Balloon Chat
Uncategorized Boards => Balloon Review => Topic started by: nippy99 on September 24, 2011, 10:00:52 AM
Balloon Review 016 - BALLOON MODELLING WITH SHIRLEY RAY PART 2
This DVD by Shirley was originally produced in 2005. I have made many of these designs before and have used them extensively for professional gigs so thought I would try out the last models remaining on this DVD for a fairly quick review. I have always loved Shirley's work and she really was my mentor in the early days. Her use of artwork on her designs are key to making them look the best and even six years on some of these designs remain very popular today.
COWBOY
Instantly recognisable as 'Woody', this cowboy is really nice. It does take some time to make due to the number of different coloured balloons required and careful artwork for the face is needed to bring character to the balloon. This is really a 'make in advance' balloon given the extended time to make it. There are certainly no difficult twists for the intermediate twister and if you are not used to drawing on your balloons, here is a very nice design to learn how effective it can be. Check out the lines on the yellow shirt...
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I started twisting to keep my grandaughter amused, and walking the Birmingham one day I met Shirley in the Pallasades making large models, she was fantastic to chat with and very helpful. Her book was the first I ever purchased and that opened me up to the world of what could be done with balloons.
That was a number of years ago and when ever I see her name I always recall that it was her that really made me a twister.
SEAGULL
Not a great photo but I made this one a few years ago. A very quick and simple seagull that could be made for line work. The orange beak is a white 260Q tip coloured with an orange marker pen. A good design.
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COWGIRL
A cowgirl balloon that could easily pass as Jessie from Toy Story. An excellent use of artwork completes this model. This design is likely to be pre-made for parties as it does take quite some time to make. The optional 'lasso' helps hold the pose of the balloon but the arms can be left free if necessary. A very popular choice when the Toy Story films are flavour of the month.
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FUNKY GIBBON
I really like this funky gibbon. It is made mainly out of 160s which gives it a wonderful structure. Given the use of narrow balloons this model will not stand on its own. The mix of different colour balloons (greys/oranges/pinks) does make it a little time consuming. I do make this one when I have some spare time but still prefer Don Caldwell's monkey for fast line work. Really nice design.
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WISE OLD ALIEN
Clearly this model is supposed to represent Yoda from Star Wars. When I first made this I thought it was rubbish. This is where making balloons and using them in the real-world is the only way to truly test how good they are. In my early days of balloon modelling when some of the better balloons in my portfolio never existed, this balloon was really very popular. The boys loved it and it is was in high demand. Sadly not any more but you won't go far wrong making this for a star wars fan.
As with the Gibbon, the separate balloon colours means a lot of cutting and tying on which slows down the making process. Probably not suitable for line work.
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MEAN GREEN MAN
This is an incredible hulk style balloon which in hindsight would have looked better in a solid green balloon. A nice fairly simple but time consuming design. The toes that comprise of several pinch twists together can be a struggle to keep the foot in the correct shape. Artwork is required for the face and some of the muscle detail. A nice design but one that will need to be 'pre-made' for events.
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OWL
I think this is supposed to be the snowy owl from Harry Potter. A mixture of 260s, 350s and 160s are used for this balloon and artwork is the key for making this one look good. Probably not the best owl i have seen but overall not a bad design.
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BROOMSTICK
A very quick and easy broomstick ideal for halloween. Very economical on balloons and fast to make. This model can be used to mount any relevant model on top, for example a witch or harry potter. A good design and fast for line work.
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POTTED PLANT
A cute little plant that is mounted on a water filled 321Q. I wasted a few balloons trying to fill the 321Q with just the right amount of water. With the weighted base the flower sits upright on its own and is really nice. Due to the need for water this certainly isn't one to give to children or for use in line work.
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ONE BALLOON BUTTERFLY
This butterfly is great for line work as it only uses a single 160Q. I clearly haven't chosen the correct colour or sized the body bubble very well but this balloon will be very popular when there are large crowds to deal with.
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ONE BALLOON SHARK
This model uses a single 260Q. As with the previous butterfly it is very quick to make and ideal for line work.
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BUBBLES THE FISH
A nice looking fish using two body colours. The only downside with the original design is the need to tie off each air bubble with a scrap of balloon. I wanted to follow the original design just to review it but I would be tempted to make a longer loop of bubbles and twist them together holding them in place.
Apart from the bubbles this could well be made for a line.
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TWO BALLOON BAT
A very quick to make two balloon bat. I made it in red so you can see the design but possibly black balloons and a white marker pen would have had a better outcome. Ideal for line work but not the most impressive design.
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RABBIT JEWELRY
The idea of this little rabbit is it can be worn sticking out of your top pocket. Shirley's original design is so much better as she has added a magic wand and a playing card onto the rabbit. Not really one for me.
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WIZARD BOY
Sorry but this photo is a little old - I couldn't be bothered to make it again. This harry potter was extremely popular for me 3-4 years ago. I made hundreds of them with great success. A really nice balloon and simple to make. You won't go far wrong with this one.
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SUMMARY
I love Shirley's work and I am very thankful for the help and encouragement I received from her many DVDs and publications in my early days of twisting. A few years on this DVD still has some decent designs even by modern day standards. The DVD is well made, easy to follow and would be a good stepping stone for those people who want to move on to more complex designs.
With 15 designs in total this DVD represents good value for money and should be in everyone's collection.
Quote from: "nippy99"A nice looking fish using two body colours. The only downside with the original design is the need to tie off each air bubble with a scrap of balloon. I wanted to follow the original design just to review it but I would be tempted to make a longer loop of bubbles and twist them together holding them in place.
Apart from the bubbles this could well be made for a line.
I'll show you on Wednesday how to make the bubbles like this with one balloon and no need to tie each air bubble.
UPDATE
Sorry, large photos are not available for some of the balloons contained in this review - they were made many years ago.
WIZARD BOY
Just remade this one as my original photo from 2005 was small and not great quality - I think this one is still very useable.
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