Towards the end of his life, in the mid to late 1970s, Mark Severin worked on a series of pencil drawings based on the Indian lovemaking classic the Kama Sutra. As well as being fascinated himself by the subject, Severin was imagining that the designs could be used as the basis for a series of silver medallions for which he started talking with a sculptor friend about making plaster versions as casts.

In 2007 Mark’s son Geoffrey collected the thirty-six drawings and published them privately in a limited edition of 100 copies, As he writes in the short introduction, ‘They couldn’t remain hidden for ever.’ He goes on to explain that ‘As these pencil illustrations aren’t just plain line drawings, but often show extremely gentle shades, only the half-tone printing technique could be used in order to preserve the black pencil on white paper look. It has been said that in Mark Severin’s illustrations women don’t seem to have any muscles or even any bones, and aren’t or slim or sporty, but they are always voluptuous and sensual.’

The thirty-six drawings show the following Kama Sutra ‘positions’:

Urusandhi (Excellent Meeting) – uru: excellent; sandhi: where two paths meet, their junction.
Jrimbhitaka (The Kiss) – the hands can be active.
Utfullaka (Opening Flower/Flower in Bloom) – buttocks lifted, thighs spread.
Indrani (Indra Position) – traditional, with the knees up on the breasts.
Samputaka Parshva (Side by Side) – traditional and less tiring for the partners.
Samputaka Uttana (Jewel Case) – one on top of the other, pelvis raised.
Veshtitaka (The Foot Yoke) – knees up, her ankles at his waist, lingam penetrates from underneath.
Bhugnaka (The Rising) – the man holds the woman’s legs up while penetrating her.
Vijrimbhitaka (The Peacock/Widely Yawning) – the woman holds one leg up, fully offered to man.
Utpiditaka (The Box) – the woman has her legs folded, knees on breast – promotes strong intercourse.
Ardhapiditaka (Svastika) – the woman folds one leg, her arms at the man’s neck.
Venudaritaka (Splitting the Bamboo/Broken Flute) – one of the woman’s legs on the man’s shoulder.
Shulashitaka (Impalement) – her legs spread, the woman sits on the man.
Karkata (Crab) – her legs folded, the woman sits on the man.
Piditaka (Envelopment/Entwined/The Squeeze) – the woman crosses her thighs to strengthen grip.
Padmasana (Lotus Pose) – her legs crossed, the woman sits on the man.
Paravrittaka (The Spin/Turnaround) – bodies twisted, thighs raised.
Shita Rata I (Steadied) – making love standing against a pillar.
Shita Rata II (Steadied) – making love standing against a wall.
Avalambitaka (Suspended Position) – sitting in his hands, the woman puts her arms around the man’s neck.
Dhenuka (Milk Cow) – the woman with her buttocks high up, the man behind her.
Sanghataka I (Milk Cow and Plural Congress) – two women and one man.
Sanghataka II (The Triangle) – one woman and two men.
Varikriditaka (Free-Love Woman) – one woman and three men.
Aineya (Plural Congress) – several women and one man.
Varikriditaka II (Water Game) – sexual sport in water.
Upasriptaka (Natural/Direct Way) – facing, with maximal clitoral stimulation.
Manthana (Churning) – moving lingam in circles inside yoni.
Hula (Double-Edged Knife) – man behind, thrusts his lingam sharply into the yoni.
Avamardana (Rubbing) – her hips raised, man behind thrusts with his lingam.
Vrishaghata (Bull’s Blow) – both partners thrust wildly.
Samdamsha (The Tongs) – the woman holding lingam in yoni for one hundred heartbeats.
Bhramaraka (The Bee) – drawing up her feet so as to have lingam deep within.
Samputa (The Knot of Fame) – seated facing, pulling lover’s waist, loins moving together.
Prenkholita (Swing) – woman makes figures of eight above man, as on a swing.
Vadavaka (The Elephant) – woman's forehead, arms and breasts to the carpet, buttocks high.
Nimita I (Touching) – her lips in O-shape to lingam-tip, the woman moves her head in circles.
Nimita II (Biting at the Sides) – her fingers around lingam shaft and her mouth grasping its head.
Parshvatodasta (The Outer Pincers) – lingam head between her lips, the woman’s hands playing with lingam.
Antasamdamsha (The Inner Pincers) – lingam in mouth, the woman’s hand holding it firmly.
Chumbitaka (Sucking a Mango) – lingam in mouth, sucking firmly, nearly chewing.
Parimr-i-shtaka (Striking at the Tip) – tongue-flick at glans-tip.
Samgara (Swallowed Whole) – lingam deeply in mouth.
Auparishtaka (Cunnilingus) – man’s mouth sucking yoni.
Asadnarana (Extra-Ordinary) – female mutual physical examination.
Kakila (The Crow/69/The Summit of Enjoyment) – kissing each other’s secret parts.

Though the 2007 limited edition of Mark Severin’s Kama Sutra has long been out of print, it is now possible to purchase a high quality print on demand hardback version from Blurb; full details can be found here.