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.  

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(view other Dave Brenn or Matt Falloon designs)

March 4 - Whales

"The great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago."

~ Herman Melville

The final line of Moby Dick, and Melville crushes us under the weight of the meaningless of it all.  Oooof - a literary gut punch.

The whale design was originally taught on Dave Brenn's first "Rounds" instructional video, and later revised by Matt Falloon in a webinar on BAC. I'm including the versions and variations I have made between the two of them.

We learn things and go off to our respective corners of the world, a very specific focus group spending 500 hours refining something with a distinct set of styles/limitations/ideas.   

Dave came up with the clever distortion that makes a good whale form and is perfect for linework and what he needed at the time, Matt elevated it by giving the whale more personality with simple body fins and face shape but did so in a way quoting Dave's original work.

Sidewall bubbles in 10 year old rounds helped weed out some of the balloon colors that did not survive... thankfully one of the first steps.     

 

(view other Dave Brenn or Matt Falloon designs)

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Other whale balloons:

March 3 - Llama

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men."

~ Willy Wonka

I looked it up because I think I just call everything a Llama by default.... the difference between a Llama and an Alpaca physically is an Alpaca is smaller with a shorter face.  

This Llama is another creation taught by Gergo at Twist & Shout this year.  Gergo was sponsored by Gemar who have extremely long necks on their small round balloons compared to other brands and are great for making shaped legs like this.  

I'm a fan of Gemar balloons actually, they have a good in-hand feel.  (Is "good squishiness" a valid measurement even?)  I typically would not consider changing brands from one that has all of the modelling balloon sizes, but now that Gemar is expanding their line ... 

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Other Twist & Shout 2025 Balloons:

March 2 - Sunflowers

True courage faces hostility with unwavering resolve.
True fortitude remains steadfast under pressure.
True integrity stands tall when others seek to diminish.
True grace speaks calmly amidst rising tempers.
True dignity holds firm in the face of scorn.

🌻

March 1 - Mothman

"There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."

~ Patrick Rothfuss

He sits by the lonely glow of the campfire. The flames crackle, the night hums with the buzzing of insects - and deep in the woods, something moves.

He is not alone.

This is another fantastic design shared by Laural Schultze at Twist & Shout this year. Like many of her creatures, it was designed for quick linework - but Mothman is said to be humanoid, so I gave him feet. Just in case.

Not that they'll help him run...

 
(view other Twist & Shout 2025 Creations)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Laural Schultze:

February 28 - African Drum

"The drum is a voice that speaks to the soul."

~ Olatunji

February is almost over, but the impact of Black History Month lasts well beyond the calendar.

This African drum is built to honor the rhythm, storytelling, and deep cultural roots woven into African music.  More than just an instrument, the drum is a voice, a way to connect, communicate and keep traditions alive.

This weave design was taught at Twist & Shout by Meri Hokhikyan, an incredibly talented artist originally from Armenia.  She builds some amazing balloon bouquets and large displays but this was my first exposure to her work.  I didn't know if I would be able to make it to her class, but I am very happy I did!


Other balloons by and inspired by Twist & Shout 2025:

Febuary 27 - Rainbow Joe

"I carry a pocket full of sunshine and shoot rainbows out my hands."

~ Joe Tombarello

This phrase has been living rent-free in my head all week. Joe Tombarello marched into the jam room early one morning, trailing a bright orange scarf, and introduced himself in a way that makes you feel like you have known him forever. He's a warm cup of coffee handed to you when you didn't expect it -- but needed it.  At one point, he said the above quote in reference to being a bit of a magician when a child is upset.

... well. I want to carry a pocket full of sushine! I want to shoot rainbows!

I've built them before, but I don't have a horse in my meager toolkit of sunshine - let's fix that. This design from Juan Gonzales (link) takes only a couple minutes to build including inkwork and uses just three balloons and a scrap - but the eye design is my favorite part, I don't think I've ever made them this ... confidently?


(view other horses)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Juan Gonzales:

February 26 - Gergo's Jelek

"Be like the snail: persevere, carry your home with you, and leave a trail of awesomeness."

~ Neil Gaiman

A Jelek is not a "snail" - it's Hungarian, roughly translating to 'your mark'.  Every schoolchild in Hungary is assigned one, a simple but personal symbol to help them identify belongings.  Gergő Csatai's jel (singular form) was a snail.

