Why is it important to draw artifacts?

Dr. dig responds:
It is important to draw artifacts, because a drawing can render more detail and provide more exact measurements than photographs. Photographs can be blurry and do not last over time as well as pen and ink drawings done on acid free paper.

With regard to drawing artifacts, computer graphics are making the archaeologist's job easier and faster, but for the most important finds, archaeologists still rely on drawings by good draftsmen whose eye and steady hand provide the best renderings of key artifacts. Most computers are still unable to produce images that include the tiny detail that human eyes can detect - the problem is called "pixillation", which does not occur in drawings done by the human hand.