 As a monument builder and memorialist, I often reflect on how we are communicating to our clients, with the goal that we communicate both efficiently and effectively. As they say, “Time is money,” and client satisfaction is everything!
An etching is an artist’s interpretation of a photograph, while a porcelain photograph is usually a duplicate of whatever you see in a photograph. Whether with an etching or a photograph, there is a certain amount of flexibility and artistic license that is available. With porcelain photographs, we can move individuals from different pictures into one photograph, remove the background, and modify the image for client satisfaction.
 In a photograph taken of myself, from 15 years ago, I worked with the artist to remove the eyeglasses I once wore before laser surgery. I asked that my jaw line be slimmed down a bit to “take off a few pounds.” I would love to be that weight again, and I did also ask for “a few extra strands of hair in the front.”
The final product was based upon a drawing that was agreed upon after 7 drafts, and the drawing was based upon a photograph. You can compare the picture, drawing, and the final etching, and see the process. The point I hope our clients understand is that the final product will look similar to, but different, from the drawing, and an etching is an artistic rendition of a photograph.
 I must admit that I have some dissatisfaction with the final product. This is not necessarily with the artist who engraved the stone, but the outcome was different from my expectations. “I never looked that way during my entire life,” I said upon seeing the lithochrome etching. “Well, we did make changes to the original photograph, and the etching looks just like the drawing,” the artist said defensively.
Perhaps he is right, and I am wrong. The cost to change the portrait would be more than I would want to spend, and although my family never met the fellow in the etched portrait, he really is not that bad looking.
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About Burton Fletcher:
Burton Fletcher, with over 20 years’ business experience, owns USAMonuments.com. He has published articles on memorialization in newspapers and trade associations, including the Monument Builders of North America, International Cemetery and Funeral Association and YB News, a national publication read by more than 10,000 funeral home owners. He is a licensed memorialist who designs, builds, ships and installs across the United States and Canada. Burton is the founder and president of the Georgia Monument Builders Association. Reach Burton at 229.245.8858 or e-mail to Burton@USAMonuments.com for all your memorial needs. © Burton Fletcher 2006 All Rights Reserved.
© Burton
Fletcher 2006 All Rights Reserved.
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