Day 230: The Experiment

Go to this page 
http://brianbrushwood.blogspot.com/

I'm trying the Google image experiment again. I need your help.

You might remember several months back when I posted this picture. 

I asked for help on how to get it to climb the Google Image page when someone would do a search for this guy. His name is Brian Brushwood. You can find more information about him at the link above.










I have a new balloon for the experiment. I l'd like it to be the one we use to test things out.

Here it is.
















You can read all the details over at the other blog
brianbrushwood.blogspot.com


I hope you'll help.


See you tomorrow.

Day 224-229: So Many Updates!

I'm playing catch up again... Summer has be busy, but I haven't been getting that many requests for new things at my restaurants. This means I'll have to find time to make some designs on my own at home to keep up with the daily posts.


Day 224: Frog with a Fly

You've seen the new frog design, and I've been getting a lot or requests for a fly on the tongue when I make the frog. I am now working on a fly design. You can't see it that well in this picture, but I used two halves of a clear round to make the wings and tried to make a segmented body.

Day 225:  Balloon Mouse
Remember how I said I was trying to work on making my designs out of the larger balloons? Well... This is a small one. I will try a mouse out of the 360's soon though, I think it will work out just fine.


For some reason it looks like the left leg popped in the picture. Both legs are there, it's just the angle of the picture.








Day 226: Balloon Rocking Horse

I haven't been asked for a rocking horse in years. I don't think I've made on it at least 4 years... I wonder why I haven't gotten a request for one in so long.


Since I couldn't really remember the old design, I decided to make one up from scratch. I admit that I needed to pay more attention to the rocker part... it's not curved at all.






Day 227: Angry Birds Level 1-1

I know this isn't the first level of the game, but I had fun building a fake Angry Birds level.


I've made the birds before, but I wanted to try making one of the pigs... then after I made the pig I had to build one of the houses... Then I had to throw up a slingshot and put a scene together.




Day 228: First Big Balloon Car

I'm proud of my minions. They have been working hard to improve their skills. One of my minions consulted with me on a special request they had for a birthday party they booked. They were asked for a balloon version of the General Lee from Dukes of Hazard. I sent them a quick version of a balloon car for them to use as reference (Very quick and sloppy, not worth posting here) and this is the final product they came up with.  For someone that has been twisting for less than a year, I think this is a great job of coming up with an original design.




Day 229: Bumble Bee Bouquet

I found this one while digging around on my external hard drive while I was backing up my laptop.


I had forgotten this delivery entirely
















Alright!
Next update will be a fun one.
Remember when I tried to get a balloon version of Brian Brushwood to show up on the Google image search a few months back?
I'm going to have some help getting that to happen with a new Balloon Brian Brushwood.
I'll have some more details and a request for help from those of you willing to lend a hand tomorrow.

Day 223: Hippo In Progress

The hippo and the pig are two animals that I've never been 100% happy with. I have versions that I am willing to hand out when asked for, but I know I could do better... and I want to do better.


I just don't think I've properly captured the fat and angry little critter correctly.


See you tomorrow.

Day 222: Another Cow

I'm sure you guys are sick of seeing the balloon cows by now... but I keep getting asked for them, and I keep trying to improve on them each time I build one.


This girl was torn between a Hippo an a Cow, and finally decided on the bovine companion.

Her friend opted for one of my world famous swirly flowers. I thought I hadn't posted it here on the blog yet, but I did.
I didn't want her to feel left out though, so I will put her here so you can all adore her and make her feel good about her decisions.








See you tomorrow.

Day 221: Bigger Turtle

Here was another shot at making my designs a little bigger. I have to point out that this was not made using only the 350's, I did use some 260's for detail.


This guy isn't anything I could make when I've got a line or tables waiting for me, but it was a nice test build.


I think I need to work on the face a little more, but I do like that it has more character than my other smaller turtles.


See you tomorrow.

Day 220: Balloon Monkey Hat

It's been a long time since I've been asked for a monkey riding a person. I believe the term used for these kinds of hats is "Hitchhiker".


The more common hitchhikers I get asked for are the monkey, the alien, and the teddy bear.


Here is a quick version of the monkey.


See you tomorrow.

