How to Make Animals With Sculpture Balloons
Sculpture balloons are long, skinny balloons that are produced primarily for the creation of balloon art. Because of their shape, they are easy to twist and bend without popping. If you plan on making animals with your sculpture balloons, buy at least a bag of 50. While you are learning, you are bound to pop more than a few of them, so you will need extras. Also buy a balloon pump so you aren't out of breath after 15 minutes.
Instructions
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Make a Dog
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1
Start out with the dog, since it is arguably the easiest of the balloon animals. Inflate your balloon until the tail, or uninflated end, is 2 inches long. Tie the balloon tightly.
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2
Measure 2 inches in from the tied end of the balloon. Pinch it in by putting one finger on the top and one on the bottom. Then twist it clockwise twice. You will end up with a "bubble" where some of the air is separate from the rest of the balloon. The spot where you twist is known as a seam.
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3
Make two more bubbles behind the first one. Each should be 1 inch long. The 2-inch bubble will be the dog's snout and the other two will be its ears. Fold the balloon at the seam you made to create the third bubble so that the snout is resting on the part of the balloon that contains most of the air. Then twist the seam at the back of the snout together with the last seam you created. You now have your dog's head.
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4
Measure down 2 inches from the bottom of the dog's head and make another twist. This is the bottom of the dog's neck. Then measure down 3 inches and twist again to make the first leg. Go down another 3 inches and twist to make the second leg.
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5
Fold the balloon at the seam between the first and second legs. Then twist the last seam you made together with the seam at the bottom of the neck. Your dog has front legs.
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6
Measure 3 inches out from the end of your balloon that does not have the tie and twist. This section is the dog's tail. Then measure out 3 inches again and twist. Repeat one last time. Fold the balloon at the seam between the second and third twists. Then twist the seam for the tail together with the last seam you made. Adjust the dog's body as needed so it can stand on its legs.
Make a Swan
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7
Inflate your balloon so that the tail is 4 inches long. Fold it in on itself 8 inches from the tail and again 16 inches from the tail so that it forms a spiral with the tie end on the inside of the circle. Find the point in the spiral where the tie end sits between two layers of balloon. You want to twist all three layers of balloon together right here simultaneously. Twist quickly and it will work.
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8
Look at your balloon now. You'll notice you have two large loops and a bubble that contains the tail. Take one of the loops and fold it over at the seam you just made so that it sits inside the other loop. It will work even if the loops are the exact same size, since the balloon is flexible and will bend.
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9
Pull the remaining bubble back toward the two loops, curving it into the shape of a swan's neck. The area without any air in it is your swan's beak. Try floating your swan on water.
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Tips & Warnings
Decorate your balloon animals with a permanent marker. Water-soluble markers will just wipe off. Cut your nails short before trying to work with sculpture balloons. If you find your balloon is too short to follow the directions listed, just reduce the sizes of the bubbles, keeping the scale the same.
Keep an eye on the tail of your balloon. If it gets full of air and you keep twisting, your balloon will pop.
