cody cessna
Illustration
Cody Cessna is a Denver-based Illustrator who is learning to see. He enjoys the simple pleasure of making things with his hands. Cessna strives to express humor as part of his artistic practice. Illustrators that have shaped his style and artistic interests include Bill Watterson, Dr. Seuss, and Norman Rockwell. He also carries many influences from pop culture such as The Muppets, Wallace and Gromit, The Twilight Zone, Star Wars, and Alfred Hitchcock. Infatuation with storytelling led him to minor in Theater/Film/Television. He dabbles in stop-motion animation and 2D animation.
artist
statement
Strangers and Aliens is a collection of designs for a science fiction/fantasy stop motion film. The project originates in homage to pop culture, and an exercise in self-cannibalism.
This project is really about chasing who I am as an illustrator. The foundations of the world I’m building go way back, to artwork I did as a kid over a decade ago. Building on the same spirit of space comics I made as a kid, I’ve created brand new characters and settings that reflect elements of my recent work. I’ve collaged elements of pop culture into my designs, attempting to make something that honors the media I enjoyed as a kid, parodies nerd culture, and also stands on its own as an original universe.
I chose to begin a stop-motion film because I really appreciate the art of frame-by-frame puppetry. Bringing a real object to life is perhaps a Frankenstein-like urge, but it’s perfect for my patient, detail-oriented working style. There’s something about making an object in real space come to life.
This project is really about chasing who I am as an illustrator. The foundations of the world I’m building go way back, to artwork I did as a kid over a decade ago. Building on the same spirit of space comics I made as a kid, I’ve created brand new characters and settings that reflect elements of my recent work. I’ve collaged elements of pop culture into my designs, attempting to make something that honors the media I enjoyed as a kid, parodies nerd culture, and also stands on its own as an original universe.
I chose to begin a stop-motion film because I really appreciate the art of frame-by-frame puppetry. Bringing a real object to life is perhaps a Frankenstein-like urge, but it’s perfect for my patient, detail-oriented working style. There’s something about making an object in real space come to life.
