rolled paper with a point) • Soft charcoal pencils (6B, 8B) • Kneaded eraser • Pastel set (soft to medium hardness) with at least 20 colors (avoid hard pastels unless in pencil form, and do not buy oil pastels – only chalk pastels) • White pastel stick (soft, usually included in pastel sets) • Smooth Masonite board (18”x24” - suggested, not required) • 12” ruler • White Pearl eraser (not red) • Printed reference images (please avoid using phones for reference)
Painting with Acrylics:
This segment is designed for beginners and intermediate students looking to master essential acrylic techniques, including color mixing, accurate rendering, and abstract expression. Students are encouraged to bring their own reference images for inspiration.
Required Supplies: • Stretched and gesso-primed canvases (8”x10”, 10”x12”, 12”x14”, 14”x17”, or 16”x20”) • Brushes (no. 2, 6 – round, preferably sable; ½” square tipped – watercolor and acrylic brushes are interchangeable) • Water jars (2) • Palette or thick wax paper for mixing paints • Paper towels or rags • 12” ruler or straight edge • Acrylic paint set (at least 12 colors, including white)
James Warwick
James Warwick, a successful illustrator with over 30 years of experience, has created some of advertising's biggest and most successful campaigns using creative drawing including Burger King's Happy Box, R.J. Reynolds "Joe Camel", Radio City Music Hall, fashion illustration for Newsday, Macy's, McCalls, and various clothing stores.