Detail: Textural effects with opaque white watercolor

In Flamborough Head, England Homer exploited his materials to create a composition rich in contrast and description. The artist chose a soft graphite pencil to accentuate the texture of the laid drawing paper, and he obtained a range of tonal contrasts by varying the pressure of his pencil against the brown paper. In this drawing, the artist brushed on horizontal strokes of opaque white watercolor to mimic the natural strata of the chalk cliffs.