Balloon Twisting From Scratch - Volume 1

Last update: Wed Mar 27 15:10:32 CET 2019

Table of contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 - Material needed The editorial and visual content of this
A- The balloons book is produced and published by
Pierrick Le Brun under a Creative
B- The pumps Commons, Attribution, Share Alike license. You are entirely
C- The pens free to share and publish it, in part or in whole, provided
Chapter 2 - How to make a dog you clearly give credit to Môssieur Ballon and provide a
Chapter 3 - How to make a sword hyperlink pointing back to the original source of the content
Chapter 4 - How to make a love-heart you used.
Chapter 5 - How to make a tiger
Chapter 6 - How to make a frog
Chapter 7 - How to make a giraffe
Chapter 8 - How to make a ladybug
Chapter 9 - How to make a penguin
Chapter 10 - How to make a fish
Chapter 11 - How to make a flower
Chapter 12 - How to make a butterfly
Chapter 13 - How to make a snake
Appendice - Ballooning techniques
Skill 1 - How to tie a knot
Skill 2 - How to make a bubble
Skill 3 - How to curve a balloon
Skill 4 - How to make an angle
Skill 5 - How to make a pinch-twist
Skill 6 - How to manage the air pressure
Skill 7 - How to make a loop
Skill 8 - How to make a tulip-twist
Conclusion
Introduction
The genesis of this project started in 2010 as a series of independant video tutorials published, in French, on YouTube. I felt, in
those days, that unfortunately there was a crucial lack of quality material on the art of ballooning in my mother tongue.

A few years later, in 2014, I started a collection of pdf guides, which consisted in simple step-by-step photographic how-to's, to
accompany and complement each videos. In fact, the present e-book is, for a good part, an updated and expanded compilation of
those guides.

Around the same time, after a small trip in India, I decided, with the help of my son, Matthieu, to add English subtitles to the video
tutorials and translate the PDF guides. And one of my daughters, Sarah, who was living in the Iberian peninsula, offered her help
with Spanish translations.

Thankfully today there is a plethora of choices in most languages, when it comes to balloon tutorials on the Net, from very simple
and rough (dare I say... ugly?) models executed quite quickly, to the most beautiful, intricate and impressive ones that require...
quite a bit of time.

But simple does not necessarily rhyme with ugly. Simple can be beautiful!! It is therefore the ambition of these lessons to offer you
simple balloon figures that can be realised quite rapidly and yet are effective, artistic and truly beautiful.

If you are new at balloon twisting, I warmly encourage you to follow these tutorials in the order in which they are presented. This
progressive learning curve has been designed to enable you to start balloon twisting really from scratch and yet, you should quite
rapidly acquire a definite mastery in this most original art.

And although these lessons have been conceived with absolute beginners in mind, some of the more advanced folks may still
benefit from the numerous tips and reminders on being meticulous. It is precisely these small details and last touches, sadly so
often skipped, that divide the professional and true artist from the professional and eternal mediocre. More experienced ballooners
may also appreciate some of these simple and effective balloon figures to add to their collection.

I am myself an avid consumer of the numerous how-to's and tutorials that flourish on Internet, allbeit with diverse degree of quality
or expertise, whether it be in video, photo or textual form. The contributions of thousands of generous individuals willing to make
time to share their talents and experience, have tremendously helped me throughout the years, not only in the field of balloon art,
but in numerous other areas such as software development, computer repair, website creation, business management, personal
finances, community projects, home building and repair, organisational, motivational, spiritual and personal growth, gardening, and
much more!

This is why all my material is published on an Open Source model.

And after this wee words of introduction, please... Enjoy!

Table of contents
Chapter 1 - Material needed
A- The balloons
This may actually have happened to you.

You purchased a beginner's kit with the following

contents : a hand pump, a set of instructions and... a
number of what appears to be twisting balloons.

Now, you expectantly imagine the happiness and fun you

will bring to your child's birthday party and decide to
practice a little bit ahead of time. Following the
instructions, you start inflating the balloon but - bad luck,
surely - it blows up with a loud pop!!

Hmm... after a deep breath, you start inflating another

balloon again, this time a little more slowly and carefully
and... with success. Yay!!

Triumphantly, you undertake the knot but - bad luck,

surely - it pops again. Boohoo... Darn!!

But you are not one to be easily discouraged, so you try

again (and again.. and again... and...) until finally you succeed in tying the knot (of the balloon). Yay again!!