Gergő was another instructor at Twist & Shout this year, and one of the things I love about international instructors is how their cultural influences shape their work.  As much as social media makes the world feel smaller, there's still something deeply personal about the way an artist’s background shapes their creativity.

And like a snail carrying its home on its back, Gergő brings a piece of his home with him, sharing his distinct style.

Gergo ... Gergy ... Gargy ... Gary.   It makes sense.  *runs away*

(view other snails)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Gergő Csatai:

February 25 - Nosfera two

"Let us chat together a moment, my friend! There are still several hours until dawn, and I have the whole day to sleep."

~ Count Orlok, Nosferatu (1922)

Something ancient stirs ...

Creepy Cute Cryptids & Creatures was one of the classes Laural Schultze taught at Twist & Shout this year - fast, fun designs meant for linework (because Halloween can be every day if you do it right).

One of the things I appreciated about Laural's class was how she pulled inspiration from beyond the balloon world, bringing in artist tricks to create a 3D face with a long, pointed nose on a round surface, a simple but brilliant solution.

I felt inspired to try his 'hunched creeper' look when I saw those classic images with his unnaturally long limbs. The problem I see now is that without some sort of visible definition as to where the waist should be, the longer arms on a robe gives a "torso only" look, like he's rising up out of some bubbly slime on the ground.  Hmmmm...

(view other vampires)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Twist & Shout 2025:

February 24 - Arachne

"The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance."

~ Albert Einstein

Arachne was a great weaver whose skill was unmatched ... but she knew that.

When Athena warned her to sit down and be humble, Arachne demanded a contest.  Both wove masterpieces, of course - Athena’s tapestry depicted the fate of those who defy the gods, while Arachne created an image of Athena walking with a man, she is looking at him in shock as he turns his head to ogle Arachne who had just passed.     

I'm guessing, of course, because Athena shredded the tapestry in a rage and cursed Arachne to weave forever - as the first spider. 

The spider design is from the Isopresso collection, minus the big googly eyes that I didn't think fit with the transformation from beautiful woman ... 

 
(view other spiders)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Ispresso:

February 23 - Silk Pig

A wise pig once said, 'Always sit in the shade, don't go bacon in the sun.'  And then he laughed and laughed and laughed.

I wanted to try Silk Light Amethyst for all the obvious reasons. It's a new color to me - but the twisting feel of it is just awful. They fill up feeling excessively tight, such that a pop is a terrifying explosion.  Trying to soften them gives you weird bulbous expansion bits like balloon tumors.

But they're purple -- and that means one thing.  Let's build a pig!  This one's face is somewhat similar to the Falloon tubby turtle.

I originally intended for it to be upright, but the limb choices sort of pushed it a different direction.  The "silk" gives a bit of a metallic sheen that I have no real use for other than it just being different, I would not keep these in my kit and I don't even look forward to using the ones that remain.

 
(view other pigs)

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February 22 - Iso Penguins

"No matter what I do with my life, or how successful I am, I will always be a socially awkward penguin inside."

~ Wil Wheaton

Nobody knows why Sir Reginald Waddlesby Dabbington does it. Left wing up, right wing bent, head down - perfect form. Before diving, before eating, before waddling to the other side of the ice. It’s just this little quirk he has.

The rest of the colony has learned to live with it. They don’t question it anymore. They just shift impatiently, waiting for their turn to jump in, letting out the occasional sigh while Reginald goes through his motions . Is it weird? Sure. Does it slow things down? A little. But at this point, no one’s about to say anything.

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This balloon is one of the penguin designs Isopresso teaches on his YouTube channel.  My first arms were a bit out of proportion, hence the dabbing penguin.  The bow tie is because he's Sir Reginald Waddlesby of course.

(view other penguin)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

February 21 - Flamangos

"You can be my flamingo, because pink is the new kind of lingo."

~ Steven Tyler, Pink

Without their usual shrimp-filled diet, the flamingo of Mangonesia do not develop the soft pink feathers.  Instead they have a deepened golden hue, a direct result of a mango fruit obsession.

Perhaps the most unsettling difference, though, is the sound. A flamango smacks its beak after every bite, producing a sticky, echoing squelch that has been described as "more wet than it needs to be".  

This flamingo design is one from the Isopresso balloon instruction channel.  I was about to make one in pink when brain shouted this might have possibilities ... brain sometimes not so smort.

(view other flamingo)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso: