July 21 - Clownfish

"All drains lead to the ocean, kid."

~Gill - Finding Nemo

All I could think about when pondering this clownfish was those poor fish from the Dentists office in Finding Nemo who are still floating in their bags.

They were never rescued!   You don't see them again until the *end credits* of Finding Dory, still in their bags - covered in algae, being transported to a marine study institute.

Still waiting for Nemo.

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This clownfish design is one from Tobi Twist's Jojo Cuties collection, modified ever so slightly.

(view other fish or jojos)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Tobi Twist:

July 20 - Qualatex Chrome Mauve

You used to ride on a chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discovered that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal

~ Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone

I remember how excited I was to order my first chrome balloons.  It was a shininess you hadn't seen before in balloons, a breakthrough.  A whole new world of possibilities opening up.

Chrome Mauve? -- Yes please, and thank  you.  Just think of all the chrome mauve things I've been waiting build ...  Chrome mauve stuff.  Like ... like ... 

I haven't opened these in five years since I bought them.  Random colors are not in high demand, you really have to force yourself to work with them - which, I guess, is exactly what this exercise is for.

Chrome balloons (I'm assuming all?) have a different elastic base formula than standard balloons.  The elastic "snapback" is much lower.

Anticipating trouble, I pre-inflated and sized down each one, but they all maintained a surprisingly nice sponginess.

Overall assessment of Qualatex Chrome Mauve - it's pink chrome.  There is nothing in reality that I can imagine that is naturally pink chrome..   I can only picture a pink chrome version of something else.  If I could still get them, I would try to restrain myself.

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Other "color day" balloons:

July 19 - Scorpionfish

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.  Feed a man to fish, and you solve two problems at once."

~ Deep Thought Weirds

Scorpionfish are masters of disguise, melting into coral reefs and rocks while they wait for unsuspecting prey.

They are not poisonous, instead their dorsal spines act as a defense mechanism, delivering an immediate and painful injection of venom.  

Then again, I am not sure anyone who just stepped on one would care about the technical difference between "poisonous" and "venomous".

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This fish design is one of the latest from the Isopresso members section, this one had a bit of a fun moment (similar to the grasshopper) where two odd blobs fold together into a sudden perfect face.

(view other fish)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

July 18 - Jojo Rhino

"Storms make trees take deeper roots."

~ Dolly Parton

In the far reaches of the Mistless Wastes, Dawgs are famed for taming armored giants. Each Dawg is matched with a rhino calf from birth, their connection growing deep.

It is only during the fiercest storms, when thunder cracks like the toppling of great trees, that Dawg and rhino learn to master their fear. Their first terrified cries become a shared roar, a bond - no longer terrified together the roar becomes their battle cry as they charge together across the plains.

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The baby rhino was a design shared by Tobi Twist from his Jojo Cuties collection.  I wanted to play with a couple different face ideas though because it felt more .. "oh I see" instead of "oh!  i see!".

(view other rhinos or jojos)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Tobi Twist:

July 17 - Jojo Baymax

[fist bump]
"Balalalalaa."

~ Baymax - Big Hero 6 (2014)

I LOVE Baymax.

They are making a live-action reboot of Big Hero 6 ... 

Did a bunch of creatives get fired? These live-action reboots notoriously add nothing to the original, and some might argue that they taint the license entirely. I submit for evidence, the reviews of Snow White.

Let alone that it steps on the countless hours of work and heart put into the original, as if there was some hidden flaw they are trying to correct.

A reboot is a lazy cash grab. Make the next episode, you lazy bums!

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But yeah .. I'll go.

This seemed an obvious thing to build Jojo style when fiddling with it.


(view other Baymax or superheroes)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Tobi Twist:

July 16 - Jojo Dog

"The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be."

~ Konrad Lorenz

You give a proper name - sometimes even spur-of-the-moment - when adopting an animal. "What do you think, guys? 'Arlo'? Arlo it is!"

But after enough time together, you realize you're greeting your dog with a cheerful "Mister Sweet! Mister Sweet!" in a ridiculous character voice.

This is their true name.
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The dog form is one of Tobi Twist's Jojo Cuties collection with probably the toughest ears to match so far, you want to get a wide-to-thin stretch on a 160, so probably best to do all that manipulation before they are added to the structure.