Delving back into the instructions, you start twisting your very first bubble and - bad luck, surely - it pops again. Boohoo!!

You reach towards the balloons, and it is then you realize with horrified dismay that the whole pack is nearly gone and you only
have 3 balloons left for your child's party.

To make a long story short, you end up utterly frustrated and you quit in despair being fully persuaded that balloon twisting is not for
you and that only a very special kind of people can actually do it.

But guess what ? You simply did not have the right balloon. Yes, you heard correctly, you didn't have the right balloons!

I know, it's hard to believe that these lovely balloon kits sell with crummy balloons. But sadly, that seems to be the norm and the
reason is simply mercantile; crummy balloons, or crummy anything for that matter, will always be cheaper to manufacture than
quality ones.

There are actually very few companies manufacturing good quality twisting balloons.

The world leader is Qualatex. Qualatex offers an incredible array of balloons in all kinds of shapes, colors and sizes, and not only
for modeling.

And a close contender here in Europe is Sempertex who also offers a wide array of balloons, notably the original link-o-loon
balloons that can be attached from both sides. But I digress.

Modeling balloons are identified by their diameter and by their

length: 160, 260, 321, 350, 360, 646, 660, etc. The first number
matching the diameter while the two others match the length.

In other words:

160 represents a twisting balloon, fully blown, measuring 1 inch

wide and 60 inches long.

260 represents a twisting balloon, fully blown, measuring 2

inches wide and 60 inches long.

350 represents a twisting balloon, fully blown, measuring 3

inches wide and 50 inches long.

And so on, and so forth.

A beginner will usually concern himself only with 260's to start with. Those are the ones used in my "Balloon Twisting From Scratch"
tutorial series.

If these 2 brands of balloons are not always sold in brick and mortar shops, you can find and buy them easily on Internet.

One word of caution though... until you gain more experience, stay away from transparent colors which are a bit more fragile. Those
are identified on Qualatex as Jewel colors. For a start, you may prefer the standard or fashion colors.

So, in conclusion: Yes... you... can!! With the right balloons (and the right instructions) you too can twist balloons.

Table of contents
B- The pumps
Here the choice is quasi infinite. Some pumps are
operated manually, some function with electricity, and
some even come with compressed air tanks!!

For the purpose of this series, hand operated pumps

will be more than sufficient.

You might wonder: what about inflating twisting

balloons with the mouth?

Well, I usually do not recommended it. Although if

done correctly, it should not cause any problem; if
done the wrong way, it has the potential to harm your
lungs, your eyes or your ears. That is if you do not
faint first. In any case, it is not very hygienical, just
think of the myriad of rather intimate lung germs that
will be spread to the children each time a ballon
pops.

Back to the hand pumps.

To inflate 260 balloons, I essentially use either one of those two.

The smaller one comes in handy and can be carried anywhere since it
doesn't take much place. Its main drawback is that it requires your
elbow to do a few goings and comings before a balloon is fully inflated.
That means extra time, and occasional muscle or articulation aches and
pains.

The bigger one, that stands on its own on the ground, is way more
bulky. However, it inflates a 260 balloon with only one movement of the
hand, which results in less time and less effort. One further advantage
is, that the balloon inflated with it, offers a smother and regular surface
from top to bottom.

You can find both types of pumps easily on Internet, allbeit with a
diversity of quality and price.

Table of contents
C- The pens
Any pen with a vivid pigment, and a not-too-sharp
tip should do.

I personnaly am quite fond of the Maxiflo series by

Pentel. There is a push button in the rear part of
the pen to reinject ink towards the tip.

Nonetheless I always keep a few by me. That way,

if one runs a bit dry after some use, I let it rest and
recharge itself for awhile while I take another one.
This ensures that my drawings are always crisp
and sharp, even at the end of a busy day.

And I usually try to stick to black pens. If I need

some color, I usually try to use balloons for it and
only use pens for the most essential facial features.

Table of contents
Chapter 2 - How to make a dog

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump
1 felt-tip marker

Level:
Very easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 1 - The Doggy

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

This little doggy embodies the very basics of balloon sculpture, sort of like the famous "Hello World" of programming. Indeed, it's
typically the first balloon sculpture a novice needs to learn to master, because, in doing so, he will become familiar with several
important basic notions of balloon sculpture.

