In 2010 Benjamin Wachenje was commissioned by the San Francisco publisher Weldon Owen to produce illustrations for ‘A unique graphic guide to sensual adventure, with hundreds of ideas to enhance your sex life’s playfulness, passion and possibilities’. The authors were ‘sex gurus’ Jamye Waxman, regular contributor to Playgirl magazine, and Emily Morse, aka sexwithemily.com, helped by a ‘panel of experts’.

What to say about whether Hot Sex achieves its stated goal of ‘over 200 things you can try tonight’? It certainly includes a lot of ideas, but presented more like a gift catalogue than an intriguing treasure hunt, which is probably why it did not succeed where other sex advice books have.

The Wachenje illustrations for the book, bold and colourful, demonstrate clearly the artist’s skill in the medium for which he has become well known. The actual sex portrayed, however, is more lukewarm than hot. Not many of the participants appear to be very excited, and the genital count – fewer penises than the fingers of one hand, and only one in a state of arousal; vulvas almost invisible – is pathetic for a book marketed as ‘hot’. On the plus side, Wachenje shows how skilled digitally-enhanced art can be harnessed for truly erotic ends, and it would be interesting to see what might be achieved in the medium if the artist was given free rein.