Methodyca learning game - background art assets and concepts

Methodyca - a learning game by students for students, for learning research methods.
"Methodyca is a browser-based point & click adventure game whose aim is to introduce the field of research methods to university students. Learn what happened to your thesis supervisor by diving into the fantastic realm of Methodyca and help its inhabitants through a multitude of mini-games." (game trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJyjHbCvV3A)
One of the earliest parts of my job on Methodyca was designing some of the backgrounds in the game that would work with the switching mechanic of the game - switching from the start of the semester to the end of semester reveals different games to the player. You can see this art in use at https://dlg.tlu.ee/methodyca/game - the second one is also the background for the site itself! I was excited to do environment art again, but was not very confident in my ablities at the time, so this was a valuable learning experience.