One of the nineteenth century French painter said: "To draw does not simply mean to reproduce contours; drawing does not consist merely of line; drawing is also expression, the inner form, the plane, modeling- And I absolutely agree with his remarks. However, to obtain a likeness, it is necessary to draw with extreme accuracy, especially in the position of the eyes, nose and mouth, relative to the rest of the face. Artists need patience. The drawing cannot be completed in half an hour. It is going to take something like five hours, although the artist may find it difficult to put it down once he has reached a certain stage. This essay will present the purpose of drawing and desires required to achieve drawing skills.
What purpose does drawing have for artists today? I think people often misrepresent drawing as a medium, or group of mediums, rather than an activity. I see drawing as the visual equivalent of language. It is simply the way we communicate ideas visually through a series of marks on a ground. So to rephrase the question, it is a little like asking "What purpose does speaking have for people today?" For both, the answer is the communication of information. This information can take the form of ideas, thoughts, commentary, entertainment, or just literal facts, but for all of these, drawing is just the mode of transmission. .
In the case of artists specifically, it is the fastest and most efficient way to represent an idea visually. Far more immediate than any other way of doing it, a quickly drawn sketch is usually the "first look" an artist has at how they might execute an idea.
When looking at the drawing in painting the most important factor is not something the viewer can see in the work, it is only something they can start to evaluate. No artist is born with the skills they need to succeed in the arts. There is no such thing as genius. What makes artists great, or skilled, is the action of their attitude, intelligence, and their applied studies.