DAREK ZABROCKI IS A PROFESSIONAL CONCEPT ARTIST AND ILLUSTRATOR WITH OVER A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE WORKING IN THE VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY.
Portfolio: www.darekzabrocki.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/darek.zabrocki91
Instagram: http://instagram.com/darekzabrocki
Darek Zabrocki’s current portfolio examples:
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this interview, where we asked him specific questions about what it’s like to be a concept artist in the entertainment industry, dispel a few common misconceptions that aspiring artists tend to have about the field, and discuss his educational background. Here, in part two of this interview, we ask Darek Zabrocki specific questions about building his portfolio, marketing himself in the industry and more. Here’s what Darek Zabrocki had to say:
HOW DID YOU HUNT DOWN YOUR FIRST JOBS IN THE INDUSTRY?
My first big gig working on a AAA title was doing some concepts for Sid Meier’s Starship. I had been recommended by my friend Michal Kus who was also working on it. It happened around the time when Art Station appeared online and was growing as the biggest art community website – I had a lot of time to produce my personal portfolio and I was promoting myself hard back then. Later Sony Guerrilla Games found me on Linkedin, and it would be even later before I would branch out to work with a whole bunch of various projects and clients.
HOW DID YOU MARKET YOURSELF FIRST STARTING OUT? WHAT DIFFICULTIES DID YOU HAVE TO OVERCOME?
I was posting my works on Deviantart for a while. It helped me gather some small and interesting freelance gigs. Later on there was CGhub, but that was still before my breakthrough into serious industry work. It wasn’t until Art Station appeared that I had developed enough high caliber work worth posting. Along with posting to Facebook, I managed to gather a social following and was also able to find out here about how certain Instagram growth services like Upleap or Instaboostgram could help to give my following an extra boost in the future if I needed it. What a vital tool that could be. I think it all happened in a right time and right place because we started Level Up! Around that time and it was boost for all of us around!
WHERE DO YOU CURRENTLY MARKET YOURSELF? WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT (YOUR WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, WORD OF MOUTH?, ETC.)
I set up my own website last year and try to keep it updated. I post my works on Facebook, Artstation, Deviantart, Behance, and Instagram.
I am trying to be current with it but I am not going too crazy about it. What helps me a lot is setting up automatic share on other social media so I don’t need to spend hours on updating my galleries and I just use share option.
DO YOU THINK THE INDUSTRY IS VEERING TOWARDS A MORE CONTRACT AND OUTSOURCING MODEL FOR ARTISTS?
Yes I think so. There is a lot of outsourcing done by big companies and there are artists that prefer that model of work more than sitting in the studio. I think I am that kind of person, although I also think that everyone should experience being an in-house artist at least once
This concludes our interview with Darek Zabrocki. All images used with permission by the artist. © Darek Zabrocki
