century ago that reproduction quality guarantees every print

of the edition to be pretty much identical. However, it's

interesting to note how numbers have a psychological value

for us; many see number 1 as very special because it's the

first one and yet many others find number 300 is very

special because it's the last one.

We have now arrived at Etchings . Etching is the

oldest form of art reproduction still in use and it should not

be confused with the etching of lithography.

To create an etching you would begin with a copper

plate covered in a special protective coat. You then carve

the image of your original piece into the protective coating

and dip the plate in acid wearing away the exposed parts

you just carved. The acid allows the engraved image to

etch into the plate; which in turn allows you to ink the

cooper plate and press it against paper or even canvas to

produce an image. Etchings are usually not very detailed

images and most you'll see will be monochromatic or have

no more than four basic colors in them.

An artist's choice as to what method of reproduction

to use usually comes from the popularity and desirability of

the original image. For example, if a particular original sells

very quickly and a lot of people seem to be drawn to it, it

would be considered a good candidate for a Giclée or

serigraph.