LEPRECHAUN MASK Magical Balloon Michael Michael Philo Hello again everyone! In honor of the month of March and the St. Patrick's Day Holiday, I have chosen to share with you a Leprechaun Mask. You will need to know how to do a two-balloon flat weave, which I am going...

Finding The Path To A Local Legend - Pt. 4 The Next To The Last Installment from the Notebooks of Merlini the Persistent Mike Kenyon My friend and fellow explorer, do me a favor, will you? Get a piece of paper, and write this simple phrase - Magic is_____________....

Balloon Car By Michael Floyd One of the balloon sculptures that I have always stuggled with is the Balloon Car. When I was first starting out as a balloon Twister you could almost see my dread if someone asked for a car. After many designs and long hours of tinkering,...

Pre-Stuff to Improve Your Line Work Be My Valentine Scepter - 2 Minutes! by Ken Shute I am always asked for a faster way to get through my lines at events. Pre-stuffing increases my speed on line, and allows me to finally break out of the stereotypical "line" twisting...

Face Techniques Jack Mattson

Single 646Q Head by Daniel McCullough This is a single 646Q version of my Tall, Thin Heads column. You will need 1x 646Q, 1x 350Q, 1x 260Q (all in the same color) plus 160's for the hair, 3 or 4 raisin-twists, and a 5 inch round for the eyes. Stretch the 646Q and then...

Parrot by Daniel McCullough This parrot is made using the hook twist technique. 1. Start by inflating a scrap white 160 so that you have a 2 inch beak and tie it to a scrap black 160 so that you leave roughly another 1.5 - 2 inch of the balloon. Then inflate a 260...

Baseball Bat by Daniel McCullough This baseball bat is made using a 350 or 360. I find that I get best results using a 2-way hand pump. ? 1. Start by standing on the end of the balloon. 2. Inflate 40% of the 350 or 50% of the 360. 3. Stretch the balloon. 4. Inflate...

Spidey Man by Ralph Dewey At the 2003 Joey To The World Gospel Clown Convention in Houston, Texas I met Glynn Garner. He showed me an easy Spiderman parody. I loved the simplicity of his creation. When doing restaurant work or line work, quickness is essential. Below...

Flat Weave Car by Ralph Dewey The BalloonHQ Challenge for this month is a car. I love the "flat weave" balloon technique. It's so versatile for making flat objects. As an example, I'll show you how to make a car that might remind you of the Flintstone automobile. It...

Snakes By Ralph Dewey Big Mouth Snake One animal that always seems to be popular with boys is the snake. A quick and easy version that has some cartoon qualities is the "Big Mouth" snake. It is made from one #260 balloon and two 6" heart balloons, one white and one...

Assassin's Sword by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is a sword. It can be any style that you want. I stumbled across a sword similar to this design in the jam room at a convention. I never did find out who the creator was so I can't give them their...

Easy Penguins by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is a penguin. Penguins are very popular these days. It's one of the most requested balloon animals. And I understand another animated movie featuring penguins will be at the theatres soon. So this month...

Simple Holiday Hats by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ Challenge for this month is a Christmas Holiday Hat. Hats are always popular with kids and adults. This month I'll show you how to make three holiday hats. The first two are classic hats that are easy to make. They've...

Chain Link Technique & Balloon History by Ralph Dewey This month's Balloon HQ Challenge is a fancy heart. At the first Balloon Manor project, I used a chain link technique on several of the characters used in the Torture Chamber/Game Room. I'll teach you how to...

Purple Elephant by Ralph Dewey The BalloonHQ Challenge this month is an elephant. A few months ago when I was lecturing in Europe I got a chance to see some of my old friends like Bidou, Sylvain and Mister Kees. I also had a chance to get acquainted with other...

Dustin's Quick and Simple Thomas the Tank Engine by Dustin Queary This sculpture uses 1 clear 260 1 black 260 1 light blue 260 1 ivory or white 5' Round You start by marriage twisting the clear 260 and the black 260 together. Leave about a 4-6 inch tail on the black...

Rainy Day Ducks by Ralph Dewey While I was at DiamondJam 2006, I got a chance to meet Shirley Ray and her husband Dave. Shirley had a wealth of fresh ideas to share. One of her neat items was a balloon sculpture with three ducks in a row. Shirley calls them "Rainy Day...

Bomb And Balloon Photographing by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is a bomb or similar comedy prop. I know that with our war on terrorism that discretion needs to be used when deciding to make a balloon bomb. Please don't be foolish like the guy who...

Three Balloon Hat This hat is based off a number of different balloon hats that use a triangular base. Balloons Needed: 3 260s 1 plain 5-inch round 1 imprinted 5-inch round Inflate all three 260s leaving a 1-inch tail on each one. On the first balloon (red), make a...

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