at Minnesota, we called trace paper, Bum Wad....no joke....

First I advise you turn to others for help and ask for some advice...

oh wait, you did that and got a load of useless forum-regulars' chat. Sometimes I can't help but think this forum is heading the way of the cliquey sites.

To answer your question though, look at details, elevations etc. The standards of architectural drawing. That's where people can tell you you're wrong. Sketching is an invaluable tool so if you can get good at that it'll help you communicate your ideas a lot. There are some good books listed already which are a good basis for forming your own way of sketching.

I had a freind who was told his sketches looked like a preschooler's work. He now exhibits worldwide and won a host of awards (including drawing ones) for his thesis - which was sketched by hand. There was a time when zaha's sketches were considered too offbeat to be useful. You may find sketching explorations later inform a formal approach in your work.

My advice in brief: Learn how to do the standards, play with the sketching.

and I didn't mean to refer to everyone with that statement. Apologies to those who actually offered advice above

a couple of things

1. in school starchitects were criticised unless of course they were dead. A good architect is a dead architect. Go figure.
2. again in school, they said all good architects draw like shit.
3. people offer to buy my sketches - they are not crap! And no, just because offer to buy doesn't mean they are good. Just means they have value.
4. in Oz i heard them refer to sketch as bum wad - I still can't say that without chuckling
5. anyone rolling with bumwad obviously is desperatee...i'd sooner make a bong out of the roll and an x-acto
6. sketching is about communication to others secondarily, but to yourself mostly
7. a sketch a day...[fill in the rest]

hmmmm... a trace paper roll bong...

i'll be in the model shop!