Bringing Ed Sheeran’s “Subtract” to life—five paint by number murals at a time

When American Express and Atlantic Records mapped out a three‑day, five‑city pop‑up tour for Ed Sheeran’s 2023 album “Subtract,” they wanted something tactile that would tie every guest—whether in New York or Los Angeles—into the same creative moment. Paintable Pictures played a part in the answer: an 8‑by‑8‑foot paint‑by‑number mural of the album cover, duplicated for all 5 cities across the United States.

From May 5‑7, queues wrapped around storefronts in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston, and Chicago, drawing more than 9,000 visitors in total. Inside, fans grabbed numbered brushes and filled individual squares, slowly rebuilding Sheeran’s stark yellow subtraction symbol.

A larger-than-life recreation of the Subtract album cover featured layers as a nod to the deluxe version of the physical record, which includes mylar sheets that, when stacked on top of each other, create the record in full.

Elite Daily called the paint by number mural station one of the pop‑up’s “’Gram‑worthy immersive activations.”

“The pop‑up experience provided a unique outlet for [Sheeran] to share this deeply personal album with his fans, and it allowed him to reconnect with his fan base in the States just as he kicked off his stadium tour,”
— Camille Hackney, chief partnerships officer, Atlantic Records 

Because each visitor added only a few strokes, the canvas stayed fresh for newcomers from opening until close, and by Sunday evening every city had a completed artwork. 

Fans were able to recreate the Subtract album cover with a paint-by-number mural. The 8-by-8-foot versions allowed each attendee to paint a portion of the artwork. Each piece of art was sent back to the team at Atlantic Records.

Ed Sheeran appreciates these hands‑on moments:

“It’s always been important to me that I share my music with the world in a meaningful way. Thanks to American Express, we are bringing ‘—’ to life with exclusive merch and immersive rooms.” 

Paint by number murals for events and brand activations

  • Immersive engagement. Guests collaboratively recreated the newly released album cover art inside a pop-up physical space - a special way to interact with the brand alongside other fans.

  • Consistency across cities. Identical canvases offered a unified visual story while allowing each venue’s flow to adapt—“the activations were primarily the same in each city, [but] the flow varied based on each shop’s layout and size,” noted Hallie Slade of production house SLAACK.

  • Built‑in shareability. Every stage of the artwork—from blank grid to finished cover—offered a photo backdrop that fans eagerly posted, amplifying the tour without paid promotion.

Paint by Number Murals at Paintable Pictures

Our paint by number mural products have been a core piece of award-winning marketing activations across the United States. We thrive when working closely with marketing agencies to fit our product offering into their vision - from small intimate events to multi-city brand activations for a global pop star.