November 1 - Jet

"Better to give than to hoard; generosity never shamed a man."

~ Hávamál (The Sayings of Odin)

We started Halloween early because we have to keep moving.  Thanksgiving is on the radar, but we're moving too fast now,  and the chaos of December is encroaching like a storm.

Wheels up.

December coming at a record pace.

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Today I'm thankful for Sam Cremeens.

I think of Sam as more than an amazing person and generously creative genius, I think of him as some sort of balloon Viking warrior, the one most likely to stand in the halls of Valhalla and await the final battle.  Sam is, quite literally, the man.

(view other vehicles)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Sam Cremeens:

October 31 - Pig

Do you want to carve a pumpkin?
Come on, let's take a knife.
Purple pig's been practicing
Don't stand too close!
He tends to over-slice!

We used to make balloon dogs,
But now we carve,
It's messier - that's why!
Do you want to carve a pumpkin?
(It doesn't have to be a pumpkin.)
...Okay, bye.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Had to do a pig-test with these Dave Brenn fathead style guys.  Passed.

(view other pigs)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn:

October 30 - Frank

"The beginning is always today."

~ Mary Shelley

It's not Frankenstein.

Frankenstein was the doctor.

The real tragedy - no one ever asked, they just labelled him a monster.

It's Tom.

Just ... Tom.

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This ... Tom ... uses the Dave Brenn "fathead" technique (name still pending peer review), and felt appropriate for the season.

(view other Scoobie Doo)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn:

October 29 - Pumpkin

"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire."

~ Gustav Mahler

There should be a ruling.

I'm going to be the one to finally say it.

Painted pumpkins should not win a pumpkin carving contest.  

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This was the second design shared by Dave Brenn in one of his Halloween Patreon videos and full of those additional special tips that make it better to watch instead of (or rather before) twisting along.

(view other pumpkin)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn:

October 28 - Devil

"The devil is in the details."

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Demon or devil?

I suppose it really just depends on whether you're fighting or negotiating...

660s involve a bit of both.
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Using Dave Brenn's ... fathead? technique?   I'm actually not sure if he called them something specific, and now I'm feeling that's not too flattering.

Using a 660 balloon is always fun and makes you think about things "of a certain color" - because I only have a few certain colors.  The true devil in the details...

(view other Devils/Demons)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn:

October 27 - Ghost

"Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Balloons are ghosts.

It's your own breath in there, pushing against the stretchy costume you've decorated it in.

I guess a mechanical pump makes for fewer monsters.

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Dave Brenn taught this ghost in a webinar that he hosts on his Patreon page - one of the great things about Dave's lessons is they are always so much more than the "thing", they're chock full of the behind the scene kind of reasons why you would do something.  

(view other ghosts)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn:

October 26 - Gemar Blue

Lord knows I've paid some dues
Getting through
Tangled up in blue

~ Tangled Up in Blue - Bob Dylan (1975)

Gemar Blue (#10) is a mid-range blue, kind of wedged in there between all the other mid-range blue colors.  I'm not sure there is a whole lot more to say about it than that.

I specify #10 because the I received had two different labelled "Blue" -- #46 is actually "Dark Blue", not sure if this is fixed in modern packaging?

Overall impression of Gemar Blue - they could work in the kit as the mid-range blue.  It's a nice, slightly-darker-than-fashion blue.

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Other "color day" balloons:

October 25 - kryaren

“Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red.”

~ Clive Barker

This is another purple pig commissioned work from a few years back.

I tried to be fairly generic when commissioning this art, an open request.  I'd rather have whatever the artist wants to create - but if prompted I would say "I tend to like things on the darker side" rather than "a pig in a chef toque flipping waffles".  

kryaren is a DeviantArtist from Russia, certainly found the darker side of the pig pen, dark crimson I believe? 

The maniacal eyes and smile, it is as if purple pig just crunched up the glass and swallowed, poking it through.  Nightmarish!

October 24 - Daisy Duck

"It's not easy being fabulous."

~ Daisy Duck

Daisy wanted a witch doctor costume to match Donald.

The closest the store had "sexy doctor witch"

Best.  Halloween.  Ever.

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I think I had this revelation when making OG Loopy's that the Duck family needs smaller top bills if you're going to add a bottom jaw.  Maybe the first time was just a velation.

This is using the designs from Dave Brenn's Patreon, I kind of love how the eyelashes turned out.

(view other Daisy Duck)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn:

October 23 - Donald Duck

"The voice of anger is never melodic."

~ Toba Beta

11th grade English class taught me that an onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it is -- buzz(zz), hiss(sss), (ssss)sizz(zzzz)le.

What I've never learned is what "Donald Duck speech" is called.

I propose 'wakfwahing'.

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This Donald Duck design is one from the Dave Brenn Loopy Heads 2 collection.

(view other Donald Duck)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn:

October 22 - Goofy

"Gawrsh!"

~ Goofy

Apparently the invitation said "come in costume," but the ink smudged.

He read "come in cartoon."

Steamboat Goofy.
--
This was another of the design ideas from Dave Brenn's Patreon class on Loopy Heads 2 - Goofy's my boi.

Also - pencil-thick thinflate flex.

(view other Goofy)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn:

October 21 - Pluto

"You can learn a lot by looking."

~ Blue's Clues

Yellow dog.

Blue costume.

Zero clues.

Perfect.

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Pluto is another of the designs shown by Dave Brenn on his Patreon, I thought it might be fun to have him dress as Blue.  Bluto?

Bow bow bow bow.

(view other Pluto)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn:

October 20 - Mickey Mouse

"The brain you stole was labeled 'Abnormal.' ... ?"

~ Young Frankenstein (1974)

"It's alive!!"

Two round ears rose slowly from the slab ... and grinned.

"The brain you stole was labeled 'Adorable'.. ?"

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This isn't Mickenstein, this is Dr. Mickenstein's Monster.

This is one of the designs taught by Dave Brenn on his Patreon.  

This and the next few posts are being made in absentia (hopefully), and appropriately themed for where we are.

(view other Mickey Mouse)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Dave Brenn: