Hot take: hand drafting taught me more than CAD ever did

Back in 2008 at my first shop in Chicago, I had to do everything by hand with a drafting board and a Mars Lumograph pencil. Now I use AutoCAD for everything, and I swear I've lost some of the feel for spacing and proportions. Does anyone else miss the way you could think through a layout with a physical eraser in your hand?

2 comments

2 Comments

baker.phoenix7d ago

Keep that physical sketchbook nearby when you're working in CAD. I still rough out layouts on graph paper first, it keeps the proportions locked in your head better than staring at a screen.

terryj457d ago

And @baker.phoenix is right about keeping a sketchbook close. But here's something nobody talks about - hand drafting taught me to commit to a line because there was no undo button. CAD makes you too quick to delete and start over instead of learning from the mistake.