In 1912 Picasso and his friend Georges Braque began experimenting with sticking pieces of paper onto their drawings. This technique, known as 'papier collé' (stuck paper), in turn affected the way they painted. In this painting, Picasso has used a range of media and techniques. The gas-jet at the back is drawn in charcoal, while the stylized glass at the bottom is scraped into thick white paint. Picasso has used varnish to paint the vertical strip in the middle of the painting, and mixed grit with his paint to paint the bottle and surrounding area, on the right of the picture.