November 24 - Chibicoro Star Wars

“So this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause.”

~ Padmé Amidala Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Here are some Star Wars characters using the  Chibicoro style (website).

I didn't afford myself too much time to build or take pictures of these, so they are each first attempts at making the characters, and as such there are things that I would do better or different if attempting again.

My favorite is Palpatine, which was the first I built and inspiration to try a few other characters.  I realize he was partial to using force lightning, but I really like how his lightsaber turned out, which was really just some scraps and nozzles around a balloon straw.

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Other Chibicoro balloon designs:

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November 23 - Chibicoro Thanksgiving

We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.

~ John F. Kennedy

Happy Thanksgiving!
... if you celebrate it, otherwise:
Happy Thursday!

The first turkey I built used the basic Chibicoro design, but I went a little off the rails - once I added the tail, I decided to add a longer neck and go for a more realistic (?) turkey look.

The basic form is still there, but I'm not sure this one qualifies as a Chibicoro balloon. 

The tail is using the pinch-line technique (see, I said I would be using it all the time!).

The cooked turkey also uses the basics of the Chibicoro design, I'm sure you can see why I'm a big fan - you can make pretty much anything with ease.   

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Other Chibicoro balloon designs:

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November 22 - Chibicoro South Park

When you're watching 'Armageddon,' and the Aerosmith song starts... Super funny.

~ Trey Parker

These four boys use the design demonstrated on the Chibicoro site (link).  They were kind of an obvious choice of something to make, being short and squat to begin with.

I saved Kenny for last because I wasn't sure how I would make his hood, but now that he's done, he's my favorite.

They do all wear gloves, but I opted to stick with blush because colors were making them look less like hands and more like weird extra flaps from the beanies.

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Other Chibicoro balloon designs:

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November 21 - Chibicoro Superheroes

... But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you, then you become something else entirely.

~ Ra's al Ghul Batman Begins (2005)

I was chatting with someone today who expressed a bit of disappointment that I was embracing such a seemingly simple concept as balloon art when I just finished making some amazing Nao balloon art.  Paraphrasing my reply here:

Chibi's are simpler balloons conceptually, but more challenging than building some bigger structures.  Small balloons are unforgivable, like Picos - slight variations in size and pressure are obvious, you have very little room to work with to realize your creation and in order to keep things in scale, and very few balloon options to use.

Here is a perfect example, I had visions of building a bunch of heroes, but tried and tried again playing around trying to get a form I liked.  I started with an idea to add a head on top by pinch twisting a very soft bubble, thinking I had to have feet color underneath the pants.  I was feeling lukewarm on the first attempts so I built the two cleaner versions to the right below which gave me an extra attempt at drawing the faces, but those didn't feel right either - more like a chubby Pico than Chibicoro.  Finally I tried a couple that closely followed the Chibicoro form and they ended up being my favorite.

Excelsior!

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Other Chibicoro balloon designs:

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November 20 - Chibicoro Disney

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

~ Walt Disney

Chibicoro balloons are a balloon concept I stumbled across last year in a hunt for balloon art. (link)

But what is a Chibicoro? The word "Chibi" roughly translates to "short" in size. From the website, using google-translate I've learned that the design is intentionally small and simple, easy to build and perfect for the decoration of a gift or a greeting.

This is the first "free" balloon concept that I've used this year, the Chibicoro site (link) demonstrates how to create the basic forms and gives a LOT of examples.  Because this is available freely, I am happy to share the specific elements that I used to create my versions of the designs as I try to explore the concept further.

This time I've explored a few Disney characters - the "Big 3"; Mickey, Goofy and Donald.

First built was Mickey to refresh my memory and using the design they demonstrated in their archive (link).   Then I attempted Donald and finally the Goofy.  Goofy is a bit of a cheat on the form by adding the shoes, but he's such a tall character to begin with and I really like the way they ended up. In fact that one works well standing on it's own.

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Other Chibicoro balloon designs:

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November 19 - Pip's Sheep

“The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom.”

~ Osho, Courage The Joy of Living Dangerously

Here is another creation from Pip Milford-Hughes, Pippity-Pop! - from her recent release Loving Line Work (link) , Baaaaaaarbara Sheep.

Pip really has a great collection of fast to build, yet still very cute animals.  This one could easily be built in under two minutes if practiced, maybe less.  Even though I almost never twist in a line type situation, it's great to have something so quickly/easily built that has a nice impact.

The instructions taught the white wool sheep, I changed some colors around to build the black wool.

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Other balloon designs by Pip:

November 18 - Rainer's Spider

Sometimes it looks like I'm dancing, but it's just that I walked into a spider web.

~ Demetri Martin

This spider is a design shared by Rainer Fürstenfeld on his YouTube channel (link).  So many spider designs end up being limited by chubby legs even using the thinnest balloons, so Rainer hit on something fantastic with this one.

I made a couple to give out at various locations and they were in love with the realistic and creepy look.  I really enjoy the "whoa!!" response when I give someone a balloon.

I believe balloon artists can be caught in a cycle of thinking they can only use balloons.  The addition of some different bits of media like a simple pipe cleaner or feathers or tulle or ???? used in the right way could add an amazing depth to a creation.

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Other balloon designs by Rainer Fürstenfeld:

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