This paper explores a particular feature of contemporary drawing practice: that of the visual artist, and particularly the draughts-person, who works in close collaboration with other professionals from cognate investigative disciplines, and in research relationships and environments where drawing might not normally be expected to operate. The paper lays out some of the historical and contemporary context, the social and cultural pressures and opportunities and, with reference to Ruskin and four exemplary British artists: Sian Bowen, Jill Gibbon, Leo Duff & Sarah Simblet; seeks to establish and illustrate this distinctive aspect of their drawing practices and asks what we might gain from it.