February 11 - June

Three minutes just before curtain,
Someone will need something sewn,
No one can locate Enrique,
Can someone please dial his phone?

Two minutes just before curtain,
Someone can't find the right shoes.
Tiny's a little bit nervous,
And Jasper's forgotten his cues.

One minute just before curtain,
We take a deep breath for the calm,
All chaos then snaps into focus,
As we wait for the lights to come on.

The original idea for this was to have June be a seamstress for the group (a tiny dancer in my haaaa-aa-aaand).  Her outfit is constructed from little scraps left over from making and repairing the rest of their costumes.  She secretly dreams of being on stage, but then fell in love with the idea of ... hold up .. "SERIOUSLY, WHERE IS ENRIQUE!?"

(view other clowns)

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February 10 - Luna

They called her Luna the Lovely,
Because the moon leaned her way,
The audience loved her,
She was star of the play.
Her smile - sly and practiced,
Each gesture precise,
Men would be smitten,
When she batted her eyes.

But the years have been drumming,
At their soft, steady pace.
Each night in her room,
As she puts on her face.
She stretches, she squints.
In the mirror once more,
And remembers the face
of the girl she once wore.

Luna uses the Holly the Twister Sister @twistersisterstudios ballerina design.  I liked how the closed eyes in her example give the impression of being mid-twirl or just "feeling the moment".

(view other clowns)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Holly Hopper:

February 8 - Tiny

Tiny not tiny.
Tiny real big.
Tiny small hat.
Tiny bald wig.

Tiny laugh early.
Tiny laugh quick.
Tiny make dog.
Tiny do shtick.

Tiny grin wide. 
Tiny bow low.
Tiny real big.
But Tiny not slow.

Tiny laugh with them.
So Tiny not hurt.
But my name isn't Tiny,
Would you please call me Burt?

Sometimes it's easier to climb into the mold other people make for us, even if it is an uncomfortable fit. 


(view other clowns)

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February 7 - Patch

They call him Patch the Funny,
It's always been that way.
He learned to land a joke just right
Before he'd learned to play.

The laughter showed him where to stand,
Which words were fun to say.
It taught him who the room would love.
And gently led the way.

Now when the paint comes off at night,
It feels a little odd,
Like he's taking off his truer skin,
To dress like "Plain ol' Todd".

Todd's head is a design shown by the always amazing and ever enthusiastic Eric Weinstein @liveballoons as part of "The Face" collection.

(view other clowns)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Eric Weinstein:

February 6 - Sunny Jim

"If you're feeling down, see Sunny Jim!
The circus is in town!
That man could make a mean dog laugh.
He'll chase away your frown!"

"I wish I could", sobbed Jimmy Wood.
"I'm afraid it couldn't be.
If I would go, then he won't show.
'Cause Sunny Jim is me."

This clown is one taught in the Isopresso collection and building this while thinking about Pagliacci was the spark for this clown family montage.   🤡

(view other clowns)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso Balloons:

December 31 - Frodo

"I'm old, Gandalf. I know I don't look it but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel all thin... sort of stretched, if you know what I mean. Like butter that has been scraped over too much bread."

~ Bilbo

Nothing lasts forever.   

We learn that early and we repeat it often.

We pretend it prepares us.

It doesn't ...

I don't say goodbye, I prefer to think of this as more of a "setting down carefully" for a bit.  

I love making up art and stories, and I imagine I will continue to do so.  The daily beast is fantastic at making you run, but is equally relentless in the pursuit.  I make my peace with it before letting it pass.  

"Good hunting, friend."

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(view other humanoids)

November 7 - Old Man

"Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life."

~ Mr. Miyagi

There is science to balloon art - pressure, friction, ... ... other stuff.  When you are first starting out, lessons feel very mathematical - a dog is 4 finger bubble, 3 finger flower petal, etc.  

Then someone comes along and makes it all magic.

Today I'm thankful for Dennis Bauyon.

I could do the basic moves - like Daniel-san I had been painting the fence and washing the car.   Dennis hosted a balloon twisting webinar that showed me what else I was actually rehearsing for.

