Tayler Olivas Gouache Techniques and Methods Mentorship

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Program Overview
Join Tayler and embark on a transformative journey with this gouache fundamentals painting mentorship.

Enjoy a regular weekly schedule of personalized critiques and lectures.

Artists will learn how to further develop their gouache painting skills, and plan for personal projects or client work. Master the intricacies of the medium to enhance your skills!

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Interactive Learning
16 live Classes over a four month period. 

Personalized Feedback
Receive critiques on class assignments and relevant personal projects in live sessions.

Office Hours
Ask questions outside of class time. 

Private Discussion Group
Enjoy the companionship of a group of artists who learn and grow by your side, with private access to a classroom discussion board.

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Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.

Program Details

In this 16-week course, students will use plein-air painting as a foundation for environment design, developing both technical skills and creative confidence across traditional media and digital media. The class begins with black-and-white thumbnails and two-tone studies to build strength in composition, value grouping, and brushwork. As the weeks progress, students transition into limited and extended color palettes, learning to control mood and atmosphere through thoughtful color application. 

The course incorporates studies from film, games, historical artwork, and online reference tools like Mapcrunch, encouraging students to analyze lighting, color palettes, and narrative intent. In the final weeks, students develop a personal environment project: creating multiple compositions in varying lighting conditions and rendering three final pieces. With weekly critiques and instructor feedback, students leave the course with a portfolio of exploratory and finished works—and a deeper understanding of how to turn observational studies into concept art with professional polish.

Each live session will be recorded for unlimited HD replay which you can access for your duration in the program.

Format: This is a 16 week program. Each session is limited to 25 students.
Weekly Live Group Sessions / Critiques / Past Recordings / Mid-week Office Hours / Private Community Discussion

Tuition: $250.00 paid monthly over four months ($1,000 collected over a four month period)

Class Times: Each class period will last between 1.5 hours and 3 hours depending on the prepared lesson content and the number of students in attendance. 
Class Times: Mondays 6-8 PM PDT/ 7-9 PM MDT 

Class starts June 2nd 2025.

Apply today for the next session in June! Enrollment will start May 19.
Applicants will be notified by email when enrollment opens.

What if I can't make it to live sessions?

Each live session will be recorded and uploaded to the course for you to rewatch. At the end of the four month program, students will enjoy a fifth month free where they can rewatch all of the lectures and critiques from the live classes, plus any additional lectures and demos Tayler provides throughout the session.

If you submit your homework by the due date, your mentor will provide a critique during class as usual, and the recording of that critique will be made available for you to view. If you reside in a different time zone and anticipate being unable to attend classes live, please inform your mentor in advance about your situation. Sentient works with artists globally, so this is a common occurrence. Both the Sentient team and your mentor are more than happy to assist you.

How long will I have access to mentorship recordings?

Students will have access to mentorship recordings for the duration of the program plus one month after the program ends. At the conclusion of that time period students will no longer have access to the mentorship recordings as Sentient will be preparing for a new term and a new student group. This practice is consistent with optimal learning. Sentient Mentors do not advise students to become overly focused on the same lectures and critiques for a long period of time as this ultimately hinders growth and confidence. 

If a student quits the program early they will lose access to the recordings at the end of their pay period. Please email the sentient team if you are uncertain as to when that will take place for you.

What if I decide to leave the program early?

This program requires both a financial and time commitment from you and your mentor. We expect mentees to demonstrate the same level of dedication and priority that they expect from their mentor. Please note that no refunds will be issued for completed payments. If you wish to terminate your payment plan and exit the program, a mandatory early exit fee of $100.00 will apply.

By accepting a seat in this program, you are committing to it fully. Choosing to leave, for any reason, not only disrupts your mentor's time but also takes away an opportunity from other applicants who were denied participation in favor of your placement.
Past student

Justin Owens

Tayler has done a great job both guiding and pushing us, and I feel like I've seen a lot of growth in my comfort with gouache, and overall painting ability.
Past student

George Ahlmeyer

I enjoyed having office hours time to connect with my mentor and fellow students. I loved the structure too. I grew a lot and a lot of fellow artists have told me that they see a major jump in my work.
Past student

Ernesto Navarro

I learned so much about color with Tayler, he is one of the best teachers I had so far, giving me a lot of ideas, things to think about, and ways to keep learning in the never ending path of art. He also went above and beyond to help all of us succeed in the class. Thank you Taylor for your time and sharing so much with us!
Past student

Makeme Camara

Even though I was a beginner and felt a bit in awe of the much higher level of my classmates, Tayler was always very kind in giving me feedback, showing me all the areas in which I could improve and highlighting my strengths.

The programming of Tayler's syllabus follows a gradually increasing level of difficulty and has allowed me to understand the logic of progression behind the weekly exercises. Now, I know how to move independently in my own study time.
Introduction to Plein Air
Become familiar with the materials and understand the principles and elements of art.

Value
Master light and shadow through thumbnails and how to emulate brushwork digitally.

Tonal Sketches
Dive deeper on value grouping and photoshop techniques.
The Limited Palette
Finding more creative ways to create variations for clients and personal work.

The Extended Palette
Focus on keeping palettes cohesive and purposeful  with an emphasis on how color can push mood and atmosphere.
The Experimental Palettes
Use traditional media to explore different colorways via abstraction. Then digitally abstract for color exploration in an environment concept.

Media Studies
Study media, specifically film, game, overview of history and the masters.
Begin Final Project
Three fully rendered paintings in different lighting, composition and color schemes.

Non-destructive Workflow
How to set up your projects for success.
 
Advanced Procedures
Push color and lighting in a scene with the same major compositional features.

In-depth Critiques
Get honest feedback and learn how to push yourself to the next level.
Meet your instructor

Tayler Olivas

Tayler is a Visual Development Artist, Art Director, and professor in the film and games industry. Tayler's work has been showcased in numerous games, cinematics, and marketing materials for brands like Gucci, Team Fight Tactics, Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games, Riot Games and Elodie. When not working on client projects, Tayler teaches at Laguna College of Art and Design in Southern California.

Tayler's expertise spans various digital media, including Adobe Photoshop CC, Blender, Zbrush, 3DCoat, Substance Painter, and Marmoset Toolbag, as well as traditional media like gouache, watercolor, oil paint, and markers (Copic and Prismacolor). Tayler holds a bachelor's degree in game art from Laguna College of Art and Design, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

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