Day 219: Bigger Cat

I've stated in earlier posts that I'm working on trying to build the animals in my arsenal with the larger 350 sized balloons.


Here is a quick test I did, just building the exact same design I would have with normal sized balloons... but I made it with the larger variety.
This was mostly just to see how the scale might change, now that I  have a better idea of the outcome I can begin tweaking it.


See you tomorrow.

Day 218: Skunk... Kinda...

The skunk is one of those animals that I just don't get asked for very often.

I tried to make a modification of my dog/fox sitting design to see how skunk like it would look.

I don't think it's perfect yet, but I think it certainly looks like a skunk.

See you tomorrow.

Day 217: Lady Bug

Here is my new design for the lady bug.


This one was inspired by a balloon buddy of mine. I don't know why I never added eyeballs to the ladybug before. This is a mix of his design and my own... I like the hideous mutation that it created.


These girls liked the abomination as well.


See you tomorrow.

Day 216: T-REX

I mentioned yesterday that I've been looking at my designs and working out ways to make them out of the larger balloons.
At the Kid's Night tonight I told myself I would only make the requests out of the 350 sized balloons instead of the normal 260's.


Here is my first pass at the larger T-Rex. I think this is a definite improvement over the smaller version.


I think it still needs work, but I'm happy with the direction it's going.


See you tomorrow.

Day 215: Narwhal Hat

You know, I've been doing this balloon thing for years... and I was never asked for a Narwhal.


In the last couple weeks I've gotten 4 requests for a Narwhal... What the heck is going on?


I made this one into a hat so I could post it here, but I still want to know what they heck is up with the sudden narwhal craze.


I was talking with one of my balloon buddies and we were discussing trying out switching over to almost only 350's in our balloon bags.


The line of thinking we're operating from is "bigger is better". I already have switched over to making several of my designs out of 350's instead of 260's.... I may have to look at all the other shapes and see what can me made bigger.




See you tomorrow.

Day 214: Octopus

If I had 8 arms, I'd look into work as a hibachi chef or something.


Here is my newest version of an octopus.
I mad it using my last spotted balloon though... so I'll have to order more before I can work on the design again.


This is one of the animals that once I've made one and other see it, then I end up making several more that evening.


I don't mind though, it's a fun one to make.


See you tomorrow.

Day 213: New Frog

I apologize for the poor lighting in this picture, it was a bright and sunny day yesterday and I couldn't find an angle I could take a picture at that wasn't messed up by the light from the windows.


Here is a new frog design I developed yesterday. I was at an event showing another twister the frog design a mutual clown friend had shown me and the face popped. I realized I could make a face with an upper and lower lip while I was repairing it... and then saw I could attach a tongue.


I replicated the design later that night at a restaurant on purpose... without popping anything... and like it better than my old frog.


Now I just need to work on a quick fly I can put on the end of the tongue.


See you tomorrow.

Day 212: Big Honkin' Ring

Last Night I was at a local Outback for a Kid's Night, and I had a table celebrating their anniversary.
I think they may have told me how many years they were celebrating... but I've forgotten now.
I was asked to make her a big diamond ring, so I obliged.


It's been a long time since I've made the diamond, so I was a bit out of practice.


She seemed quite happy with it though.


See you tomorrow.

Day 211: Walrus

Rocking on the River is a local music festival that happens every Friday in my area. If you're in the Akron/Canton/Cleveland area of Ohio, I recommend checking it out. It's free to get in, the parking is also free, and the event brings in some of the best cover bands in the country.


This little guy was one of my last customers for the night, and he threw my a curve ball by asking for a walrus. 


I like the final result, it's an improvement from the walrus I posted a few months back.






See you tomorrow.

Day 210: The First Showcase!

Holy Cow!


It took a few weeks to get things worked out and all set, but today is the first Twister Showcase.


I asked you to submit your suggestions for twisters you'd like to learn more about, have me interview, and try to get some examples of their work from.
I also asked those of my readers that are twisters that would like to show off their work to contact me also.


Today is the first of you that stepped up to the plate.


Her name is Sonia, and she also has a blog here on blogspot you can find at.
http://www.rainbowofballoons.blogspot.com


I asked her for a little information about herself.

