054 - MAGIC BALLOON DESIGN VOL 1 BY BEATING

Started by nippy99, September 23, 2012, 08:45:40 PM

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nippy99

Balloon Review 054 - Magic Balloon Design Vol1 by Beating aka Hyun-Gu Park

Available from http://www.ibs-balloons.be (not yet in stock) or http://www.1fivezero.com

Price approx £45 including shipping from Singapore

I was very excited to see the announcement of Beating's new publication on facebook especially as I am really enjoying his other book on Balloon Characters (see 032-the-characters-magic-balloon-beating-progress-t5191.html)

This book has 21 designs and includes a number of flower designs, a few characters plus a new design using plastic cups filled with sweets. I was very interested in the cup designs as this may offer another revenue stream in the future!

The book arrived well packaged and fairly quickly from Singapore. The book itself is full colour, on high quality glossy paper and contains hundreds of photos and accurate english descriptions. They are really easy to follow unlike other foreign publications. Bubble sizes for 260Q/160Q are given in cm and rounds are sized using a number of pumps.

•The number of pages of the book : 100 pages
•Size : 18.5cm x 25.5cm
•Weight : 400g/ea
•Language : English
•The number of design works : 21
•No licensed Characters
•Many photos step by step per each design.
•Level : Upper-intermediate

Let's see what we have here....
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

BOUQUET WITH HEART BALLOON

KIT LIST : RED 6" HEART / 260Q WILD BERRY / 260Q GOLDENROD / 160Q WILD BERRY / 160Q LIME GREEN / 160Q RED / 160Q YELLOW

A very interesting and original idea using a 6" heart as the centre piece of a flower bouquet. The heart requires two raisins which is always fun trying to pinch just one of them into each lobe. These become the attachment points for the 260Q flowers. Getting even sized flower petals is always a joy. The 160Q flower attachment is very clever and they fit snugly between the two 260Q flowers. The addition of 160Q petals adds a nice colour variation and the base of the heart gives the impression of a hand-tied arrangement.

The only thing I would say with this design is I do not think wild berry is the best contrast for a red heart. It would be worth experimenting with different colours. Complete beginners will struggle with raisins/lobes. I gave this away at a party today to one of the mum's who loved it.

[attachment=0:1ik3fvrc][/attachment]bouquet.jpg[/attachment:1ik3fvrc]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

SMALL FLOWER POT

KIT LIST : 6" WHITE GEO / 321Q MOCHA BROWN / 260Q RED / 260Q MOCHA BROWN / 260Q GOLDENROD / 160Q LIME GREEN

This flower is really nice. You can't see the rear of the flower from my photo but the 160Q lime green offers a nice support structure to the back of the flower. The flower pot makes effective use of a 321Q mocha brown with the geo base offering a secure holder. Beating uses a small 260Q filled with water as a weight. The other option is to fill the geo with water like I usually do but even without a weight it is quite sturdy.

A really good way to display a simple flower - just think of the many variations.

[attachment=0:1lj1ult8][/attachment]smallflower.jpg[/attachment:1lj1ult8]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

SEAHORSE

KIT LIST : 6" LIME GREEN HEART / 5" WHITE ROUND / 5" LIME GREEN ROUND / 321Q LIME GREEN / 260Q LIME GREEN / 260Q PURPLE VIOLET / 260Q ONYX BLACK / 160Q LIME GREEN / 160Q WINTERGREEN / 160Q PURPLE VIOLET

Although not my favorite seahorse design there are many learning points here for future reference. The seahorse nose is a 321Q/5" tulip twist combo. The eyes are the ones I use on my spongebob which fit nicely into the head structure. The seahorse fins/wings are the same as the crown on top of Shirley's Rays princess design and so I made this one pretty quick! There are raisins used in hearts again which will slow you down a little. Unfortunately I didn't have any 160Q wintergreen balloons for the fins/wings so had to use dark green.

[attachment=0:2wyoa8ly][/attachment]seahorse.jpg[/attachment:2wyoa8ly]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

BEAR BALLOON CUP

KIT LIST : 6" HEART WHITE / 5" ROUND IVORY SILK / 5" ROUND DIAMOND CLEAR / 260Q WHITE / 260Q YELLOW / 160Q WHITE / 160Q PEARL AZURE / 160Q DIAMOND CLEAR

For this book, Beating uses two sizes of plastic cup. The ones you need are those typically used for smoothies or slushes. They have the domed lid with a hole in the middle. Beating uses cups that are 13cm high / 8cm diameter and 15.5 cm high and 10cm diameter.

