Are model sheets necessary? Should I spend time trying to draw solely in order to produce neat model sheets, or is the effort best spent trying to model without one?
I’m not an artist, but from what I’ve heard from artists… Create reference images. Even if it’s just rudimentary sketches, the time spent with a simple pencil and paper, working out how your finished character will look, gels the form in your head, in a way that just seat of your pants modelling can’t. I don’t think it has to be a traditional “model sheet,” but the time spent allows you to fully focus on creating character, without the distraction of the modelling software.
I think that’s the correct answer… I’m just no good at it. 
you can make story board ect with the grease pencil tools!
happy bl
Yup, agreeing with the above…
Everything started with a Word (abstraction)… at least that’s the Idea 
Sketching & drawing is basically planning, preparing. Gathering references is observing, understanding details.
As are pre-visuals to a film, plans to architecture or any other sketch for an idea-to-become-reality.
In a way it is analyzing & organizing (deconstructing/reconstructing) yourself for work before the momentum starts leaving the body.
It can and it will save you a lot of time when you’ll catch yourself thinking… Where to start? What to do next? How much time…? Hmmm?
Also, grease pencil is an amazing digital tool (preferably with a tablet or a touch screen).
Blender Grease Pencil Tuorials
It’s always good to at least have some kind of quick mock up of what your final project will be. It helps to keep you focused on the big picture. Sometimes if I don’t feel like drawing out a concept, I’ll use simple primitives in a scene to layout the composition, then I’ll search the net for images that I can cut up and paste onto the scene to give me an idea of the secondary shapes, and to develop a color palette.
You should see the mock up for my current project. The chopped up body parts slapped together from random images make it look like some kind of serial killer’s obsessive artwork, but it gets the job done. haha
Something that comes to mind, it’s off the wall, but it’s on topic. Just watched an episode of Project Runway Junior. And Tim Gunn says, like, “This week we want something Fashion Forward, and made from Avocado Peels” and all the kids grab their sketch pads. The sketches really aren’t that inspiring, but they know that’s the process. You brainstorm, at least long enough for the hot glue to warm up.
Okay, okay. I guess I should have elaborated.
By model sheet I mean an orthographic view of the character, for tracing. I already have a generic reference, but I wonder if I should have to redraw the character just to trace it.
In that case, I’d say no. If you’ve got direction, you know what it is your after, AND you’ve got a good eye for proportion, then no. It helps the creative process to surround yourself with references, but there is no need to have orthographic background images if you don’t need them. I suck at proportions. I need something to trace, but I’ve watched some great speed modeling where they obviously didn’t need that.
Okay. Is this true even if I’m doing edge loops, in order to create good topology that will deform well? How would I do that without orthographic references?