(view other dogs or jojos)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Tobi Twist:

July 15 - Jojo Cat

"As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat."

~ Ellen Perry Berkeley

A certain amount of cat hair in my food is just a fact of life at this point.

I don't push them off the counter. I let them take an interested sniff from what I eat. I realize I am the problem.

Worth it.

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The tiger is one of Tobi Twists's Jojo Cuties, I thought "big cat" and a lion might work as well but ended up going for smaller ears because of the mane.

(view other tigers, lions or jojos

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Other balloons by and inspired by Tobi Twist:

July 14 - Jojo Cow

"Never kick a cow chip on a hot day."

~ Will Rogers

A cow's eye is like an elephant's, deep and serene - they look at you is if they know secrets and are politely chewing them over.

A cow's moo is like an elephant's trumpet, just softer and closer to a sigh - similar sound played through a shorter, squishier tube.

A cow's poo, though, definitely not like an elephant's.  It's an undignified mushy splat.  It's what a "blapppfffpptrrrt" sound might look like.  

It is ... most definitely NOT ... a pie.

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This cow form is one of the Jojo Cuties instructions for Tobi Twist's instructions.  

(view other cows or jojos

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Other balloons by and inspired by Tobi Twist:

July 13 - Gemar Pink

I couldn't find quiet, I went out in the rain
I was just soakin' my head to unrattle my brain
Somebody said you disappeared in a crowd
I didn't understand then, I don't understand now

~ The National - Pink Rabbits

Gemar Pink and Baby Pink are fairly different color tones (see the chart for comparison) - pink is delicate, where baby pink is a bit more .. fleshy?  Kind of the reverse of what I would imagine - I've always assumed a "baby" version to be the more delicate of the colors.

I chose this color next mainly to try and contrast the frustrating experience I had with Tuftex pink.  I can easily say in contrast, the five year old stock of Gemar balloons were a pleasure to work with.  

In the spirit of challenge, I will try to target 100 balloons where it makes sense and there is time.  50 is good exercise, 100 is a workout.

I used some to practice making spirals.  There's a knack for inflating while allowing it to unweave from your finger without any kinks tightly that I haven't really ever paid much attention to.  

Overall assessment, Gemar pink have the great elasticity I associate with the brand.  Even after five years box storage, these held up with almost no issues.  I definitely prefer the brighter, bubblegummy tone of the standard pink over the more "wormy" look of the baby pink.

These had some of the under-powdered stickiness that doesn't work well with how tightly I tend to wrap my color bundles and make them questionable to inflate.  I would chalk some of this up to age, but I experienced similar results with the new colors bags too.

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Other "color day" balloons:

July 12 - Owl

"A wise old owl sat on an oak;
the more he saw the less he spoke."

~ Nursery rhyme

With eyes big as moons and heads that turn just far enough to see -everything-, owls have always been the quiet librarians of the night.  They watch.

They see your midnight snack trips, your questionable 2am purchases, your late night online gaming obsession.

Still, they keep your secret, "who?" Exactly.

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This design is one Isopresso showed a while ago that I've had earmarked to build forever ... which occurred yesterday.  

(view other birds or specifically owls)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

July 11 - Thing

"Your hands are the messengers of your heart."

~ Maria Montessori

Darren showed us his Thing in a recent Bling Bling Jam webinar.

... wait.

Darren's Thing looks just like ... 

... hold on.  Let me explain.

Darren Mortiboy (@mrtwisterballoons) shared his "Thing from the Addams Family" design this last Bling Bling Jam webinar. 

Darren is a balloon modeler/artist based in from Northern Ireland with incredible skill and some amazing instructions and innovative tutorials.

It's honestly occurring to me with some shock that I haven't showcased any of his designs on this blog before now.  He will be teaching at this years Bling Bling Jam, so that will certainly change and I'm looking forward to those classes. 

He seems like the kind of guy you could make fast friends with, someone who will whisper something hilariously inappropriate to you at the perfect time leaving you in trouble for giggling.

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Other balloons by and inspired by Darren Mortiboy (this space will grow):