Ruta Stalmokaite

Illustration and Animation - BA (Hons)

Labas, my name is Ruta Stalmokaite and I am an animator from Lithuania who studied BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation at Cambridge School of Art.

I’ve always had a passion for storytelling and expressing myself creatively. Since I am from a very small country, Lithuania, I try to bring in some cultural element into my work and introduce the world to it. Alongside animating I enjoy designing characters, storyboards, illustrations and even 3D modelling!

I am sharing a funny love story which is told by my grandparents. The characters take you on a visually unique, playful yet sentimental journey through one of their shared memories together.

The animation stands out for referencing unique Lithuanian culture. Lithuanian language, being one of the oldest languages in Europe, is one of our most valuable treasures. You can hear how expressive it is as well as see what it visually looks like in some of the backgrounds.

I am using original photographs taken by my grandad in Soviet times. I used them as backgrounds so that you, the viewer, could catch a glimpse of what the life and architecture in Lithuania looked like in 1960’s.

I designed the characters to look like paper cut-outs. This technique helped my characters stand out from the background at the same time becoming part of the animation. I did, however, want to break some rules and give my characters squashy features. Even though it is not a typical trait of paper material I believe it brings charm and playfulness to the animation. To tie it all together, I created an experience of traveling through a photo album.

Hope you enjoy!