To go over these basic skills in depth and enable yourself to put this tutorial in practice in the best of conditions, please feel free to
refer to the following lessons:

Skill 1: Knots
Skill 2: Bubbles
Skill 3: How To Curve A Balloon
Skill 6: Air Pressure Control
1- Inflate a balloon leaving a margin at 2- Starting from the knotted end, make 3- Make two more bubbles following it,
the end of about the width of a hand. a first bubble about three fingers wide of the same size as the first. These will
Then tie a knot without making it too at most. This will be the dog's head. be its two ears.
tight.

4- Place the ears side by side. 5- Press two fingers at their base to 6- and with your other hand, twist both
pinch both folds together... ears ears together around their base
several times to keep them in place.

7- Two ears appear, pointing straight 8- To make a dog with floppy ears, hold 9- then, with the other hand, pull on the
up on top of the dog's head. This is the the knot with one hand... nozzle while keeping the knot firmly
simplest version of the iconic balloon pinched, to free up an extra length of
dog. balloon.

10- Pull the nozzle under the fold at the 11- take it from the other side of the 12- Roll the nozzle around this fold
bottom of the ears... fold and stretch the length of balloon again in the same way at least two or
further. three more times.
13- Next, turn around the dog's head 14- On the other side of the ears, 15- Like this, you get the head of a dog
and pull apart the top of the two wedge in the top of the remaining with floppy ears.
bubbles forming the ears, to wedge in portion of balloon in the same way.
the top of the head bubble.

16- To shape the neck, be sure to 17- Hold the head well so the neck 18- Then, shape the second front leg,
make a small bubble. Don't make it too bubble doesn't escape, and shape the making sure it's the same size as the
big, this isn't a giraffe! first front leg. first one.

19- Bring the two legs together... 20- then, as for the ears, press the 21- If need be, rearrange each part so
base of both bubbles together, and that the doggy's head and front legs
twist them together several times to are facing in the right direction.
block them together.

22- Make a longer bubble for the 23- To make the first hind leg, place 24- so that it's easier to compare their
stomach. the remaining portion of balloon size. Obviously, they need to be
parallel to the front legs... roughly the same length.
25- You also need to check that the 26- As for the ears and the front legs, 27- press their base and twist both
second hind leg is the same length as bring the hind legs close together... bubbles together to block the hind legs
the first one. together.

28- Now this is starting to look like a 29- Hold both ends of the stomach 30- Next, press the tail bubble between
little dog. Now, we need to improve a bubble and gently move them back your hands, to form an S shape, and
few details for our dog to be less stiff and forth, to rub them gently against like previously, rub gently at the folds
and more natural-looking. each other at the center of the bubble. of the S.

31- Now we have a little dog with much 32- Draw a few features on the dog to 33- Alternatively, to get a shorter tail,
more natural and nice-looking curves. bring it to life. make the legs longer.

And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Chapter 3 - How to make a sword

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump

Level:
Very easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 2 - The Sword

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

A hit with the children, here's another very easy balloon sculpture to make. You will however learn three new and important basic
skills: making loops, pinch-twists, and making a sharp angle on a balloon segment.

To go over these basic skills in depth and enable yourself to put this tutorial in practice in the best of conditions, please feel free to
refer to the following lessons:

