Sketches of People (Jinbutsu sōga 人物艸画)
Sketches of People (Jinbutsu sōga) is a Japanese woodblock-printed sketchbook of figure studies by the artist Kokan (1653-1717), published in Osaka in 1724 by Taharaya Heibei for artists and students. The pages show ink-line figures of scholars, priests, monks, a grinder and a seated sage, drawn in loose, economical strokes with Japanese captions beside each figure. A designer could take from them the simple outline gesture of robes and posture, and the way a few lines suggest weight, cloth folds and character.
