February 14 - Rose

I've been making this rose design for a while, but I've never tried it this size.  It ended up working out very well I think.

Special thanks to Dennis Bauyon for this rose design!

A rose by any other name would smell ... well .. maybe not this one.

February 13 - Frogs

These frogs are from a design Patrick Van de Ven published in Balloon Magic magazine, Issue #79.  The design is actually the leaping frog, so I confess there is a lot of glue dots holding the legs in position for the sitting frog.

Once again I feel need to point out how elegant, yet simple the designs are the Patrick creates.  He is really able to capture a form beautifully.

Kermit and Miss Piggy's #1 fans!

I used this image as my latest entry in the Bling Bling Jam Valentines Slam contest.

February 12 - Barney

Last night I was able to attend my first local balloon jam - organized by Zoe the Clown.  It was great to meet some fellow twisters and balloon enthusiasts.  In total there were six of us; Zoe, Roman, Steven, Michael, Colleen and myself.  I was the only non-working/non-professional there, so it was great to hear everyone's stories.

Zoe had to deliver a Barney, so a couple of us took a whack at it.

"With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you!"

February 11 - Princess FuDD

Why can't you give Elsa a balloon?
... she'll let it go. 

The fourth and final design that Daniel Ravia shared with us last Saturday was a princess.

There are a million princess designs out there, I never know which or what to build - but typically the faces/hair are similar and the variants are in the dress.  I believe this will be my new 'go to' design.  In true FuDD form, this dress is almost modular, a "Mrs. Potato Head" - to add to or accessorize however you like.

What do you get when you cross a frog and a pig?
... kicked off The Muppet Show. 

February 10 - Pony

FuDD's third creation from the webinar this last Sunday was a horse.  This one gives a nice frame for the eyes, but I think the short face length gives it the appearance of a pony.   The one I created in the webinar could have been used for a deer.

These could be perfect My Little Pony models.

I'm feeling a little hoarse..

Are you a horse?  ... neigh.

February 9 - FuDDerfly

Here is another of FuDD's designs for the webinar this Sunday - a butterfly.  Lets call it a FuDDerfly!

One of the things I most enjoy about the creation of this quick build butterfly is that you build the body first, and it looks like a caterpillar - then you attach the wings and antennae to transform it.  This could be a fun one to twist in a linework situation.

It looks super cute using 160's as well, and would make a great bracelet.

Float like a butterfly, Stink like a pig.

February 8 - Oscar the Grouch

"Oh, I LOVE TRASH!Anything dirty or dingy or dusty!Anything ragged or rotten or rusty!Yes, I LOVE TRASH!!! "  -- Oscar the Grouch

Daniel Ravia, also known as FuDD, hosted the Steve Klein webinar at last night and taught a few quick figures.  I first encountered FuDD about a year ago in a previous webinar, so I knew I was in for a treat.

FuDD has an enviable casual approach to twisting.  As an example, he doesn't tell you how much to fill things - he just adds balloons if he needs to.  While that confounds my origami-brain, it also seems to encourage additional artistic freedom - you aren't limited to "the 3 balloons you were supposed to use", you are creating a form, however it takes with however many balloons you need.

I built Oscar a couple times, in the demo the arms stick up out of the garbage can, and I wanted to try and elevate his torso so he could gesture with the arms a little better.  I also tried adding some additional details to the garbage can, but those aren't visible with the sign.

In my next attempt I'll try and get the bulk of the eyebrows more in the center so they angle in angrily.

"You stink! .. that's why I like you."