Septermber 16 - Bubble Buddy Seal

"If the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both salt water mixed with air."

~ Chief Seattle

Harp seals start out as little fluffy marshmallows, but their name actually comes from how they look after they outgrow this whitecoat pup stage we all know them for.

As adults, their fur changes to a silvery gray, and a typical fur pattern has darker patches wrap over their shoulders and down their sides, forming an elongated C - like the neck and pillar of a harp.   

I feel like they kind of look like a pair of dark wings, I would have gone with "blubber dragon".

--

This seal is using the Bubble Buddy form from the Balloon Brothers instructions.  I think the front flippers gave good elevation to the head.

(view other seal)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers:

March 5 - Cider and Mino

"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it."

~ Robert Swan

Cider and Mino are two new manatee at Epcot, so I decided to try and see if the Dave Falloon/Matt Brenn whale could work on a couple of these big blubbery bodies.  

Mino .. Nemo! I see what you did there!  

Cider .. Disney Insider Magazine, oh ... dear .... you sillies in the marketing department are just ... you .. I hope you're proud of yourselves.

I would have attempted grey but that was one of those colors that has not survived eight years of neglect in a box.  

Keeping to a theme of "chubby" then came the seal.  There is a quiet gentle magic to a manatee -- there is an "ARF! ARF! ARF!" to a seal.  

---

(view other Dave Brenn or Matt Falloon designs)

April 2 - Sloth and Seal Loop-Head

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy

~ Simon & Garfunkel, The 59th Bridge Street Song (Feelin' Groovy)

These are a couple more of Mr. Boma's Loop-Head designs but not ones he demonstrates.

A sloth is one of my wife's favorite animals so this was planned from the start.  This is a one-toed sloth.  When building it I thought how it would be amusing to do something interesting with the toes, whether or not it was a 3 or 4-toed sloth, or a combination.   But the added toes just made for a bit of a jumbled mess holding onto the vine and distracted.

The seal I just thought looked cute, and I had an idea that I wanted to play with a different body style.  I also had a bit of a wastebasket idea that it would be funny to put him on dance floor.   Seal ... clubbing.




(view other sloth)

---

Other Mr. Boma inspired balloons:

March 19 - Baby Seal

"There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea
You became the light on the dark side of me
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill
But did you know that when it snows
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen?" 

  ~ Seal - A Kiss From A Rose

Pieter van Engen published this baby seal design in Balloon Magic magazine issue #77.  There are two things I know Pieter for, crazy realistic inorganic sculptures, and quick line work concepts.  This is in the latter category.  This seal design is certainly quick, only uses a few balloons and you can add the level of detail you want on top of the basic form.

I tried making an otter using the same concept.

Seally tall belly and seally long tongue	No! Not an otter pun!
Cool!  You found an egg!

---

Other posts with Pieter's designs:


Show all