LUCIUM HUB - Immortals of Aveum

Working on Lucium was both a technical and artistic challenge—and one of the most rewarding projects of my career. With a limited timeline, constrained budget, and minimal initial direction, I was tasked with creating a hub space that players would return to repeatedly throughout the story. Initially, I worked closely with a level designer to take a vague blockout and develop the foundational compositions, narrative-driven set dressing, and terrain guidelines. With the support and guidance of Associate Art Director Julia Litchblau, I brought the level to a proxy-quality state. From there, I transitioned into a leadership role—managing and art directing a team of talented junior and contract environment artists, including Mason Sinkula, Zephren Varner, Ernie Tsang, and Fazal Taemoor. Together, we focused on bespoke asset creation and set dressing for the expansive hub, delivering a space rich with detail, narrative context, and visual consistency in addition to maintaining performance on both PC and Console. Take a look at my internal art blast images showcasing the progress of the Lucium Hub from the time I started working at Ascendant Studios until our Content Lock milestone.
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GAME DESCRIPTION: Immortals of Aveum is a single-player, first-person magic shooter set in the original fantasy universe of Aveum. The story follows Jak, a battlemage who joins an elite order of magic-wielders known as the Immortals to prevent the world from falling into ruin. At the heart of Aveum lies the kingdom of Lucium, a central hub that players revisit throughout the main story and side quests. However, Lucium—and the world around it—is being consumed by The Wound, a massive chasm that swallows entire cities. Both a literal and symbolic force, The Wound represents the world’s unraveling, driven by the devastating effects of the Everwar and the growing instability of magic. As both a narrative and environmental threat, it underscores the urgency of Jak's mission and the high stakes of Aveum’s collapse.
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MY ROLE: As a Senior Environment Artist (Level Art) on Immortals of Aveum, I was responsible for managing the full production of the Lucium Hub, from initial design through to final shipping, under the guidance of Creative Director Bret Robbins and Associate Art Director Julia Litchblau. I collaborated closely with level designers to shape the hub’s layout—balancing composition, gameplay flow, and narrative beats—while leading a team of environment artists tasked with asset creation and set dressing across the region. My specific responsibilities included: Establishing and implementing the terrain and procedural generation systems, creating an artistic style guide for terrain and set dressing to ensure consistency and visual cohesion, composing and set dressing every major point of interest within the hub, and managing the hub’s production timeline, ensuring all work met performance, visual quality, and delivery targets. This role required cross-disciplinary coordination, strong visual storytelling, and a focus on optimizing both the player experience and development efficiency.