Drawing is more important than painting

[ReneAigner]

I may be completely wrong with my views , because not working in the industry, so feel free to call me out on it :D

You're spot on.

Drawing is a fundamental ability and needs to be developed before one starts to learn painting.

But the end product in the industry is hardly ever linework. Those days are long gone, actually. There are top people like Eytan Zana who say themselves they're not great shakes at drawing.

Times have changed.

Today, 3D is everywhere and you just can't compete with the accuracy, the speed and the versatility of a competent artist who uses DAZ, MODO, Marvelous Designer etc., unless you're extremely gifted (and even then you'll probably be better off using 3D).

In over 4 years of working as an illustrator/designer, I have never seen linework being used for anything other than quick idea doodles.

Everything else is always rendered/painted/photobashed. Even design exploration.

The simple truth is that with today's standards, you have to be both a competent draughtsman and a competent painter using the most recent tools of the trade (namely 3D) to stand much of a chance. Sure, there are people who do without some of these elements, but they are the extremely rare exceptions.