August 5 - Butterfly

"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough."

~ Rabindranath Tagore

Certainly there would be a few engineering challenges to solve, but really we're just talking about a scalability issue. 

Butterfly swarm - possibly the coolest way to travel.

"Is Jerry late ... again?!
"..."
"Jerry?"
* Jerry arrives in fluttery magnificence *

* gets promotion * 

---

This butterfly is one of the more recent member videos and a new design to practice from the Isopresso collection.  

I can see this structure being used for building a variety of flutterbys.  These were my first attempts and I have a feeling I'll be making a few more before I call myself finished here.  

(view other butterfly)

---

Other balloons by or inspired by Isopresso:

August 4 - Rust Orange Dawg

"Dance like no one is watching."

~ A bumper sticker

I get it.  Dance for yourself.   Dance freely.  It's good stuff.

But also ... 

Dance like it's the spring equinox and the gods are deciding whether the crops should come in this year.

Dance like you're the vessel and trying to summon an exotic sea nymph.

Dance like your ancestors came to see the show but are sitting up in the cheap seats.

Don't just do it without fear.

Do it with magnificent, unreasonable enthusiasm.

This is a color day BONUS balloon!
Decomex Rust Orange

August 3 - Johnny the Red

I'll tell you the tale of Johnny the Red,
He laughed while roped in the gallows, it's said.
The judge wanted pleading, the crowd wanted dread.
Heave on there me laddies, heave on!

With silver and threats from each whispering tongue,
They begged for his secret before he was hung,
He answered with laughter and never once sung.
Heave on there me laddies, heave on!

For Johnny had taken the governor's chest,
While soldiers searched east, the sailors searched west.
But no map could bring them the end of their quest.
Heave on there me laddies, heave on!

With one coin given to each child born in fear,
And one to each widow who'd shed bitter tears.
The kingdom possessed what they'd searched for for years.
Heave on there me laddies, heave on!

So they rifled his pockets, while a woman bought bread,
And another lit candles where darkness once spread.
Now lift up a cup to the life he once led,
And heave on there me laddies, heave on!

This is a color day BONUS balloon!
Decomex Rust Orange

August 2 - Decomex Rust Orange

When will this cease?
The warheads will all rust in peace.

~ Megadeth - Rust in Peace... Polaris

I've made no bones about what a fan I am of Decomex brand balloons and this color is yet another testament to their quality.  

Perfect squish.  Is that a thing?  Yes.  Yes it is.

The color is virtually the same as Sunset Orange.

I'm not sure these fit in an every day bag but the color is a real good candidate - almost like a terracotta it's something you can use for both a dark orange or an alternate wood or even a darker flesh tone.

Did I just talk myself into it?

---

Other color day balloons:

July 31 - Sonic the Hedgehog

"In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn."

~ Phil Collins - Son of Man

Cue the Rocky theme song and slap that "Believe!" poster.  

I had to remind myself recently that the intention of this blog has been to learn and grow as an artist, not just to make fun stuff.  

Fridays are now going to be a check-in day.  It's dinner time and Mom just asked, "What did you learn this week?" 

THIS weeks learn comes from Dave Brenn's Patreon, where he demonstrated a Sonic head, building on his Loopy Headz technique.  So much ... hair?  many spikes? to fit back there but a cool way to handle it!

I make the claim that Dave's Patreon continues to be one of the best valued balloon resources out there.  So much content, you'll get contentated!  Honestly if you know of a better resource - please let me know!

(view other Sonic)

---

Other balloons by or inspired by Dave Brenn:

July 30 - Goofy

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect."

~ Anaïs Nin

The first post on this blog went up in 2016.  I've taken a few detours since then, but the odometer just recently rolled past 1400 posts.

That's enough balloons that I probably shouldn't feel guilty about the occasional "oh wow, I forgot about this one!"  Some of this blog predates posting on Instagram, while others were simply overshadowed by shinier/sillier things.

So I'm going to use Thursdays to take a walk through the archives.  I have a feeling there's a name for this kind of thing...

Thinkback Thursdays?

Close enough.

Really I just wanted to crack open this box here labelled "Good Stuff I Almost Forgot About".

This was the second post on the blog, the first one that felt intentional.  And my Disney avatar.

       

Gowrsh!

(view other Goofy)

---

July 29 - Baltimore Oriole

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."

~ Henry Van Dyke

I am a magpie when it comes to learning balloon techniques.  I like little shiny things, clever twists and an occasional length of string.  That's how nests get built.

... and yet.  

An impressive nest isn't simply a collection of neat little things.  It's the arrangement of those things that separates beauty from a pile of colorful junk.

This Baltimore Oriole uses one of Isopresso's bird designs, and the design is one of those things I want to make often enough that I can make it well. 

(view other birds)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso Balloons: