How to Make Balloon Animals for Beginners
Making balloon animals is as much a science as it is an art. Some call it balloon sculpting and others balloon art. No matter what you call it or what your level of expertise: it is fun. The art of making balloon animals is as limited as your imagination. Not only is it enjoyable to see your creations come to life; that excitement is also enjoyed by those that watch and receive those creations.
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Things You'll Need
- Balloon pump
- Twistable balloons
- Permanent markers (at least black and red)
Instructions
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Basic Balloon Dog
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1
Inflate the balloon; leaving at least six inches not inflated; then tie the end.
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2
Twist a two-inch bubble at the tied end.This will be the nose part of the head.
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3
While holding the first bubble, twist two more two-inch bubbles. Then double them over, bringing the nose part to the point that separates the two additional bubbles and the long portion. Twist together. You should have a nose and two ears at this point and one long bubble with an uniflated "tail".
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4
Make another two-inch bubble that will form the neck and then two more two-inch bubbles that will be the legs. Bend over the legs like you did the ears and twist at the bottom of the neck. Now you should have a head, neck and front legs. Repeat the process for the back legs and tail. You should have a basic dog.
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5
Using the black marker, draw eyes on the nose portion of the head, near the ears.With the red marker, draw a mouth at the front of the nose portion, using the tie as the actual nose of the dog.
Balloon Bee
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6
Inflate the balloon, leaving about 4 inches uniflated at the end. Tie the balloon.
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7
Twist a two-inch bubble at the tie end.
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8
Holding the first bubble fold about three inches of the remaining balloon back toward the twisted end of the first bubble and twist. This will make a wing. Repeat again and this will make another wing. The remaining portion of the balloon will make the back of the body and the stinger.
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Draw a face on the original two-inch bubble and stripes (if you wish) on the back portion that creates the body section.
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10
Optional: You can limit the size of the face or front by making a smaller original bubble and giving the bee a longer body or more smaller or bigger wings.
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1
Tips & Warnings
When inflating the balloon you will learn by trial an error how much of the balloon that you need to leave uninflated. The more twists you need in the balloon the less you will need to leave uninflated. To make sure that your bubbles that you twist are not too tight, push a little air out as you twist. This allows you additional connection twists without popping your balloon. Balloons inflate easier if you stretch them before infating.
Don't be discouraged if your balloon pops. Try to figure out why it popped and use that as a learning experience. Ask the questions: was it over inflated? was the bubbles too tight? was it a low quality or old balloon? With each balloon you will gain experience and should gain confidence.
References
- Photo Credit colourful air balloons image by Igor Zhorov from Fotolia.com