Hi! My name is Sonia, from A Rainbow of Balloons. Two thing's you'd quickly learn about me as a twister is that I love pink, and rainbows! I've always loved balloon animals, the one balloon dog to this day is one of my favourites. It brings great memories of when I was younger and would be thrilled to get a balloon. My first attempt at balloon twisting didn't go far. I was probably about 11, but the whole idea of  twisting can be intimidating and pretty magical when you're young. I didn't try again until one day I brought a kit from my local Woolworths in 2008. It was something I'd been thinking about for a while, and finally I just did it. Sure balloons would pop, but it was so intoxicating to learn more! Having the right tools for the job helps your confidence and ability. They were great to begin with, but supermarket modelling balloons aren't the best quality and can only take you so far.

The initial enthusiasm faded a little, but was re-ignited once more when I met a local Magician who twisted balloons at a function I attended. I jumped online and quickly found the forum at balloon-animals.com/forum that literally opened my eyes to all that was possible with latex! For me, that was the point of no return!

My balloon heroes include Thelma Levett, Bonnie Davis, Tan Lily and Twistina. I'd like to give a shout-out to some of my wonderful online friends: Magic-Ian, PrincessTwister, PapaBalloon, Maui, Unicaw89... The list goes on! It would be impossible to name them all. There are so many fantastic artists out there, and I draw my inspiration from so many. I'm thrilled to know that there is some amazing generosity and sharing in the community.

In an effort to give back to the community that has given me so much, I've posted some online twisting tutorials on YouTube. The quality of the recordings could be better, but I hope to do some more polished ones in the future.

I like to say I specialise in girly and cute and must admit sometimes the boyish things scare me!

My favourite balloons I have twisted include:

Birds

Dolls

Anime parodies like Cure Blossom of Heartcatch Prettycure and Sailor Moon

Even balloons of balloon people wearing balloon outfits!

One question that almost always comes up... What's the biggest thing you can make? I try to hide my grin as I announce balloon dresses! It was in 2009 that I made

my first dress. That was the first of a few. Some of my favourites that followed include:

In 2009 I was in a Christmas edition of That's Life! magazine

What else do you wear to a Pop-Culture convention but a balloon dress?

In 2010 even auditioned for Australia's Got Talent (great response, but didn't hear back)

Don't forget the possibilties of wearing a fun hat!

I also enjoy sewing, and cosplay. Almsot all of my twisting outfits includes me wearing at least one item I've made myself (or have had custom made). I love having a

unique and fun look which the kids really enjoy. Any excuse to dress up is a great one!

I highly recommend  that you guys check out more of Sonia and her work. You can get your fill of all things Sonia in these ways.

Her website http://www.arainbowofballons.com

Her blog http://www.rainbowofballoons.blogspot.com

Her Youtube http://www.youtube.com/minettevalentina

Her Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Rainbow-of-Balloons/204323482457

Sonia recommends (and I agree) that a great place for balloon twisters to visit is  balloon-animals.com/forum.

Perhaps I should look into getting the people over there on here for the showcase also.

I will ask each new twister that I showcase for their favorite joke, Sonia's entry was.

A classic but always gets a laugh: I've a mind like a steel trap... Rusty and illegal in all states and Territories!

I'm also partial to saying the phrase "it's funny 'cause it's true!" when saying silly things

And with that I bring the first Twister Showcase to a close.

I hope you enjoyed it, and I also hope that I'll get some more submissions and suggestions for other twisters.

Go check out Sonia. She wasn't kidding when she said she specialized in cute and girly. 

See you tomorrow.

Day 209: Dolphin

This guy has been bugging me for months to make him a dolphin.


He's a delivery driver for the Donato's Pizza where I have my Wednesday kid's night.


Every time I see him he goes on and on about how much he loves dolphins... 


See you tomorrow.

Day 208: Flip-Flop

I'm trying to work on some summery designs, and someone recommend I try to make some balloon flip-flops.
Now that I've given it a try and understand how to make the shape I need I think I can make some balloon flip-flops that a person can wear.


They certainly won't  be able to run or jump in them... but they could likely stand and probably walk gently in them.




See you tomorrow.