Historically, scientists and researchers have accompanied their observations with drawings, indicating that visual models are an effective way of communicating science. Studies have shown that students should draw images that are either interpretational or transformative, and artistic ability is irrelevant as they still help improve learning. However, many educators do not utilize this practice in their courses. In this study, we investigated if practising making simple and schematic drawings can help students understand complex molecular processes, and to use that tool to contextualize complex plant biology processes in an undergraduate plant biology course. When students were introduced to a complex plant process, the instructor accompanied their explanation with a simple schematic drawing. Students were told by the instructor that 1-2 drawing questions would appear on the midterm. For the final exam, no questions explicitly asked students to include a schematic drawing. Students who drew often scored higher on questions related to the topics where drawings were introduced in the course and the lab. Students who drew on the final exam did 12.3% better on the exam than those who didn’t draw. Students who had continuous exposure to drawing style questions during the midterms, did 6% better in the course compared to students who did not write the midterms. Students also gave an overwhelmingly positive response towards drawing, and 94% of the surveyors believed that making simple drawings helped with their learning of complex molecular processes. This could indicate that exposure to drawing style questions helped reinforce the learning of complex molecular processes.