Echoes of the Sand - Graduation Project - Breakdown

This solo project is my graduation project for Game Art at HKU Utrecht. It is a narrative-driven environment set in the Moroccan Sahara, where the player discovers a historical abandoned city. The goal was to combine environment storytelling with historical research.

The environment is based on historical fortified cities found along North African trade routes. I researched Moroccan architecture, courtyard layouts, material usage, and desert construction techniques to ensure historical believability while adapting them for gameplay readability.

The environment was built using a modular workflow to ensure consistency and efficient iteration. Walls, arches, columns, and floor pieces were designed to snap together, allowing flexible layout changes without breaking visual cohesion.

All materials were created in Substance Designer, focusing on reusable tileables and texture atlases. By linking multiple graphs, I was able to quickly iterate on material variations such as worn plaster, stone erosion, and sand accumulation.

This project represents my interest in environment art that combines history, storytelling, and strong visual composition. I am currently looking for a junior environment artist or junior material artist role in the game industry.

Check out the environment showcase here or on my profile: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lGPbxO