July 23 - Jojo Bugs

In-a-gadda-da-vida, honey
Don't you know that I'm loving you?
In-a-gadda-da-vida, baby
Don't you know that I'll always be true?

~ Iron Butterfly - In-a-gadda-da-vida (1968)

An idea is just garbage until you take it out, roll it around, poke it with a stick a few times and try to stand it on it's end.

... and in the end, it might still be garbage that has been rolled around, poked with a stick and stood on it's end.

Iron Butterfly was such a confident initial thought.

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These were just a couple bugs I made while playing around with the Jojo Cuties design concept Tobi Twist shared.

(view other butterfly)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Tobi Twist:

January 13 - Butterfly on a Flower

You make different colors by combining those colors that already exist.

~ Herbie Hancock

After so many daily posts (700+?), I am enjoying taking this extra time between them to consider what I really want to talk about and/or build.  But be forewarned that this added time will likely give rise to a number of "you know what/who I think is cool" posts.

So ... You know who I think is cool? Syotaro Tushima, known as Balloon Syotaro.

@balloon_syotaro is an inspired balloon artist I have been following on Instagram for a while and his images are  next level balloon art.  They go beyond being simple balloons and tell a story, you catch a freeze frame of something more.

This example from a post earlier this week is a good example of what I mean.  Individually they are not super-impressive balloons, but when combined they are more than just simply butterfly and flower, they are a scene - no longer are you looking analyzing the form of a butterfly, you're considering that at some point the butterfly landed and will fly away from that flower.  Similar to a choir, where individual voices combine to be more than the sum of the parts.

More than putting things on a hairband or a 6-petal flower - this is a fish set among coral, an insect in a flower, a mouse bursting from a block of cheese, a mother cradling a child, an alien holding holding a Deathray 2000 or a breathing apparatus or a book entitled "How To Serve Man", a holiday scene with all the trimmings.  In the time since I was considering building this one, he has posted both a baby swan (ugly duckling) sitting on the back and touching beaks with it's larger swan parent,  and a dog holding a leash expectantly for a walk.  I love it.

January 1 - Anastasya's Butterfly

Butterflies can't see their wings. They can't see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that as well.

~ Naya Rivera

Anastasya Sokol is a Russian balloon artist who does amazing large delivery pieces and I feel so fortunate to have found her by complete accident while browsing videos. Exploring a link referenced in a video to a Russian website (link), the images were fantastic so I used Google translate to navigate.  I find it interesting that in many ways some countries have a distinct style to their balloon art - and these are no exception.  She has a five videos that I see - and I couldn't help but purchase a couple to try.

The videos themselves are delivered in a unique way by infobiz in order to protect the intellectual property.  I was initially annoyed that I would have to keep track of an unlock key, but the system installs and works well as you only have to enter it once for one video - the user interface is intuitive, the only struggle is I have no idea what video is what.

Anastasya explains very clearly how to build these.   Even not speaking Russian I was able to follow her - though I had to pay close attention to her fingers so as not to miss things.

The flower was included in the demonstration and uses a weave pattern similar to the butterfly, I've never built a flower this big and beautiful, it uses a lot of balloons - but it's quite quick and certainly worth the effort.

April 2 - Geo Butterfly

"Even flow

 Thoughts arrive like butterflies 

 Oh he don't know

 So he chases them away

 Someday yet he'll begin his life again

 Life again"
     ~ Pearl Jam - Evenflow

This butterfly is the first creation and arguably probably the easiest on the amazing Flower Buds balloon tutorials released recently by Matt Falloon.

Matt Falloon productions have been consistantly fantastic and this is no exception. We've already seen one of these Flower Buds in the Easter set with a bunny, but the design is very versatile - I bet with his basic design you could probably use it to build pretty much anything.

This starter one is certainly cute and quick and geo!

	"I have butterflies in my stomach!  I'm not nervous, I ate some caterpillars..."

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Other posts with Matt's designs:




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February 9 - FuDDerfly

Here is another of FuDD's designs for the webinar this Sunday - a butterfly.  Lets call it a FuDDerfly!

One of the things I most enjoy about the creation of this quick build butterfly is that you build the body first, and it looks like a caterpillar - then you attach the wings and antennae to transform it.  This could be a fun one to twist in a linework situation.

It looks super cute using 160's as well, and would make a great bracelet.

Float like a butterfly, Stink like a pig.

February 2 - Butterfly

Inspired by Nao Osaka again, this time I tried "winging it" from a picture of his Morpho Butterfly.

I like the way it turned out, I'm sure I could do it better if I built it once more now - but then isn't that the case with everything?  This is something that I am sure I will want to create again anyways!  (and again!)

The moment you doubt whether you can fly,
you cease forever to be able to do it.~ Peter Pan

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Other posts with Nao Osaka designs:


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