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.
They share the artist name in advance each month, but never spoil the artwork. I love their colorful and modern shipping envelopes, and I get so excited to open them up and see my surprise each month.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About This Print Subscription
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 December, you had to sign up by November 31st)
Edition #97, Featuring Illustrator Mike Ellis
The featured illustrator this month is Mike Ellis who hails from Toronto, Canada.
All Papirmass editions come with these small interview cards with the featured artist. We get to learn a little more about the print itself, about the artist's process, and their creative life.
I definitely had dreams as a teenager of buying a big old building and turning it into a shared studio space, so Ellis is literally living my dream life. I also love that he suggests a visit to the library to break through creative blocks.
"New Beginnings" by Mike Ellis, 9 x 12 Offset Print
This might be my favorite Papirmass print yet! I was immediately smitten by this image of a tree sprouting up through a cut-off trunk, surrounded by beautiful blue mountains off in the distance. Ellis notes in his interview that this piece was inspired by seeing similar regrowth from the window of his car.
This is an offset print, so it's on thicker cardstock-type paper. Even though it's a digital artwork, it has a lot of nice texture and detail.
The backside of the image, like always, has more information about the print itself and includes framing ideas and an art appreciation prompt. This is one of the little things I love about this box: every detail is considered.
This image is definitely an encouraging one, which suggests growing past adversity and challenges. I found myself also thinking about how all things over time can be new again.
This box also always includes an artist quote with a creative activity on the back. I love that this one is themed with the print!
This month's creative activity is coloring, and they've also included this coloring page for you:
This is a smaller (about 9" x 6"?) print on what appears to be a vintage paper. This is an intricate oak tree with acorns illustration that ties the theme altogether. I like it so much in black and white that I don't want to color it in!
Verdict: Papirmass is honestly my favorite affordable subscription box at the moment. 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 at this price point. I recently went all-in and signed up for a full year, and I have no regrets so far. $8/month is super easy to fit into my budget to get some fresh inspiration and a wide range of artwork to hang in my home and office or share with friends.
Is this box still available if I subscribe today? No. If you sign up now (before January 31st), your first edition will be the February box.
Check out all of our Papirmass reviews and more subscription boxes for the home and office in our subscription box directory!
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What do you think about Papirmass?
Do you like receiving surprise art in the mail? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
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