August 14 - Gorillas

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

~ Charles Darwin

Today was obviously inspired by yesterday's gorillas.

Geo balloons have been out of print for a while now, which has unfortunately made a number of older specialty balloon tutorials difficult to reproduce as originally taught.  Matt Falloon used them in quite a few of his designs.

So today's exercise was more of  a check-in that this is still viable.

As it turns out, there wasn't actually that much to reconfrabulate (technical term).

(view other gorilla)

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Other balloons by or inspired by Matt Falloon:

August 13 - Gorilla

"Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep."

~ Clive Barker

I have a dentist named Dr. Cheek.  I sometimes wonder if he was fated to be a dentist with a name like that.

I think the same think about Matt Falloon and balloons.

Falloon, as his gym teacher used to call him, is an amazing craftsperson, artist, and all-around cool guy.  

And attempting some of his designs was like trying to solve the Lament Configuration.

Good pain.  

Thinkback: April 4, 2016.

(view other gorillas)

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Other balloons by or inspired by Matt Falloon:

August 12 - Monarch Butterfly

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

~ Robert Collier

I'm playing around again with the ideas behind the Isopresso butterfly and thought to try a monarch.

I like how the upper wing turned out, but the curve on the lower wing probably needs another attempt or two.   I considered using a bunch of puff inflates to outline the wings, but that felt like too much when it was already not sitting right.

I'm okay with this being where I got today.

Tomorrow gets to start from here.

(view other butterfly)

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Other balloons by or inspired by Isopresso:

August 11 - Coffee Dawg

"Hell is - other people!"

~ Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit

Sartre was not simply saying other people were awful.

He was talking about how being observed by others changes the way we see ourselves.

Imagine you are alone in an elevator.  You're not particularly thinking about anything - just leaning against the wall, picking at the crumbs on your shirt, quietly humming the  song that's stuck in your head.  Whatever.  Being you.

Then the doors open and someone steps in.

Nothing about you has physically changed, but now there is another point of view in the room.  You become aware of yourself as something "viewed".  Do I acknowledge them?  Are they staring? Am I staring?  Well where should I look?  Why am I holding my hands like this?  

This is why we vertical commuters have collectively agreed upon the upward number gaze.

This is a color day BONUS balloon!
Celetex Coffee

August 10 - The Harvest Dancer

Mushrooms don't grow simply because of the rain.

Every autumn, when the rains have softened the earth, the Harvest Dancer returns.

With each pirouette, hidden threads beneath the soil awaken. Tiny caps push through the forest floor in widening circles.

Graceful steps coax clusters of mushrooms up through the moss, as if called to the dance in its wake.

By dawn, the Harvest Dancer has vanished without leaving a footprint, while the forest floor bears the only proof of the celebration.

This is a color day BONUS balloon!
Celetex Coffee

August 9 - Celetex Coffee

One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below

~ Bob Dylan - One More Cup of Coffee

Coffee is one of the few Celetex bags that I purchased when looking to fill the new color gaps in my kit.  

I delayed using these and finally did so rather reluctantly, based on my first experiences with the balloon brand - these were much better than I expected.   They have a decent pliability and durability - but I would still add that there is less friction than other balloons.  

Your miles may vary - this may be good or bad depending on what you're doing.  I personally don't like the "fwip" of a pinch twist undoing itself, but less friction means less potential fractures at the joints ... 

Overall impression of Celetex Coffee - pretty good, pretty pretty good.  Not the right one though.

Other color day balloons:

August 7 - Wile E. Coyote

"What's in a name?
That which we call a rose /
By any other name would smell as sweet."

~ William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

I am not sure why we don't just call him 'Wile'.  

How many other Wile's do you need to know before you feel a need to differentiate?   

Which Wile?  The coyote one.  Which coyote one?  E.

This week's lesson again comes from Dave Brenn's Patreon, where last week he showed this in anticipation of the new movie out soon.     

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Other balloons by and/or inspired by Dave Brenn: