Serious question, is hand sketching still a necessary skill for a drafter?

I was talking with a retired architect at a hardware store in Boise last Tuesday. He said, 'The best drafters I ever hired could think with a pencil before they ever touched a CAD station.' That stuck with me because I've been fully digital for about five years now. It made me wonder if I'm losing something by skipping the sketch phase entirely. Do you still start projects with a quick hand drawing, or is that step obsolete?

3 comments

3 Comments

williamb2920d ago

My old boss in Tacoma had a rule, you had to sketch three different ideas on a napkin before opening any software. It forced you to solve the big layout problems when changes were free. The screen kind of locks you into your first idea.

rileyb6117d ago

Totally get that, @williamb29, my first drafts are always the worst.

williamb2920d ago

Had a buddy waste a whole week on a logo because he started in Illustrator. His final pick was basically his first napkin sketch.