Skill 1: Knots
Skill 2: Bubbles
Skill 3: How To Curve A Balloon
Skill 4: Make Angles With Balloons
Skill 5: Pinch-Twists
Skill 6: Air Pressure Control
Skill 7: The Loop
1- Inflate a balloon leaving a very small
margin. Let a little air escape, then tie
the knot without making it too tight The
balloon mustn't be either too
compressed or too soft.
4- to form a small, rounded bubble
7- then keep the loop in place by
twisting it several times around its
base.
10- Push the tip of the remaining
length of balloon through the opening
in the loop, widening the loop slightly
with your thumbs if needed, to pass it
through the loop.
2- You should be able to press the
balloon between two fingers, without
forcing on it too much, or conversely,
without your fingers reaching each
other too easily.
5- Holding the bubble with one hand,
bend the balloon with the other hand to
shape a loop that's 10 to 12
centimeters (4 to 5 inches) high.
8- Open the loop wide to create an
opening at least as wide as the balloon
is thick.
11- As soon as this portion of balloon is
long enough, pull on it to bring most of
the remaining portion of balloon
through the loop. You will see a second
loop take shape.
3- At about 3 or 4 centimeters (1 1/2
inches) from the knot, press the
balloon, and twist...
6- Firmly hold both ends of the loop
together
9- Bring the tip of the remaining length
of balloon to the opening in the loop.
12- Careful! You shouldn't pull the
balloon all the way through, but stop
when the second loop is about 15 to 20
centimeters (6 to 8 inches) high.
13- Our balloon sculpture is now
vaguely starting to look like a sword.
Now all we need to do is perfect it.
Let's start with an angle at the bottom
of the sword.
16- You should get this shape:
perfectly straight under the first loop,
but slightly rounded under the bubble.
19- What you have just made is called
a pinch-twist. It's a great way to hide
knots, and this skill is useful for many
other things, as we'll see later on.
14- With one hand, compress the
second loop to bend it into two parts,
with the side located under the bubble
slightly longer than the other.
17- Pull on the bubble's knot with one
hand; meanwhile, with your other
hand, you need to bring both ends of
the bubble close together, while
pushing the center of the bubble away
with your middle finger.
20- Push the air to the end of the
balloon, if need be, to evenly spread
the air over the entire length of the
blade.
22- Or you can choose to give it a
curved shape.
And... that's all there is to it!
15- Gently pinch the newly formed
angle to push the air from it, then twist
the latex between your forefinger and
thumb and release it very gently so
that the air gradually comes back into
the angle.
18- When both ends of the bubble are
touching, twist the bubble around its
base to keep it in place.
21- You may decide to keep the blade
nice and straight. By the way, here is
how you hold the sword.
Table of contents
Chapter 4 - How to make a love-heart

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump

Level:
Easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 16 - The Love Heart

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

And here's another model intended for beginners: the love heart.

It's a sculpture that's really very popular all year long, but even more so around Valentine's Day.

To carry it out, you need to master controlling air pressure and making pinch-twists, curves, and acute angles.
1- Inflate a balloon all the way, let a little air out before tying 2- Start by making a bubble, nice and round
the knot so that the balloon is supple and easy to work with,
and make sure air pressure is constant all along the balloon.

3- Bring the tip of the balloon against the crease located 4- Wedge the tip of the balloon inside this crease, so as to
under the bubble. create a new bubble at the end of the balloon.

5- Block these two bubbles together. The second bubble will 6- Turn the first bubble (the one with the knot) into a pinch-
have to be a little longer than the first one. twist.
7- Then, wedge the pinch-twist into the crease formed 8- Find the middle of the loop, located across from the
where the loop and the last bubble intersect, as shown bubble and pinch-twist
above.

9- Take the loop in your hands, folding the middle of the loop 10- Bring the two upper sides of the loop against each other
inward, as shown above. and hold them together with your support hand. The middle
of the loop is now bent downwards

11- Turn this bend into an acute angle with your twisting 12- While holding the tip of the acute angle with your
hand. support hand, use your twisting hand to accentuate the
curve on the upper right (or left, whichever) side of the love
heart.
13- Still keeping the tip of the angle in place, swap hands
and do it again; this time, exceptionnally, it's the support
hand that you'll use to accentuate the curve on the other
upper side of the heart, while the twisting hand will be
holding the central angle of the love heart in place.
14- Lastly, slowly ease back on the angle which should stay
in place on its own. Which should give you this beautiful
love heart!
And... that's all there is to it!
Table of contents
Chapter 5 - How to make a tiger

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump
1 felt-tip marker

Level:
Easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 4 - The Tiger

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

Here's another slightly more elaborate sculpture, but as with the frog, the skills used have already all been covered in the first two
tutorials: the doggy and the sword. So this is just yet another practical exercise and a new sculpture to add to your portfolio.

Reminder: To learn balloon twisting, make real progress and get past the stage of eternal beginner, it is imperative that sooner or
later you should perfectly master the basic skills. Please feel free to go over the skills used for this figure one more time:

