Papirmass Art Subscription Box Review – November 2017

Papirmass (pronounced pah-purr-mass) is a Canadian art subscription that sends you a print from a new artist or illustrator each month. Their name is a play on the Danish word for "pulp," and they were founded by two artists to help keep themselves and others inspired and motivated through art.

I love their shipping envelopes! This one is a bit different and smaller from last month, but it's so fun and colorful.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

What is Papirmass?

The Subscription Box: Papirmass

The Cost: $14/month ($12/month for prepaid quarterly, or $8/month for prepaid annual).

The Products: One artist print (or prints) plus info about the artist and an additional card with creative and inspirational quotes/activities, each month.

Ships to: Ships worldwide for free!

Good to Know: You must sign up before the last day of each month to receive the following month's artist (so for November, you had to sign up by October 31st)

Check out all of our Papirmass reviews and more subscription boxes for the home and office in our subscription box directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Papirmass Edition #95, Featuring Hiller Goodspeed

I am in love with the edition this month already! I'd never heard of Hiller Goodpseed before, but these five tiny prints are sure to brighten anyone's day.

Hiller is based in Vancouver, and his card talks a bit about his process and style. I appreciate that he's embraced making simpler art using crayon pencil after he said he initially tried to "make a more serious and cool kind of art." I also love when people make art primarily for themselves; it's something as a creative type that I often struggle with.

Given his casual, cartoony sort of style, I love that Papirmass decided to include a little mini collection of prints this month instead of just one big piece. Ready to check out those prints in more detail?

"Good Thing" Risograph Print

This little 5" x 6" print might be my favorite one in the shipment this month. First off: it's a nice encouraging sentiment! Second, I love this simple and cute space cadet alien illustration. This little print would be perfect to share with a friend or to hang in a child's room.

Unlike the stiffer cardstock type paper used last month, these are printed on various, more delicate papers. And like last month, you can see that all the information about the print is also printed on the back. That's a nice touch! As someone who acquires a lot of small art pieces throughout the year, I rotate things out of frames periodically, and it's easy to forget when something was purchased and sometimes even who made it.

"Hide Away" Risograph Print

This one makes me chuckle. Who among us hasn't had a day where you just want to stay in bed all day and hide from the world? This little person looks so content inside their tube! My toddler is super into making forts and playing hide and seek right now, so this also hits on a bit of childhood nostalgia for me.

All the prints this month are different small format sizes; this one is 6" x 4". The small scale definitely adds to their charm and also makes them perfect for tacking up on cork boards or on your wall with a bit of washi tape.

"Infinite Picnic" Risograph Print

This 5" x 6" print is on a super delicate and vintage-y paper. This follows along the general theme of "little things in life that make me happy" that the other two prints so far have had.

"I Want to Go Home" Risograph Print

This one got another chuckle from me. That orange's half forced smile is so expressive and perfectly captures my own social anxiety.

This is the smallest print of the bunch at just 4" x 4".

"Do Your Best" Risograph Print

This print is the largest one, at 5.5" x 9". Once again, I love this sentiment... it's sort of like a silly modern version of the "hang in there!" poster of a cat hanging off a tree branch. Of all the prints included in this month, I think this one is getting a frame and getting some permanent wall space.

This one has more info on the back since it has more space, and encourages you to hand these pictures on our fridge or around your workstation. There's also a little art appreciation prompt; this is one of those little things that make this subscription so much nicer than just a simple piece of art in an envelope:

Take a moment to study these artworks. Ask a friend to join you. Then, consider the following questions:

1. How do these images make you feel?
2. What conversation are these characters having?
3. Which friend, family member, or famous person does each drawing remind you of?

Papirmass always includes an artist quote and a creative exercise, too. This month's quote is from Andrea Zittel, a contemporary artist most well known for her work with uniforms, small space living, and floating islands. This is a great piece of advice and something I've heard from professional artists time and time again.

The creative exercise is this fun finish-it-yourself style drawing! This month has been a nice diversion into some less-serious artworks during a stressful time of year, and I love that it ends on this lighthearted note.

Verdict

It's only my second month of Papirmass but I am a big fan! It's very affordable and the whole presentation is excellent, from the shipping envelope, interview, artworks, and information printed on the back. After receiving an offset print last month (which is usually a more commercial printing method), I was really happy to get this sincere yet goofy little collection of risograph prints, and to be introduced to the work of Hiller Goodspeed. I'll be following his work

For $14/month ($12/month prepaid quarterly or $8/month prepaid annually), I'd be surprised if you could find an art subscription that is better for under $20/month.

Is this box still available if I subscribe today? No. If you sign up now (before December 31st), your first edition will be the January box.

What do you think about Papirmass?

Do you like receiving surprise art in the mail? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!