Absented oneself and sketched (8)
I believe the answer is:
withdrew
'absented oneself' is the definition.
(to absent oneself is to leave or withdraw)
'and sketched' is the wordplay.
'and' becomes 'with'.
'sketched' becomes 'drew' (I've seen this in another clue).
'with'+'drew'='WITHDREW'
(Other definitions for withdrew that I've seen before include "retired" , "Took back" , "Took away; retreated" , "Scratched" , "Backed away or bowed out" .)