Skill 1: Knots
Skill 2: Bubbles
Skill 3: How To Curve A Balloon
Skill 5: Pinch-Twists
Skill 6: Air Pressure Control
1- Inflate a balloon leaving a margin at
the end of slightly more than the width
of a hand. Then tie the knot.
4- Follow these with a third bubble, this
time a little wider than the first two.
7- You should get a shape similar to
this one.
10- You should now have a shape
similar to this one.
2- Starting from the knotted end, make
a first, well-rounded bubble.
5- To finish the row of bubbles, make
two more bubbles identical to the first
two. If need be, review how to make a
row of bubbles without them getting
undone.
8- Form another well-rounded bubble,
11- Feed the new little bubble, then the
larger one, through the loop formed by
the first row of bubbles.
3- Make a second, identical bubble,
following the first.
6- Holding the knot to the base of the
row of bubbles, twist the bubbles
several times together around their
base to block them.
9- then, a second bubble following it, a
little longer than the first (about
double).
12- The fold between the last big
bubble and the remaining portion of
balloon should fall into place naturally
to form a right angle with with the first
large bubble.
13- Front view. With a little imagination,
you can already start to see the tiger's
cheeks, its forehead, its muzzle, and
its ears sticking out a little on either
side.
14- In fact, we are now going to take 15- to make a 'pinch-twist'.
the bubble representing the right ear
(or the left ear if you are left-handed).
And we're going to pinch it...

16- Here is the first ear of the tiger. 17- Next turn the head to pinch the 18- Make another 'pinch-twist'.
bubble representing the left ear (or
right ear if you are left-handed and you
started on the other side).

19- Now, here is the head of our tiger
with both of its ears well shaped.
20- For the rest, it's exactly the same
body as the little doggy's. Form a
round bubble for the neck (it can be
slightly oval, but make sure it isn't too
long!)
21- Holding the head so the bubble for
the neck won't get undone, form a long
bubble about three fingers wide to
make the tiger's first leg.

22- Still holding the head, twist the 23- Firmly pinch them together at their 24- Twist both bubbles together to
remaining portion of balloon against base. block them.
the first leg to form a second leg of
equal length to the first.
25- Our little tiger is starting to take 26- Make another oval bubble for the 27- Make another oval bubble following
shape. stomach. it, making sure it's the same size as
the front legs.

28- Then one last bubble for the 29- Pinch the hind legs together at 30- Now, here is our little tiger. Let's
second hind leg. You will have to make their base and twist them together to perfect a few details to make it a little
sure it's the same length as the wedge them in place. less stiff and a bit more natural-looking.
previous bubble.

31- Hold both ends of the stomach 32- Next, press the tail bubble between 33- With curved shapes, our little tiger
bubble and gently move them back your hands, to form an S shape, and looks much better now, doesn't it? All
and forth, to rub them gently against like previously, rub gently at the folds we have to do now is to draw a few
each other at the center of the bubble. of the S. features on it to bring it to life.

And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Chapter 6 - How to make a frog

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump
1 black felt-tip marker
1 white felt-tip marker (optional)

Level:
Easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 3 - The Frog

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

The Frog is a slightly more elaborate sculpture, however, the relevant techniques have already all been dealt with in the previous
two tutorials: The Doggy and The Sword. So this is just another practical exercise and a new sculpture to add to your portfolio.

To go over these basic skills in depth and enable yourself to put this tutorial in practice in the best of conditions, please feel free to
refer to the following lessons:

Skill 1: Knots
Skill 2: Bubbles
Skill 3: How To Curve A Balloon
Skill 5: Pinch-Twists
Skill 6: Air Pressure Control
Skill 7: Loops
1- Inflate a balloon leaving a margin at
the end of about the width of a hand,
then tie a knot without making it too
tight.
4- Pull the knot of the balloon and hold
it to the base of the four bubbles...
7- Fold the balloon at a length that's
slightly larger than the height of the
four bubbles to form a loop.
10- Press the two top bubbles making
a clamp movement towards the inside
of the loop, still held firmly with your
middle fingers.
2- Starting from the knotted end, make
a first, well-rounded bubble, about two
fingers wide at most.
5- then twist all four bubbles together
several times, while holding the knot to
their base, to block the assembly
together.
8- Block the loop at the base of the
bubbles.
11- Push the two top bubbles all the
way into the loop, pressing in
increments so that the friction on the
lining of the balloon isn't too high.
3- Make three more bubbles following
it, of the same size as the first.
6- The result should look like this.
9- Open the loop wide with your middle
fingers and place your thumbs on each
of the top bubbles.
12- Once the two top bubbles come
out on the other side of the loop, take
hold of them and finish embedding
them on the other side of the loop.
(Careful: Don't push the bottom
bubbles through at the same time!)
13- Then form a little, well-rounded 14- and make that bubble into a 15- The result should look like this (this
bubble... "pinch-twist" will be the head, seen from the back).

16- And here is the head, seen from 17- Next, form a bubble about three 18- Form a second bubble making sure
the front. fingers wide. it's the same size as the first, and bring
them together...

19- press them together at the base, 20- Our frog now has a whole head 21- Make a longer bubble for the body.
and twist them together several times and two front legs.
to block them together.

22- Then, with the remaining length of 23- Press the hind legs together at the 24- Give a rounded shape to the frog's
balloon, make two big bubbles of the base and twist them together several stomach.
same length (the hind legs), followed times to block them together.
by a final, small, round bubble.
25- Now you need to insert the short 26- Widen the gap between the hind 27- Here is our little frog with no
front legs between the long hind legs. legs if need be, but not too much. drawing on it.
There still needs to be enough tension
to keep the front legs in place.

28- And here it is, drawn on with a 29- The body can be positioned in 30- or, conversely, left to stick out
black felt-tip marker and a few touches several ways. It can be pushed which gives the frog an arched back.
of white. between the two hind legs... The back can also be shorter, it's at
your discretion.

And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Chapter 7 - How to make a giraffe

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump
1 felt-tip marker (optional)

Level:
Easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 15 - The Giraffe

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

Here is another simple model for beginners to make: the one-balloon giraffe.

In this exercise, the pinch-twist is used as a means to solidify a model and keep all its parts firmly in place. It also introduces the
concept of offset bubbles, which simply associates two basic skills, making bubbles and making angles, to provide a new variety of
shapes that look more subtle and natural.
1- Inflate a balloon leaving a margin of 2- Grab the balloon knot. 3- Pull on the knot to free up an extra
about 5 fingers in width. length of latex.

4- Press the balloon, 5- so the air will flow back towards the 6- Carry out an initial control of air
knot and fill up the short length of latex pressure.
that has just been freed up.

7- Bend the balloon about 3 fingers 8- Create an acute angle at the level of 9- Once the angle has been formed,
away from the knot. this bend. close the bubble just below it.

10- The idea is to get an offset bubble. 11- Next, make 4 bubbles in a row. The 12- Block the row of 4 bubbles at their
first and fourth ones will be wider than base.
the second and third ones.

13- Next create a small bubble, 14- and turn this small bubble into a 15- in order to secure and block
pinch-twist, together the giraffe's head, horns, and
neck.
16- Divide the remaining segment of
balloon into 3 roughly equal parts, just
to mark where the first third ends
(we're actually only interested in the
first third).
19- Close the bubble just beneath the
angle.
22- Then a small bubble,
25- Divide the remaining portion of
balloon into two parts, the last part
being the shorter one. Then press
these two large bubbles together, to
create a crease just before the tip of
the last bubble.
17- Create an acute angle at the first
bend (at the third of the remaining
portion of balloon).
20- Once again, the idea is to get an
offset bubble (which will enable us to
easily and naturally have the neck
pointing upwards).
23- which we will turn into a pinch-
twist, in order to consolidate the
articulation between the neck and the
front legs.
26- Twist the two bubbles together at
the base of this crease.
18- You should get this shape.
21- Make 1 more bubble about a
quarter of the length of the remaining
segment of balloon, then a second
bubble of the same length, just after
the first one, and block them together.
24- Carry out one last air pressure
control so that there's no room left in
the remaining portion of balloon.
27- Doing so, you get the last two legs
of the giraffe, its short tail, and belly, all
in a single movement.
 29- Draw a few lines for the face and
28- Accentuate the curve of the
spots... and there you have it!
giraffe's belly.
And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Chapter 8 - How to make a ladybug

Equipment:

1 red round balloon

1 black modeling balloon
1 pump
1 felt-tip marker (optional)

Level:
Average difficulty

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 17 - The Ladybug

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

Here is one version of the ladybug model that is both very simple, and very popular!

The main difficulty will probably be in creating the antennae. How do you inflate just the middle part of a modeling balloon? Or,
which may at first seem equally confusing, how do you form a bubble that's just at the tip of that modeling balloon?

