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:

February 20 - Iso Walrus

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things: Of shoes and ships—and sealing wax—of cabbages—and kings."

~ Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass

This design is another Isopresso creation from YouTube, and at first, it felt like a bit of a puzzle.

Sometimes tutorials prioritize efficiency over proportions, attaching things at odd places in order to efficiently use all of the balloon without tearing or building things in a certain order. 

One of the things a mentor taught me when I was a fledgling computer programmer is "early optimization is the root of all evil".  A refined process is a harder one to adapt.

(view other walrus)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

February 19 - Hermit the Crab

Sunny day, nap in the sand all day
Waves roll in, while the dolphins play
Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Hermit Crab Beach?

Rise and stretch, feel the ocean breeze
Find a shell, live a life of ease
Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Hermit Crab Beach?

In an infinite universe, the infinitely improbable is not only possible - it's inevitable (so I read).  Somewhere out there, on a distant world, the Muppets have all evolved into hermit crabs.

It is also very easy to be green, probably the easiest.  Very tough to be mauve though.

The hermit crab design is one of a few shell designs Isopresso shows on his YouTube channel.

(view other crab or Kermits)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

February 18 - Bee Proud

"The freedom to be yourself is a gift only you can give yourself."

~ Doe Zantamata

Be(e) proud of who you are - the world thrives because of all of it's beautiful colors!

This little bee is another Isopresso design, built from one of his YouTube tutorials. His channel is great about offering both realistic and cute versions of different creatures, and this bee falls right into that category. But something about it felt... incomplete. No hands. 

Now it can hold things. Like a flower. Or a pig. Or a .. flowerpig?

 
(view other bees)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

February 17 - Golden Dumpster Fire

"The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest members."

~ Mahatma Gandhi (attributed)

February 16 - Iso Piranha

"When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain."

~ Mark Twain

I'm not saying I'd go swimming with piranhas, but I read that most of the hype comes from a staged feeding frenzy Teddy Roosevelt witnessed on a trip to the Amazon. He wrote about it in his book, and Hollywood ran with it - turning piranhas into tiny razor-toothed villains.

Real piranhas mostly scavenge or eat fruit, but thanks to movies, we think of them like underwater chainsaws. Meanwhile, my Oscars ate fish like the alien from Nope -- Shloop!  Shloop!  Alive and wriggly and screaming (probably) in their belly.    The monsters.

These were taught on Isopresso's YouTube channel, the orange is more true to a piranha's color whereas the purple is a rare version found in .. nahhh it's just purple.

(view other fish)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

February 15 - Quiet Apocalypse

The algorithm has given a bounty!

Quiet Apocalypse is a two minute cosmic horror short film and well worth the watch.  

YouTube channel "insolitum." (I don't know more than that) has given a poetic glimpse at a world going dark. Brilliant imagery and soundtrack - a work of art.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DJu_fK5T2I

Instagram doesn't allow a clickable link in a post, so you will have to either search for it, or go to my blog site (link in bio) for today.  It will be there (or above.. depending on where you read this.)  

Feast upon this bounty!!