Solid Drawing
'Solid drawing' refers to the importance of an understanding of form when animating. Characters in any space should feel like they have specific and consistent weight, and this can only be achieved with a sophisticated knowledge of the fundamentals of drawing.
As long as you have an understanding of the basic solid shapes that make up the 'skeleton' of your character, you can always add detail on top. It's often surprising to find that apparently complex designs on the surface are actually comprised of very simple forms. It is necessary to keep the basic forms easy enough to track in motion; animation is complicated enough as it is.
Artists on The Lion King studied loads of footage of lions in the wild, and even sketched lions in the Disney studio itself. Even the great, knowledgeable animators will attest to the need for visual research. There is no substitute for real life study, and you can never do too much learning. Extensive knowledge of your subject will always benefit the final product, even if you are exaggerating the forms in a new way.