While the technique used to project the air right where you want it may seem a bit complex for a beginner, an alternate solution is to
inflate the balloon normally, then to push the air forward, manually and gradually (tediously, even), until it reaches the part of the
balloon you want it to be at. Doing so will enable you to successfully create this model.
1- Moderately inflate the small round
balloon, and tie the knot right at the
valve.
4- The small bubble should be on the
end with the knot. Then put this balloon
aside (wedge the two bubbles under
your arm so that they won't get
undone).
7- Press the inflated part at the base of
the balloon to push the air farther,
towards the middle of the balloon.
10- Once the bubble is properly
centered, you will need to divide it into
two smaller bubbles of equal length.
2- Strongly press the balloon to force 3- Divide the balloon into two bubbles,
the air into the neck of the balloon, a small one (for the ladybug's head)
which will give it a pear shape. and a large one (for its body).
5- For the antennae, take the black 6- If you don't get the hang of the
modeling balloon and only inflate it in previous trick, don't panic! Inflate the
the middle, over a length of 5 to 6 balloon normally (still over a length of 5
fingers maximum (guiding the air to 6 fingers maximum),
through your folded hand to keep the
balloon from inflating too soon).
8- Repeat as many times as needed. 9- Until the bubble reaches the center
of the balloon.
11- Then get the red balloon back and 12- You should get this shape!
wedge the crease between the two
black bubbles into the crease between
the two red bubbles. Twist the bubbles
together several times to keep them in
place.
13- Take one of the black bubbles and
divide it into two more parts, thus
creating a new bubble.
16- Firmly press the bubble with your
twisting hand to push all the air in it
away; it will be guided by the support
hand to the tip of the non-inflated part
of the balloon and form a bubble there.
19- Gently tighten the knot, to avoid air
from getting caught in them; it could
otherwise form small, fairly unaesthetic
bubbles.
22- The little ladybug is taking shape!
All that is left is to draw on a nice little
face, two wings, and a few spots.
14- Once the new bubble is formed,
hold it firmly in your (twisting) hand...
17- You should get this shape (if you
don't get the hang of this trick, refer to
steps 7, 8, and 9 as detailed
previously, only this time, you will be
pushing the bubble all the way to the
tip of the balloon).
20- You should get this shape.
And... that's all there is to it!
15- Then, with your other (support)
hand, form a tunnel around the non-
inflated part of the balloon.
18- Tie a knot around the bubble to
keep it from going back down.
21- Repeat the last step to form the
second antenna.
Table of contents
Chapter 9 - How to make a penguin

Equipment:

1 white modeling balloon

1 black modeling balloon
1 small round balloon>
1 pump
1 felt-tip marker

Level:
Fairly easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 5 - Tux the Penguin

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

Despite appearances, this balloon sculpture is actually quite simple to create, because as with the tiger and the frog, it only makes
use of skills which have already been presented in the first two tutorials in the Balloon Twisting From Scratch series: the doggy and
the sword. However, just using and blending 3 balloons of 3 different colors together gives this sculpture a much more technical and
finished look.

Reminder: To make real progress, it's imperative that you should perfectly master all of the basic skills used in balloon twisting.
Please feel free to go over all the skills used for this figure one more time:

