January 17 - Loopy Mouze

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

~ Walt Disney

I don't really care to get my picture taken with a Disney or any other character in those photo opportunities.  I find it hard to get enthusiastic because brain doesn't say "OMG MICKEY!!!", it says "oh hey, a Mickey costume".   

Still -- you have to fake it.  Like in a haunted house, if you don't suspend that disbelief and scream a little, you might as well have stayed at home.

The absolute worst though is when they force you to interact with them.  I took one of my sons to a Kylo Ren meet and greet, and as soon as the doors shut with us he started hard pressing "Do you swear allegiance to the First Order!?  DO YOU?"   Uncomfortable improv moment.

I have invested in reading so many of the 30+ years of Star Wars books, my guilty pleasure, that I DO have some pretty strong words to say on the subject.  Disney trashed some crazy amount of books, amazing canon that was a universe being carefully maintained by a team of experts who cared about the universe more than how they could market that universe.   Honestly a travesty to art and storytelling.

So I said - "uhhhh .. I ... ... sure?"   whomp whomp.

I included the version I built the day after watching the Loopy Headz video.  They're incomplete, and I didn't realize it until I looked through the resources that were included in the video.   I had thought the eyes might look better outlined against the blush and can confidently say that I immediately regretted it about 1/4 semi circle in ... I kind of feel like you only really need to outline an eye if you're not going to color it white (or you're on a white balloon).

(view other Disney)

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Other balloons by and inspired by David Brenn:

January 16 - Loopy Dragonz

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

~ Neil Gaiman

Well it was only natural after building a bunch of dinosaur that I would need to build a dragon or two.  I played around a bit with the body this time, remembering two different ways to do a pinch line.

I had thought the green neck way too big initially, but now that I assemble the picture I see it could have used a few more visible slats.

The whiskers give it a bit of an Asian dragon feel and it got me thinking about the differences in cultures.  Many of the Asian myths of dragons have them as wise and powerful, oftentimes bringing good fortune or bountiful crops.  Western dragons are no less wise, but they hoard treasure mainly and sleep and gobble you up.

(view other dragons)

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Other balloons by and inspired by David Brenn:

January 15 - Loopy Dinoz

"The world was much more interesting when there were dinosaurs around."

~ Stephen Hawking

Dave Brenn showcased a Loopy Heads dinosaur in his video, sharing insightful tips to refine the design. One thing I noticed after building - the front tusk of a triceratops shouldn’t be too large as it tends to dominate the focus and and make it look cross-eyed.

Dinosaurs shapes rely heavily on paleontologists’ interpretations of what they believe the assembled bones look like, even though they could be practically anything and any color, they are a bit difficult to portray without the extra features a body allows you to show.  

To keep things simple, I opted for a Baby Bop-inspired approach.

As for Barney, it was an experiment in building without cheeks. While an interesting attempt, I don’t think the cheekless design adds much here.  

(view other dinos)

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Other balloons by and inspired by David Brenn:

January 14 - Loopy Goatz

Sheep are stupid, and have to be driven. But goats are intelligent, and need to be led.

~ Terry Pratchett

I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Dave Brenn yesterday, who told me this is the first time he had heard of this blog.  

You know that feeling when you meet someone, and they're like - "oh hey, look it's your diary", and then they read a few pages that just happen to be about them?  Yeah ... that's a spicy awkward with a sprinkle of exhilaration.

The gray goat was made freestyle the first day I watched Loopy Headz, early experimentation -- whereas the ivory goat is one was made freestyle this morning.  I think the shorter lower lip works good to enhance the scowl, a full lower jaw area tends to look a bit like a smile.

I'm happy about the work I've put in so far, in some ways I felt like I was sliding rapidly down a mountain and I've somehow now managed to slow that descent.

(view other goats)

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Other balloons by and inspired by David Brenn:

January 13 - Loopy Birdz

"Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?"

~ Bob Dylan Ballad in Plain D

A balloon concept won't be good for everything.  Loopy Headz focuses on the head and neck area, some things that rely on a body shape would not work without adding that as an element.  A camel for example, or a meerkat

Birds are one of those things that don't really work - relying on wings and having a distinctive beak instead of a smooshy face.  So really we are just talking about a level of willingness to compromise.  

I wasn't every really content with how the wings looked, especially when twisted into the bas.  It was a bit better when I made a bit of a tail feather for them to twist into for the bald eagle.  The wings I like the best though were just loose fitting wing hands (the bottom image).

(view other birds or bees)

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Other balloons by and inspired by the David Brenn:

January 12 - Dolphin

Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and Star Wars, etc., and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish, and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons.

~ Douglas Adams Mostly Harmless

It should be no surprise that I’m a huge fan of the master balloon artist Isopresso (Masayoshi Matsumoto). Their work effortlessly captures the simple elegance of each model they create.

While it can be challenging to watch videos in a different language, there are advantages. Without the distraction of trying to follow along, I tend to focus intently on observing every twist along the way for the first watch.  Then when I am making it, I'll keep a picture of the final result open to cross reference.  

When I build things following English sourced material, it is more like participating in that downhill cheese rolling chase.

To play around with the form, I tried doing the one other pose I could think a dolphin would make (arching the opposite way) -- and downsized for the baby.

(view other dolphin)

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Other balloons by and inspired by the Masayoshi Matsumoto (Isopresso):

January 11 - The Giraffe of War

"A bit of advice: never read a pop-up book about giraffes."

~ Sean Lock

Warren?  Ann?  Warrenann?  ... has some of the most fantastically straight-to-the-point videos on the internet.  No long animated channel intro asking you to like and subscribe, it is right to business "someone asked me how to make a Giraffe...".  I've watched a (relatively) decent number of his videos and I don't think I recall one time he has introduced himself by name so I have to guess.

What is amazing, Wărrē Nӓnn has been at it for 16 years.  LIKE A BOSS.  Honestly if you make balloon art and you haven't seen his channel, you are missing one of the more valuable resources out there.  Over 470 videos, all of which are instructional most of which are tutorials and almost all of which are usable in a live twisting situation.  https://www.youtube.com/@warrenann

This particular video released about a week ago - I like the look of the muzzle for a giraffe or a camel, and since I'm trying to refamiliarize myself with the nuances to all these various animal heads, I thought I'd give it a try.

I had this corny idea about setting up a scene with the four giraffe of the apocalypse that never really panned out.  But here they are, the ... uh ... vertical vanguards of doom?

Aurum, the Golden - A shimmering embodiment of wealth and greed, Aurum represents treasures forever out of reach, luring the world into endless longing and avarice. 

Eclipse, the Black - Towering high enough to blot out the sun, Eclipse casts the world into ominous shadows of fear and hostility.

Hemlock, the Green - Devouring all plant life, Hemlock spreads famine and pestilence, leaving behind barren wastelands and decay. 

Tom - [REDACTED]

 

(view other giraffe)

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The full list of balloons by and inspired by ... Wărrē?: