Photo: Random House/PA Wire

Would-be artists will need a little lead in their pencil to complete the illustrations in a new dot-to-dot version of the ancient Kama Sutra sex guide.

The original book, believed to have been written around 1,600 years ago, includes chapters on Sexual Union, About A Wife and About Others’ Wives.

It is based on ancient Indian Hindu philosophies and was first translated into English in 1883 under the guidance of Victorian explorer Richard Burton.

The new version includes several incomplete illustrations of recommended positions including the inverted crow and the tortoise.

The design team behind the book said it was an “obvious subject for a dot-to-dot”.

They added: “The Kama Sutra positions are extremely odd to start with, so when you create a dot-to-dot and take away the main parts of the body, leaving the odd suspended head and hand it looks even more comical.

“The response to the first few spreads we did was utter hilarity, as the fun part is guessing what will be revealed.

“We have done all the hard work figuring out what needed to be dots and where there should be a printed hand, foot or head.

“It was surprisingly difficult - you could easily lose your way round a body when positioning the dots.

“Of course the bits that everyone wants to draw themselves are the rude bits. They were the most complicated parts to work out – so many dots, so close together to portray the intimate details.”