148 - BLOSSOM WITH GEOS DVD BY GRAHAM LEE

Started by nippy99, February 24, 2016, 09:28:49 PM

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nippy99

Balloon Review 148 - Blossom with Geos by Graham Lee DVD

Available from http://www.balloonartwholesale.co.uk/ba ... vds-books/ priced £22

Graham has been very generous by sharing step by step instructions for the models on his earlier DVDs so I only felt it fair to review his latest DVD. There are not many instructional sources for the use of Geos so I approach this DVD with interest to see if Graham can suggest new ways to use these odd shaped balloons. To start with it is rare these days to find a traditional DVD release. Ordering from the website is easy and the DVD arrived the next day along with some balloons I ordered. Each DVD is supplied with 10 Geos of assorted colours to get you started. This is a really nice touch and means you can get started right away.

The DVD is self-produced and made at home. The video is good quality, the teaching first rate and everything well explained in Graham's unique style. There are 12 designs contained on Volume 1 (which indicates there may be more to come) - having a quick look at some of the designs I have a feeling my fingers may be in for a tough time....

Let's see what we have here....

p.s. look out for Graham's special guest who introduces this DVD - so cute and funny - mini-Graham! (poor kid)  :D  :D
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

#1
AIRPLANE

A lovely start to the DVD is this Airplane. The wings are made from a pair of inside out Geos. There is a need to twist a side wall bubble in each geo which isn't particularly difficult if you don't fully inflate the geo. The resulting wing shape is very nice and makes for a chunky body. If you are confident twisting lobes and perhaps turn geos inside out in advance then you could use this design for line work or walkabout. The airplane can be mounted on a hat or given away as a standalone model.

We are off to a good start.

[attachment=0:4n7i4z9v][/attachment]pic1-airplane-sml.jpg[/attachment:4n7i4z9v]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

Graham Lee

#2
Quote from: "nippy99"the teaching first rate and everything well explained in Graham's unique style.

p.s. look out for Graham's special guest who introduces this DVD - so cute and funny - mini-Graham! (poor kid)  :D  :D

I thought I was going to be review 150 after you bought the DVD the other week  ;)

Unique style? It's just me, well I hope it is.
Zakh will be pleased he got a mention, if you thought his intro was good then wait for the outro.

On the geo thread I made here on balloonchat I have another 12 designs,

Panda
Swan
Cat
Saxophone
Plane
Space Alien
Ninja Turtle
Princess
Minnie Mouse
Elephant
Frog
and possibly a Camel

At the moment I have no plans to release another DVD...............but you never know.

This is the thread with all the other geo designs, geo-play-t9340.html
"Lets Improve Our Art"
Balloon Excellence 2012 Award Winner
For Services to the Balloon Community.
https://www.balloonartwholesale.co.uk
http://www.sempertexballoons.co.uk

nippy99

#3
BUTTERFLY No 1

This is the first of three butterfly designs - The wings use a twisted Geo and gives a really nice shape. It can be a challenge to get both wings the same size. If you half twist the Geo and squeeze on both sides with a little practice you can push the air from one wing to the next. The body is a 321Q,

This butterfly makes a nice change to the usual butterfly designs and can be made quickly with a little practice. Very usable.

[attachment=0:njpn8399][/attachment]215-butterfly.jpg[/attachment:njpn8399]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

#4
BUTTERFLY no 2

This version uses a different body design. This takes a little longer to make than version no 1 and i think for practicality purposes I prefer the first design. The 'ears' are less stable on this model as they are held in place with pinch twists behind the body.

[attachment=0:12p8pc02][/attachment]742-butterfly.jpg[/attachment:12p8pc02]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

#5
BUTTERFLY No 3

A third variation using two Geo for wings but inflated slightly differently. The side wall bubble is a little tricker to get a grip on. I'm not so sure this model adds much more for the addition of a second Geo. I still think the first version is more usable for the real world and my preferred one. In fairness my wings aren't quite shaped correctly and my artwork is rushed!

[attachment=0:1foqk10k][/attachment]743-butterfly.jpg[/attachment:1foqk10k]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

#6
DINOSAUR

Ouch ouch ouch ouch... prepare yourself for busted balloons and broken fingers  :lol:

This dinosaur uses a geo balloon for the top half of the head and involves 'marriage' twisting a 260Q deep from one side of the geo to the other. You will need to watch the DVD to see exactly what I mean but to get this one right involved bursting four geos and lots of swear words. It took some experimentation to inflate both the geo and to make the connecting 260Q bubble the correct size so it was possible to complete the twist. Don't give up - the results are worth it.

