Question on digital painting in the Illustration industry? Any professionals out there who can help?

I always got the feeling that digital painting as an art form is seen as inferior to other methods, i'm not sure why... possibly because it is often associated with the sci-fi/fantasy genre, which some people don't like... (but i do) but i was wondering if it is common for illustrators to use digital painting, and i don't mean tweaking and touching up hand-done pictures on Photoshop, i mean the full-on painting! Is it a respected medium? Does it depend on the area of illustration? If so which areas?





Basically, i wish to know if digital painting would be a worthwhile skill to develop for a *fingers crossed* future in illustration. i'm new to it, and i enjoy it, but i don't want to spend hours perfecting something that won't go very far in the professional world.





Strange question, i know, but something i've been wondering for a while now and can't find a definative answer to!





thanks!Question on digital painting in the Illustration industry? Any professionals out there who can help?
I think, just like any other media out there, digital painting has a market. I have done an entire book using only CG. My point of view, you choose your own media and what will work best for each project. If you prefer digital, you will find the right clients. As far as learning a new skill, it is always worth while! Only draw back I see to CG is that you can end up spending far too much time on a single illustration as the possibilities for change are never ending.


H