I was dutifully following along, loop twist here, okay - feed this through, got it - and all the sudden there was this amazing, stylized hippopotamus, and counts as the first "run downstairs to show off what I just made" balloon.

Dennis is the one who first showed how magical this could all be.

This face is based on a witch he taught in a different webinar and has become my "go to" face doodle, usually ends up pretty grumpy but you can get some decent expressions.

(view other old men)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dennis Bauyon:

November 5 - The Kiss

"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."

~ Desmond Tutu

You need someone you can share your full crazy with.

For two days I've walked through the house singing 'Do you want to carve a pumpkin?' and debating whether a worm's phrasing is properly deferential to a Joni Mitchell song. 

Today I'm thankful for my wife.

She is the best person I know - intelligent, kind, thoughtful and (thankfully) endlessly tolerant of me.  She helps me become a better version of myself.

She is the first laugh I want to hear.

She is my ubuntu.

October 6 - Witch

"Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?"

~ Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Witches are green because of the Wizard of Oz movie.

Baum did reference the Wicked Witch as being green - I can't imagine he meant technicolor green.  The film being such a historic cinematic event took some liberties with the written work.

Elphaba and the Wizards elixer conveniently retcon it all though, we're good.

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This design seemed appropriate, as I've been working through Isopresso's design list like I'm catching all the Pokemon.

(view other witches)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

August 29 - Darry Potter

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

~ Professor McGonagall (Sorcerer's Stone)

Gryffindor, if you're brave and noble.

Slytherin, if you're ambitious and cunning.

Ravenclaw, if you're brilliant and studious.

Hufflepuff, if you're into chocolate and big floofy pillows.

... I'm good with my choice. 

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Professor Darren Mortibus taught us these Harry Potter inspired young lads in one of his classes this Bling Bling Jam.   The cartoonish head has a great shape, and I could see this body/jacket style used in a bunch of ways as well.   He didn't draw any faces at the time, but I kind of like the abstract head since it has enough detail.

I was going for "polyjuice'd pig", but now that I look at the images I can't unsee Big Hero 6 flexing.   .. or maybe I just don't want to unsee.

(view other Harry Potter balloons)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Darren Mortiboy:

March 26 - Zombie

Q. Geo
(1917-2024)

"The only hole left is in our hearts."

I really like the quick and easy head shape you can get from a geo balloon. They are proving to be a good canvas for practicing some inkwork as they give a very distinct center line to use for reference.

A zombie bursting from the ground was the idea, but I would also accept "zombie pushing down his brown tutu" for an answer.

March 25 - Moli Superheroes

"You're not Superman, you know."

~ Mary Jane Watson Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Kawaii crusaders, these balloon superheroes are from the "MOLI BALLOON" YouTube channel (link). She's a Hong Kong-based artist who nails the balance of small-body, big-charm -- think "chibi-adjacent", a touch more detail and refinement to the basic chibi form, elevating it with a bit more details.

There's a moment in the Superman build that got.... At one point I realized I was gently pinching and massaging to shape his package, and now that's all I see when I look at the design. Super indeed - super awkward.  🤣

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Other Superhero balloons:

March 24 - Fred Flintstone

"I'm telling you, Barney, this is foolproof!"

~ Fred Flintstone

"Yabba Dabba Doo" /ˈyabə ˈdabə ˈdü/ (interjection)
Language of origin: Flintstonian (Prehistoric Bedrock Dialect, circa 10,000 B.C.E.)

Literal Translation: "I am overwhelmed by joy, chaos, and meat."

Definition: An exclamation of uncontainable enthusiasm, spontaneous triumph, or unearned confidence. 

Related Expressions:
- Doo Time: A celebratory event, feast, or 10-minute break.
- Yabbaling (v.): To scream incoherently while running circles.

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This balloon design is from the Sepo Balloon Brothers channel -- I don't have a "go to" humanoid form (non-princess) and tend to wing it, so it's exciting to see what people use.  The effort in this is mainly in the head and face structure, with a single color outfit - kind of like a mechanic or a police officer or ... a modern stone-age dinosaur operator who works at the quarry in the town of Bedrock and is a page right out of history?

(view other Flintstones)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Sepo Balloon Brothers: