Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls — A Beginner's Guide to Painting Fun, Fresh Still Lifes in Oil and Acrylic

by Sari Shryack

Anyone can learn to paint! Join popular artist and instructor Sari Shryack for approachable lessons that make painting still lifes with acrylic fun, fresh, and feasible.
Shryack runs the popular social media channels @not_sorry_art. She teaches painting classes online and in person, offers painting retreats domestically and internationally, hosts a podcast, and writes a blog. Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls is her first book and the ideal opportunity for Shryack to make painting accessible to all.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

Published June 18, 2024

Reviews

[Angharad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Walter Foster Publishing, and Sari Shryack AKA @not_sorry_art for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are mine.

FIRST OFF, one of the best things about this book is the exposure to an artist who's work I've never seen before. She is PHENOMENAL and uses such bright saturated colors. I'm an amateur painter myself, and I love love love to use bright brights. This book needed to be in my hands I swear. Sari walks you through her own process, step by step in how she composes, sketches, and layers her pieces. The disco ball section looked like a ton of fun. Sari gives a LOT of thought to the "why" of how to do things. The early parts of the books explained why acrylic vs oils.

This is a book for the 90s-2020s girls that want to learn to paint. These colors are FUN, and her subjects are playful and bright. This isn't your grandma's learn to paint books for sure. Seriously go look at her insta or her website for a taste of how bright and playful Sari's colors are. I'm a fan now, and I have to thank this book for the exposure to her art. I am almost certainly going to buy a physical copy when it releases to use to follow along with for my own painting journeys at my leisure.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fab how-to guide for creating contemporary still life paintings. The vivid photos and illustrations and the thoughtful instructions make for a fine gift for any budding artist!

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure- I’ve followed Sari for years on Instagram and own a print of her work, so I’m already a fan. But I really didn’t think this book was going to give you as much of her technique as it did- it even includes her famous disco balls!

This book is surprisingly dense and descriptive about just how you can achieve your own version of her work. I took a painting class in college, and I think this book contains a similar breadth of knowledge. I’m inspired to give painting another try using what I learned from this book…maybe even a disco ball!

I received a galley copy of this book from the publisher.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book to see her paintings because I have been admiring her art online for a while! She gives great painting tips as well (she’s very detailed) but even from looking at her paintings alone I had a great time.

[73pctGeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls by Sari Shryack.

The book is comprised of a short introduction, then ten chapters covering supplies and mindset, still life setup, drawing for painting, value studies, colour, warming and cooling, discoballs, modern still life, style sandwiches, and cleanup and closure, before ending with a conclusion and an index.

The chapters are short and succinct with examples clearly showing the various principles. Some would have benefited from a little more instruction. Almost all of them contain handy tips, such as using a hand mirror as an analogue version of flipping the canvas when using digital painting methods.

I liked this book. It's very pretty and full of colourful images. Techniques covered are not necessarily explained sufficiently for complete novices. For instance, various drawing tools are mentioned, but no actual instruction is given so if you don't know how to measure with a rod/pencil/whatever it's not something you'll learn here.

I am not at the point where I'm interested in actually painting with acrylic/gouache/oils, but still found it an interesting read as some chapters offer valuable information regardless of medium, such as the ones on composition, value and colour studies.

In summary, this is a lovely book but not one for total beginners. Nor does it offer much to the advanced painter.

[Shilo Quetchenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really cool. I really like the author's approach to painting, and her style is very interesting. I vibe with it, especially with the color palette she uses.

I really enjoyed seeing the step-by-step of each example painting, watching it come together from the basic shapes, seeing how she slowly refined the objects and their placement before adding details and highlights. The disco ball paintings were especially cool and made me want to try making one of my own.

The images were clear and crisp and large enough to see clearly, and the colors were very vibrant and fun. I could easily follow along with each example as it progressed from one stage to the next.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Walter Foster Publishing for providing an early copy for review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so much fun, and so very helpful! I have always loved still life- and maybe you do as well, without even realizing it? You have to admit, there’s something satisfying about a well-composed flatlay on IG, for example. Still life is so much more than bowls of fruit, and Sari Shryack’s take on still life is fun, modern, and colorful! She takes us through her artistic process, preparation, set up, materials, color theory, and basically everything else you’ve never even considered, but absolutely should before painting with acrylic. I learned6 so much from this book, and would recommend it to any beginner artist that’s looking for resources to help them get started!

[Kayla Bynum 👻 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect addition to any artist or art appreciator’s collection! I love how descriptive and detailed this book is. Sari is welcoming and engaging to any one who is curious about art & willing to learn more on still life’s & painting. The overall message is that art is for everyone and that anyone and everyone can paint! Will cherish this book for the rest of time! Highly recommend!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern Still Life is a fun guide to painting still lifes with acrylic paint. From how to use the brushes and paint to how to make the paintings more colorful and eye-catching, this guide includes everything you need to learn to paint and make it fun.