It's no secret that the most important skill that all artists should have is to be able to draw from life. Understanding how things work, in essence, will help the resulting animation look real and believable, and helps an artist - or animator, to be precise - to develop their style and vary it, and not stick to just one particular style.
Williams is quick to acknowledge that life drawing doesn't have the same 'reward' as working in animation does; according to him, animation is a "collaborative work", and life drawing is not something that can be done in one's spare time. However, he emphasizes on how crucial life drawing is, and that it is important for an animator to understand how things work in order to truly bring their work to life.
Winsor McCay and Milt Kahl, some of the more prominent animators in the industry (the latter of which Williams had the pleasure to work with when he was starting out), also put great importance in life drawing. Art Babbitt may have put his point across best of all: "If you can't draw - forget it. You're an actor without arms and legs."
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