I took my daughter into town today and insisted she buy a smoothie so I could re-use the cup for tonight's experiment! The cup i have is 15.5 cm high and 10cm diameter which is more luck than anything else. In this book, six of the designs use 13cm cups and two use 15.5cm.

Interestingly this design uses the smaller cup and I used a bigger cup - looks OK to me (except I have to fill it with more sweets!

I have yet to search on the web for a supplier but will let you know when I have made my first purchase.

So onto the design...

I have made the bear using slightly the wrong colours as I didn't have a round ivory silk or 160Q pearl azure but I am still very pleased with the result.

The bear itself is fairly standard in it's design. The only change I would make is with the arms and rather than add just two pinch twists to secure the arms in place from a separate balloon, I would make the same piece out of a single 160Q. This will make sense when you make the bear. The heart requires two raisins and if I am being picky I would say my raisins are slightly in the wrong place. The bear sits upright without any sweets to weight it down.

A really lovely design - a concept that can be used for countless creations and perhaps a value add for wedding table displays for children etc.

This concept is worth the price of the book alone.

[attachment=0:7s84d7l5][/attachment]bearcup.jpg[/attachment:7s84d7l5]

A quick update from my post last night. Beating uses a circular cutter to cut out stickers for the bear's eyes and mouth. I couldn't be bothered. Drawing works fine for me (although not as perfect).


** UPDATE ** I found smoothie cups in two sizes in Makro. Works out around 15p-20p per cup including lid.
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

I have ordered a batch of plastic cups and lids from here....

https://www.partyplastics.co.uk/shop/35 ... sable.aspx

I ordered three different sizes of cups/lids (50 of each). I will let you know what they are like.

** UPDATE ** - cups arrived with a day and the order was complete. Not sure if the prices are competitive but I am happy with my purchase so I can have a play around before ordering a few 1000!
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

PUPPY

KIT LIST : 5" BLACK ROUNDS / 6" WHITE HEART / 6" BLUSH ROUND / 260Q BLUSH / 260Q BLACK / 160Q GOLD / 160Q BLUSH / 160Q BLACK

A very cute cartoon puppy. There are some good features here. The use of a split white heart makes for effective eyes. I especially like the leg design which although made with a 160Q is surprisingly stable. I can see me adapting this one to make a nice reindeer for Christmas.

The nose is glued on which makes it nice and easy!

[attachment=0:2x5dange][/attachment]puppy.jpg[/attachment:2x5dange]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

YELLOW FISH

KIT LIST : 15" WHITE HEART / 6" WHITE HEART / 350Q YELLOW / 260Q BLACK / 260Q YELLOW / 160Q BLACK

A very large fish design on a base of a 15" heart. As with all 15" hearts they always seem to split around the neck or when I put raisins in the lobes. I don't know why. I am not too sure about this fish. The base looks a bit too big in my opinion. The design is good and I like the way all the components slot nicely together on the top section. The eyes use a twisted heart which gives a slightly different look that the regular white 5" rounds.

This may be useful for decorators as part of a larger display but probably one of my least favourite designs from the book (given that 90% of this book are excellent designs I am probably being a little unfair).

[attachment=0:2scsanru][/attachment]yellowfish.jpg[/attachment:2scsanru]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

FLOWER 1 BALLOON CUP

KIT LIST : 5" DIAMOND CLEAR ROUND / 260Q ORANGE / 260Q GOLDENROD / 160Q LIME GREEN / 160Q DIAMOND CLEAR / PLASTIC CUP

The first balloon cup design in the book is a basic yet very effective design. The flower will be similar to most of you and the key is to have equal petals. The flower stem is stable and the three lower petals help to keep the flower upright. I have used the smallest cup for this one and it looks great. Very quick to make.

[attachment=0:3o1e1o24][/attachment]flower1.jpg[/attachment:3o1e1o24]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

FLOWER 2 BALLOON CUP

KIT LIST : 6" GEO PINK / 321Q LIME GREEN / 160Q LIME GREEN / 260Q GOLDENROD / 5" DIAMOND CLEAR / 160Q DIAMOND CLEAR

This flower design uses a geo blossom. Personally I have always disliked geo flowers. I feel it gives a lazy appearance and is nothing special. This flower is tulip twisted into the 321Q and sits on top of the 160Q. The stability is lacking here unless you manage to tie the balloons together very tightly but even then it appears top heavy.

