Completely agree. The engagement, the tactile sensation of the point on the paper, the odor, the quality of the paper itself, they all enrich and strengthen the attachments.
I used to wonder if I was spending too much time with the drawing since it takes a lot longer than a completely imaginary vision but then there’s substantial work left to really plant the image, with a drawing, it’s mostly done in the process.
One thing about this kind of sketching is that I can indulge my appetite for detail. In composition one is taught to be restrained with details - this feels something like a guilty pleasure. 