Tolliver's titles are wildly divergent; e.g., "Smoke Charlies," "Scopper Bugs," or "Jick Jack Suzy Satisfying her own Self".

He regularly worked with "pure house paint" on plywood,[4] and things like door frames, or table tops, creating whimsical and sometimes erotic pictures of animals, humans, and flora.

Tolliver's painting style is referred to as flat, full frontal, or straight profile with a muted palette.

[6] A "Quail Bird" may glide over a cotton field, or a spread-leg "Diana" or "Moose Lady" may be straddled over an exercise bicycle rack.

Relatives of Tolliver have imitated his style and signed their work as he did, making it sometimes difficult for collectors to find an original painting.