Darek Kocurek

http://www.darekkocurek.com/en

Darek Kocurek is a zealous editorial artist with a passion for the mystic and macabre. With a self-confessed style that oscillates between fantasy and horror, he explains: "Partly it results from my interests, from my cooperation with Polish and Dutch Stephen King fan clubs and working with similar publishing houses."
Having produced numerous examples of book cover art and currently working with three European publishing houses, Kocurek immerses himself heavily in his favourite industry area: "Currently I am making several illustrations for book covers," he reveals. It was in the same industry area that he obtained his first commission. "My first order was connected with my involvement with a Polish Stephen King portal, for which 1 made calendar graphics. A publishing house that was searching for illustrations for several reissues of Stephen King's titles noticed my works."
Being in the right place at the right time, and consistent in the delivery of his art to appreciative online viewers, can account for Kocurek's commercial success. But he also expresses his determination to succeed through personal creative development: "In the field of computer graphics lama self-taught person, for many years 1 Nave been using numerous 2D and 3D programs, trying different techniques. My adventure with computer graphics started in the Nineties, when I bought an Amiga computer. During the following years I changed my job several times, and even though I have been working as graphic designer, I am able to identify many forms of computer graphics such as animation, 3D graphics, visualisation, printing and typical commercial art."
After such deliberation and exploration of mediums, Kocurek's conclusion was testament to our favourite software: "Nowadays I work mostly in Photoshop. It's a perfect tool for photomanipulation and it allows typical painting operations at the same time. After collecting materials, I start dressing in Photoshop. Usually I try to connect photomontages with 3D graphics and/or matte painting - often in a way that makes it clear to the onlooker which is the picture and what is added."