I have been drawing longer than I can remember and like Mike stated. Going from pen and paper to wacom and mouse whether in a 2d or 3d environment is like day and night. The most important thing is to have the ability to visualize and execute. A visually artistic background gives that ability from the start. Everything else is technical. One area where those skills will come into play is in texturing. I thought I would never pick up a pen and pad again until I started texturing. Brows, skin, lips can more often than not require an artistic freehand touch.