In several studies for the Mallarmé project, Matisse used the etching needle on copper plate as he would have a pencil on paper: filling, if not crowding, the composition with random doodles and miniatures, including a small self-portrait head, as well as a larger central figure study. Although the use of a copper plate involves preparing the surface with a hard ground resist layer that can then be etched through immersion in acid before printing, requiring slightly more advance preparation than working directly on paper, Matisse approached the medium with the same ease and spontaneity as his drawing. This freedom of invention and fluidity of line demonstrates Matisse’s skill as a printmaker.