Yaroslav Shevchenko

Ring a Ring of Roses Renaissance Western

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Final Part

There is a final result with lips and final phrase

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For this project, we had to create a character using any material we wanted — paper, clay, cardboard, whatever worked. The character could be anyone or anything. We also had to pick a phrase that the character would eventually say, since we’ll be animating the lip movements to match the words.

I decided to make a version of myself — but with a twist. I made myself look more like a rapper. The reason? During the Easter break, I went to a Central Cee concert, and it really inspired me. So I ended up blending some of his style with my own face, and that’s how this character came to life.

The phrase I chose is from his latest album: “Slow down with the greatness.”

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Zoo trip

We had a great trip to the zoo, and the goal was to improve our drawing skills by sketching animals from life. Drawing from real observation gives you so much more than copying from a photo — you can see the animal clearly, from multiple angles, in motion or still, close up or far away. It really depends on your luck.

Seeing animals live helps you understand their form, movement, and character better. For me, it was a very helpful experience — it pushed me to observe more carefully and sketch faster and more confidently.

Here are a few of my sketches:

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Animatic

There is animatic that I’ve made

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Sound research

I took a look on the other western films for finding out how the sound and the music have been used. There is a research that I’ve done and I collected all the music and sound which we can use

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Map development

There are a couple of examples and the final map which is being used at the beginning and the end of animation

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Final Presentation for pre-production

There is our final presentation for pre-production that includes: Story and Script, Research, Storyboard, Clothing and Environment.

We all worked on the project together, but of course, sometimes each of us focused on different aspects. In the end, we discussed everything with each other and reached a common understanding.

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Script and a bit more

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Research

We did some research to develop our concept. Since we decided that the events of our animation will take place in a typical Italian village, we focused on finding elements characteristic of that era and location.

We explored various aspects such as clothing, musical instruments, inventions, and architecture typical of Renaissance Italy. Our goal was to accurately capture the atmosphere of a rural Italian setting from that period while blending it with the Western genre.

Also we were looking for a few things such as colour palette, in what style we want to make an animation and etc.

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New project

For our project, we were given the nursery rhyme “Ring a Ring o’ Roses” with the Renaissance era and the Western genre. After some research and brainstorming, we decided that the setting of our animation will be in Italy.

Typically, when we think of the Western genre, we imagine the United States with cowboys and rugged landscapes. However, since the Renaissance style doesn’t align with that classic image, we looked into the Spaghetti Western genre instead.

Spaghetti Westerns are a subgenre of Western films that were produced and directed by Italians, often set in desolate and rugged landscapes resembling the American West but filmed in Italy or Spain. These films are known for their unique blend of Italian cinematic style and Western themes, featuring morally ambiguous characters, dramatic music, and a raw, gritty atmosphere.

After doing our research, we found that combining the Renaissance style with the aesthetic of a Spaghetti Western makes sense for our project, allowing us to creatively merge both elements while keeping the Italian setting authentic.

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And there is a final result. I tried to draw in the same or very similar stylistic, but with one different thing. In the original drawings the background colours were painted by watercolours but I painted by markers.

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After the walk we went to Limerick City Library where we got our memberships. Then we had to pick a few books in stylistic that we want to use for our drawings. There are a few books that I’ve taken:

The most interesting for me was a book “Calng!” by Sam Usher. I love the style of illustrations and despite the randomness of lines and colors on the background it still keeps the understandable view

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At this day we went for a walk to People’s Park to develop our drawing skills. Tutors wanted to see what we draw and the main thing how we draw. There are some sketches which I had done during this small trip

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Final result

Here is the final result. After filming, I started the editing stage. I put together the scenes I needed and added sound — both background and other sound effects.

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The shooting process was really fun! We have an amazing team — everyone helps each other, and no one stays on the side. We all worked together to make the pixelation animation look cool.

We even made a special book with teeth and a tongue — big thanks to one of our team members for creating it! Some of us acted in the video, some worked with the lights and camera, and others prepared the materials. But in the end, we all supported each other and worked as one team.

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Pixelation project

Pixelation is a type of stop motion animation. It uses real people and real objects. We take one photo, then the person moves a little, and we take another photo. When we put the photos together, it looks like the person is moving in a strange or funny way.

In our project, a person walks into a library and looks for a book. Then, one book starts to move. The book “eats” the person. After that, the book falls on the floor like nothing happened. Then another person comes, picks up the book, and puts it back on the shelf, very calm.

Also here is the storyboard:

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Typography

We had a small typography workshop where we learned how to create simple yet visually striking designs. The focus was on understanding how different typefaces, layouts, and compositions can completely transform the way words are perceived. It was fascinating to see how even the smallest adjustments—spacing, weight, or alignment—could change the entire feel of a design.

After the workshop, we moved on to working on our own typography pieces, using words related to our projects. It was a great exercise in both creativity and communication, pushing us to think beyond just the meaning of the words and explore how their visual form could enhance their impact.