Graham's original dinosaur was made in green and looks better than mine. I ran out of green geos and was too lazy to venture into my garage to get some more!  

The rest of the balloon is straight forward - i did struggle to position the 160Q in the right place as viewed from the side the dinosaur looked a little odd. This technique of joining the 260Q to the geo opens up lots of possibilities as it creates a really interesting and unique shape.

Definitely one for advanced twisters - there is no way I would make this balloon 'live' but if you practice hard enough then maybe you would.

An interesting concept.

[attachment=0:3bdgjigi][/attachment]20160224_204441.jpg[/attachment:3bdgjigi]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

Graham Lee

#7
Well done for persevering Darren,
I think on the out takes the 160 went down around the eyes for me but the head I believe I did make live in front of the camera and it did not pop.

I always post the mistakes at the end of every DVD, although I'm not sure Lord G did with this DVD.

I look forward to your comments on the snail that has three side wall bubbles in the geo.
"Lets Improve Our Art"
Balloon Excellence 2012 Award Winner
For Services to the Balloon Community.
https://www.balloonartwholesale.co.uk
http://www.sempertexballoons.co.uk

nippy99

#8
SNAIL

After Graham saying the Snail was challenging I skipped straight to it! I absolutely love this snail. It looks great and the shell structure is very impressive. I would never have thought of twisting a geo like this. The shell uses 3 side wall bubbles. I actually didn't find it difficult to do but then again I have been doing side wall bubbles for years now. As long as the Geo is under inflated it should be fine. I really like how the sidewall bubbles are pushed in place to form the centre of the shell.

Everything else is straightforward and I mounted it on a green geo.

I think this one may become my favourite. If anyone else has tried it please post how you got on...  Good luck!

[attachment=0:270yzoc5][/attachment]885-snail.jpg[/attachment:270yzoc5]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

#9
TANK

A well constructed tank with a rotating turret! So cool. A really good design, fairly easy to make and whilst the Geo turret spins all the way around it is secured well. The only problem was keeping all the black bubbles in place as they were prone to untwisting themselves. One word of warning - do not make the pinch twists on the base of the tank too large otherwise the tank won't sit flat. I cheated and popped mine after I made the tank!

Really good - boys would love this.

[attachment=1:173ipbpj][/attachment]tank1-sml.jpg[/attachment:173ipbpj]

[attachment=0:173ipbpj][/attachment]tank2-sml.jpg[/attachment:173ipbpj]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

Graham Lee

#10
Darren it look like you have a droopy gun  :)  ;)

The tank looks good though, I think I'm off to look at the DVD again. Seems to be some nice sculptures on the DVD.
"Lets Improve Our Art"
Balloon Excellence 2012 Award Winner
For Services to the Balloon Community.
https://www.balloonartwholesale.co.uk
http://www.sempertexballoons.co.uk

nippy99

#11
SPIDER

I will be honest - i hate balloon spiders - the legs always get tangled and drive me nuts - but here goes...

The Geo is used for the body and i like the way the legs are secured beneath the Geo. The original head design is cool. Make sure you skip to the end of this DVD chapter to see a better way to make the head (didn't realise that as I struggled the first time around)  - Graham also shares a slightly quicker Spider design using a printed spider-eyes balloon.

A nice spider and handy if you need a larger than average design.

[attachment=0:u96rqehu][/attachment]spider-sml.jpg[/attachment:u96rqehu]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

#12
BALLERINA

In this model the Geo makes the 'tutu' of the ballerina. I like the way the 350Q is secured in the Geo creating an attachment point for the 160Q legs. The ballerina's hair is a little difficult to follow. You may need to rewind a few times and watch/listen carefully. The hair could be simplified if you wanted a lovely ballerina that was quick enough for line work.

In my effort the body/legs seem out of proportion.

Nice design.

[attachment=0:10fo4hni][/attachment]865-ballerina.jpg[/attachment:10fo4hni]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

#13
HANDBAG

This DVD contains two handbag designs. The first one uses a reversed geo and requires two raisins. It really helps to make the raisins as small as you can manage. My ones were too big and so the hand doesn't sit flat where it joins the heart shape.

Graham also includes a slightly more fancy option of this design and also includes a 2nd handbag design with a longer handle (which i haven't made here)

Slightly time consuming for line work due to the need for raisins but I am sure girls wiil enjoy carry these as a design accessories!

[attachment=0:2bey2rag][/attachment]866-handbag-sml.jpg[/attachment:2bey2rag]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

Thelma Levett

#14
Here are a few designs I have used geos for