Animation and special effects are exciting. They’re impressive...and they appear to be far removed from pencil and paper drawing. Even the Disney Studios are going to computer generated animation instead of hand-done cell animation. So why all the fuss about learning to draw?

It is true that the arts in general, are indeed becoming more and more reliant on computers…but not totally.

Computer enhanced art (or any visual art, for that matter) must go through a rigorous creative process; i.e., research, conceptual brainstorming, sketches, thumbnails, roughs, layouts, comprehensives, storyboards, etc. Most of this creative process, is pencil and paper stuff and it all happens before a computer is ever touched.

Once the computer does come into play, its operator must be able to creatively manipulate a given program’s capabilities to fit his or her creative needs. All these things require more than technical knowledge. They require artistic skill and understanding.

These are the reasons why the people who bring computer-generated images to fruition are first and foremost "artists". And guess what? The really good ones are trained and educated in the tried and true traditional manner. They have studied graphic design, composition, color theory, typography, etc. and would you believe it...drawing and perspective.