Sci-Fi Art Feature — theRenderCode (Andrew C Popa)


Continuing our series in epic SciFi Art, we have some favourite pieces from the very talented Andrew C Popa. Andrew was kind enough to answer our whirlwind ‘getting to know you’ Artist speed dating questions too.

Thanks for doing an interview! First, tell us a little about yourself. How did you get started in art and what’s your overall goal? Where do you see yourself going?
Hi, my name is Andrew Popa, I am 20 years old and I live in Romania. Reinterpreting the things around me has always been something I was interested in. As most artists I have been passionate about drawing from a young age, but on top of that I was also building things out of cardboard and later on sculpting in wood or in clay. Nothing that was SF related at that time. About 5 years ago I started making portraits, but my focus shifted when I discovered 3d modeling (2 years ago). I couldn’t stick with both, so now I do mostly CG renders, but when I have time I do sketches to study human anatomy. For the most part I do environments, in the next years I would like to explore the process of creating characters, which is a bit more complex.

What inspires you to make sci-fi art? TV shows, books, other artists, etc?
What we surround ourselves with eventually changes the way we see the world, the way we interpret things. Even though most of the concepts that are presented in a SF universe are not possible at the moment I want to be surrounded by them in some way. Creating in 3d allows me to get a better feel of that universe. It allows me to interact with the objects, modify their shapes, paint on them, arrange the lights in the way I want. It’s a small simulation I get immersed in, and I want to share it with other people to see how they react and what cool ideas they have.
I love space exploration and I find inspiration in movies like: Avatar, Interstellar, Passengers, The Martian.

Which of your pieces is your favorite? Why?
I think the one with the portal is my favorite. I did a photoscan of an old room that is located in a small house in my backyard. It turned out to be pretty accurate and I kept thinking about how I could use this digital representation of an actual place with something that I would like to see brought into reality. I remembered that I had a model of a portal that I created a few months earlier. It was designed for another idea of mine that didn’t really work at that time. I put the two objects in the same scene and started adding secondary elements to come up with a story:
“While loading the coordinates of the destination, a glitch occurs which causes the other dimension to be seen reflected in the objects around.”
More about the project on Artstation.

What’s your technique like? Do you finish pieces in a single setting or spread them out over multiple days?
My workflow is spread across multiple days. Going for a realistic result requires a lot of attention spent on the small details, most of the time I have to remind myself that I have to finish at some point. I start by working on the main element of the image and then building around it, but sometimes I get distracted by some new idea and that prevents me from getting the project done. I think a time constraint allows for a more creative control, rather than getting caught up in the technical aspects, I can focus more on what story I want to tell. Recently I got started sculpting characters. I wanted to do that for sometime, but I was afraid to start, thinking it will take too long and I’ll never get anything done. So, I set out to sculpt a head within one hour and call it done by the end. I was surprised to see how much can be done in such a short time. It’ something that I should try for other types of projects as well.

Finally, of all the future technology consistently theorized across all forms of media (teleportation, instant communication, genetic editing, spaceflight, cloning, etc.), what would you like to see the most?
Definitely teleportation and spaceflight. I love the idea of going far out into the space and exploring how things evolved on other planets. We don’t know what to expect, what can be found out there, what forms of life. We can try to make assumptions based on what we know, but our perspective it’s limited to the things we came across. I wonder how art will be influenced in a future where those things could be possible.


Awesome! Thanks for sharing your art and for doing this interview!

You can find more about Andrew C Popa on Artstation

Sci-Fi Art Feature — Hideyoshi


Continuing our series in epic SciFi Art, we have some favourite pieces from the very talented Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe. Hideyoshi was kind enough to answer our whirlwind ‘getting to know you’ SciFi speed dating questions too.