This is my least favourite design but if you like geo flowers then you may well like it!

[attachment=0:v6ho2fkp][/attachment]flower2.jpg[/attachment:v6ho2fkp]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

FLOWER 3 BALLOON CUP

KIT LIST : 5" DIAMOND CLEAR ROUND / 160Q ORANGE / 160Q LIME GREEN / 160Q DIAMOND CLEAR / PLASTIC CUP

This is a lovely flower and my photo doesn't really do it justice. This flower would be great even if it were not mounted on a cup. A little complex to make but the instructions and photos make it quite clear to follow. I used a larger cup for this design as it was more stable but the little cup would still be OK. To add to this design it would be nice to add a little something to the centre of the flower.

[attachment=0:1y5vu0c8][/attachment]balloonflower3.jpg[/attachment:1y5vu0c8]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

IGOR

KIT LIST : 11" BLUSH ROUND / 5" BLUSH ROUND / 5" MOCHA ROUND / 5" YELLOW ROUND / 350Q BLUSH / 350Q PURPLE VIOLET / 321Q BLUSH / 260Q MOCHA / 260Q SPRING LILAC / 260Q BLUSH / 260Q PURPLE VIOLET / 160Q BLUSH / 160Q SPRING LILAC / 160Q BLACK / 160Q CHOCOLATE

Firstly to make this design you will need quite a collection of balloon shapes and sizes. Beating's original design uses some Burnt Sienna which I have substituted for Mocha Brown and the end result is fine.

This design is fantastic. Very original, nice and large and is the perfect halloween centre piece. The 11" balloon on the face adds bulk and character and the way the model arches over just like an Igor character would is very well constructed. The add on of the lantern is perhaps a little oversized and this is something I would play with if I made it again. My completed effort was free standing as the lantern made it dip to one side.

I really like this one.

[attachment=0:u9iht0jh][/attachment]igor.jpg[/attachment:u9iht0jh]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

BIG FLOWER POT

KIT LIST : 11" MOCHA ROUND / 6" GEO WHITE / 5" MOCHA ROUND / 260Q RED / 260Q YELLOW / 260Q CHOCOLATE / 260Q MOCHA / 160Q LIME GREEN

A nice variation on a balloon bouquet which has this one presented in a large vase. This one is really good. The three flower structure is nicely designed and the vase itself looks amazing with a tulip twisted 11" round. A beautiful delivery piece. Nothing too difficult here.

[attachment=0:2mdjty9q][/attachment]flowerpot.jpg[/attachment:2mdjty9q]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

BLUE RABBIT

KIT LIST : 6" WHITE HEART / 5" ROBIN EGG ROUND / 5" IVORY SILK ROUND / 350Q WHITE / 350Q ROBINS EGG / 260Q ROBINS EGG / 260Q ROSE / 260Q BLACK / 260Q WHITE / 160Q PINK / 160Q ROBIN EGG

This is an incredibly cute rabbit. The finished balloon is quite large, is free standing and looks great. Some people may struggle with the rabbit's tummy and this is a heart with a tulip twist plus a raisin attachment point. A really good design which can be adapted to make other characters. I will be making this one a lot.

[attachment=0:6r4ajny5][/attachment]rabbit.jpg[/attachment:6r4ajny5]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

GRADUATE

KIT LIST : 11" BLUSH ROUND / 6" PALE BLUE HEART / 5" PALE BLUE ROUND / 5" GOLDENROD ROUND / 5" WHITE ROUND / 321Q YELLOW / 260Q BLUSH / 260Q BLACK / 260Q PALE BLUE / 260Q YELLOW / 160Q YELLOW

This is a brilliant concept character design which can be used to make many other different ones. This graduate character is cartoon-like and maybe is the wrong colours for the UK market but easily changed. The face design is simplistic and the tulip twisted 11" blush makes an excellent face. The nose is glued in position. Even though the body is much smaller than the face, it really works very well.

There are plenty of tulips and raisins in play with this character so it may be a little challenging for some.

[attachment=0:16b0pjzn][/attachment]grad.jpg[/attachment:16b0pjzn]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd