Invented in Germany in the 18th Century, the artist draws each color or shape with an oily crayon onto a flat stone or metal plate. The stone or plate is covered with water and a sheet of paper is put on it and passed through a litho press. The ink is put onto the litho press roller and will only print where the crayon has touched the stone. Once the first color has been printed, the stone or plate has the drawing scraped off it and the artist draws another color upon the same plate. There are usually up to 20 plates used to make a lithograph.