But it might actually help to know what this thing is, whether you’re talking a verb or a noun. Aquatint etching is a form of printmaking whereby half tones can be created on a surface via etching. By using aquatint in the process the prints look so photorealistic that they’re almost indistinguishable from painted mediums (to the untrained eye, at least). The original process was invented by Jean-Baptise LePrince between 1765 and 1769, and has since been used by such notable artists as Francisco de Goya.

Pick up an aquatint picture sometime. You’ll find the similarities to true painting quite amazing.

You get a very sleek looking Firefox browser, that’s what. The popular web browser now features a downloadable theme wherein you can change your menus to a sleek, glossy black color with a nice shine to it. It certainly serves to spruce up your browser.

Don’t like black? That’s fine. There are plenty of other aquatint options out there, whether you’re working on a PC or a Mac. There are new designers every day, seemingly churning out these themes by the dozen. Since they’re a free download, you may as well grab a few and give them a try. You might just be delighted with the result, and if nothing else it will give you something new to look at for a few minutes.

First a metal plate is sealed to protect it from the acid that will be later used. Then the artist etches his design into the plate, with varying degrees of depth to create the contrast desired. The plate is then “washed” over with an acid. Ink is then applied over the plate and then wiped clean. Leaving ink in only the etchings. With the etchings being of varying depths, the plate now has a contrast of shades in the design.

Many artists still today use this and similar techniques to create their art. Many variations of aquatint art has been used over the years. All however with the same intention in mind. To create beautiful works of art out of etchings and to be able to have the expression of different color tones.