Thanks for doing an interview! First, tell us a little about yourself. How did you get started in art and what’s your overall goal? Where do you see yourself going?
Hey, my name is Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe and I live in Berlin, Germany. I have always been interested in drawing ever since I was little and kept up practise over the years. When I was a teenager I was obsessed with Dragon Ball and other manga and tried my fair share at drawing in that style, even publishing a manga story later on with a very limited print count. Some time in high school I stumbled upon Feng Zhu’s old marker concept art and was really inspired to get into that as well. In 2004 I finally gave digital art a go and have been creating in that medium ever since, also expanding into 3D art more and more.
People say it’s important to have goals. Yes, I agree but when it comes to art, I don’t really think in these terms too much. If you’re only chasing some sort of career, it can take out some of the value of art. I simply follow my passion of creating and expressing when I feel the inspiration and work usually comes along by itself. You simply attract the kind of work that you’re doing at any give time. Where ever you put your energy, you attract more of that. I have been fortunate to work on all kinds of different projects so far that have challenged me in different ways and has kept work interesting and I hope it will continue to do so.
I’d like to inspire people when they look at my art and tell stories. I guess that is some sort of goal. I want to expand upon techniques that can help me create more striking art.
I am juggling a few other things professionally which is why I am a bit more relaxed about art these days. Filmmaking has become another field which I have been pursuing for quite a while now. I keep shifting my creative output so to speak and try to stay flexible. That has worked quite well for me over the years. But I always wonder if I should make a decision one day and commit to one passion and really chase that alone. As long as I can express myself in various fields simultaneously, I’ll continue to do so though.

What inspires you to make sci-fi art? TV shows, books, other artists, etc.?
There is a long list for sources of inspiration that come from all kinds of media. The usual suspects for a lot of sci-fi artists that always come up are titles like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Bladerunner, Alien, Matrix, Terminator etc. Yes, they have influenced me just the same. Since manga was a big part of growing up, I read everything by Tsutomu Nihei and went down that Cyberpunk rabbit hole for a good while. Also titles like Battleangel Alita or Eden had an impact on me. I have read Philip K. Dick’s work with keen interest.
A bit more recently, Ghibli and Moebius have influenced my art quite a bit as well. I feel I had this dark cyberpunk phase initially and then also went on to explore lighter sci-fi, edging on Fantasy as well. I like the whole Star Wars aesthetic just as much now while I had been evading it mostly for reasons that are beyond me haha.

Which of your pieces is your favorite? Why?
Uh that is a tough one. I don’t think I can answer that definitively. It keeps changing. I still like some really old speed-paintings of mine like the Samurai standoff (above). Also recent speed-paintings like Bounty Hunter and Child Inventor. Also anything Steampunk such as the Tesla Teleporting Station.

I usually like the rough work I put out more than the rendered up ones. There is a certain charm about quick paintings that can be both realistic and abstract at the same time. They leave a lot to imagine for the viewer. I generally like simplicity in art, telling a story with the bare minimum. Speedpainting is my favourite style of working.
When it comes to more detailed art, this one I am still quite proud of Conservator Walk Gateway. (below)

Also Akira this one, but it’s more fanart than being original.


What’s your technique like? Do you finish pieces in a single setting or spread them out over multiple days?
Well, speed-paintings I finish in one go, mostly in 30 minutes haha – when I do one for the so called ‘Daily Spitpaint’ activity which I really like. It’s like a highly focused session of bringing your best skills to the table in one go. These quick paintings really force you to concentrate on what’s most important, no second – guessing, no procrastinating.
When I render a piece, it can happen over several days, yes. But I feel that taking too many interruptions can harm a piece because you lose momentum and start overthinking which is never good in art.

Finally, of all the future technology consistently theorized across all forms of media (teleportation, instant communication, genetic editing, spaceflight, cloning, etc.), what would you like to see the most?
Hm, all kind of sci-fi is intriguing to me, I don’t really have a preference as long as the ideas are presented well – may it be aesthetically or conceptually. Of course it’s best when concepts are shown both visually appealing and functionally sound. I always dig me some space-related and robotic/cybernetic art for sure.


Awesome! Thanks for sharing your art and for doing this interview!

You can find more about Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe on Artstation