Pat Douthwaite’s distinctive drawn line has been made using lithographic crayon. It has a waxy consistency but can produce incredibly subtle tones and texture. Douthwaite was notable for her uninhibited and sometimes arrogant self-expression, yet The Sneer belies her deeper insecurities. Haunted by feelings of alienation throughout her life, the condescending sneer expressed by the woman in this lithograph hints at the pressures Douthwaite felt in exposing her innermost thoughts and visions through her art.