ABSTRACT
Drawing from life in a sketchbook has perks other than just providing an opportunity to practice regularly. Drawing in a sketchbook teaches observation and demands an attention to detail that one cannot attain through digital rendering. The true potential of hand drawing is the fact that it is open to interpretation and therefore lends itself to discussion and exchange. Hand drawings often take less time than photo-realistic digital graphics. Spending about ten minutes developing the basic lines and shapes in Sketch Up, then printing the two-dimensional exported image, and then using it as a base to trace over new lines. This process can provide a good base drawing in much less time than trying to draw it without help or doing a digital rendering. Hand drawing maintains an important role in landscape architectural design and practice and students who are able to produce quality drawings are likely to be assets to their firms.