Skill 1: Knots
Skill 2: Bubbles
Skill 3: How To Curve A Balloon
Skill 4: Make Angles With Balloons
Skill 5: Pinch-Twists
Skill 6: Air Pressure Control
1- Inflate a white balloon leaving a
margin at the end of slightly more than
the width of a hand. Then tie the knot.
4- Make a second, identical bubble,
following the first.
7- Twist the two white bubbles and the
black loop several times around their
base to keep them in place. We've just
made the head of our penguin.
10- Make a first long bubble at the first
bend formed by the zigzag.
2- Do likewise with a black balloon and
tie the knotted end of each balloon
together.
5- Twist the bubbles several times
around their base to keep them in
place. We already have our penguin's
eyes!
8- Push the air to the end of the
remaining portion of black balloon
(don't bother with the remaining portion
of white balloon for the moment), you
should get a shape similar to this one.
11- Then make a second long bubble,
identical to the first, normally it should
fall more or less at the second bend
formed by the zigzag.
3- With the white balloon, make a first
oval bubble about three fingers wide.
6- Roll the black balloon along the
groove located between the two white
bubbles. In this way, shape a wide
black loop and bring its base to the
base of the two white bubbles.
9- Make a zigzag with the rest of the
black balloon so that the last segment
is slightly longer than the first two.
Make a mental note of the position of
each of the two bends thus formed.
12- Twist the two large black bubbles
around their base several times to
block them at the base of Tux's head.
13- You should now have a shape
resembling this one, with at the center,
under the head, the two wings we've
just created (the two long black
bubbles).
16- Go back to the white balloon and
form a small, round bubble at the base
of Tux's head.
19- You will have to feed it through to
the other side, so that we can use it to
make Tux's belly.
22- Make a small bubble at the tip of
the white balloon.
14- With what's left of the black
balloon, make a bubble that's shorter
than the previous two. Doing so you
will also get one final bubble that
should be wedged between the two
wings.
17- Make this bubble into a pinch-twist
which will enable us to keep Tux's
head firmly in place on top of its back
and shoulders (or rather its back and
wings).
20- Push the air in the white balloon a
bit towards the end, and shape a large
bubble for the belly which should look
a little rounded.
23- Then wedge the small white bubble
into the joint common to the base of
the wings, the base of the back, and
the tail. It doesn't matter which side the
bubble is sticking out from for now.
Having done this, we get a large loop.
15- Then roll this last bubble several
times between the wings to keep
everything firmly in place. You can now
make out Tux's head, wings, back and
tail.
18- Notice that the rest of the white
balloon is naturally located under the
pinch-twist.
21- Then finish pushing the air all the
way to the end of the white balloon so
that there is no remaining length of
empty balloon.
24- We are now going to learn how to
divide one big loop into two smaller
loops. To do this, twist the large white
loop into two equal parts and take note
of the central mark.
25- At the level of this mark, press the
balloon to form two large bubbles then
hold one of the bubbles firmly in one
hand while twisting the other bubble
around its base with the other hand, to
divide the loop into two equal parts.
28- Hold one of the loops firmly in one
hand while twisting the other loop
around its base with your other hand to
keep them both in place.
31- Press on the tip of the balloon and,
gripping the latex, twist the tip a little so
that the air leaves it completely and
pushes against the knotted end of the
balloon.
26- This way, you get two distinct
bubbles. Now let's see how to turn
both of them into loops.
29- Finally, place the small bubble, that
we had set aside, right between the
two loops. We have just made two
wide, webbed feet, on which Tux can
now stand securely.
32- Gently let go of the latex to enable
the air to come back gradually into the
balloon, which should now be
elongated or at the very least oval.
And... that's all there is to it!
27- It's very simple! All you need to do
is bring the creases formed at the ends
of each bubble together, and thus
naturally shape two new (smaller)
loops.
30- We are almost finished. All that's
left now is the beak! For this, very
lightly inflate a small round balloon,
preferably yellow.
33- Wedge the knotted end of the beak
at the base of the head. Lastly, draw
on the eyes, and round out the shapes
of Tux's wings, back and stomach to
put the finishing touches on this
sculpture.
Table of contents
Chapter 10 - How to make a fish

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 small round balloon
1 marker
1 pump

Not compulsory:

1 transparent modeling balloon

Level:
Intermediate

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 20 - The Fish

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

This cute little fish is another popular model, rather easy and quick to make, especially if you already have some basic ballooning
skills.

In case you don't, you should first consult the following tutorials:

Skill 1: Knots
Skill 2: Bubbles
Skill 5: Pinch-Twists
Skill 6: Air Pressure Control
1- You will need an orange (or any
other color) "260" modeling balloon for
the body, and a small regular (round)
white balloon for the eyes.
4- Then form a second "sausage"
bubble, but smaller than the first one
(about two fingers wide).
7- You should now have this series of
"sausage" bubbles: a long one, then a
small one, then a small one again, and
finally a long one, just like the first one.
10- Hold it, while forming a perfectly
round bubble right after it.
13- which you will also transform into a
2- Inflate the orange "260", leaving the
equivalent of about five (or even six)
fingers wide not inflated.
5- Then form a third "sausage" bubble,
exactly the same as the second one
(about two fingers wide).
8- Attach the series of bubbles
together together, by pulling the
balloon knot and turning it a few times
around its base and through the loop it
formed.
11- Transform that round bubble into a
pinch twist.
14- Then form another long bubble that
3- Form one large "sausage" bubble
right after the knot (about three fingers
wide).
6- And finally form a fourth "sausage"
bubble, exactly the same as the first
one (about three fingers wide).
9- Once it is secured, form a long
bubble that should be about as long as
full hand.
12- Then form another round bubble of
the same size,
15- Twist these two long bubbles
16- Then form a third bubble, the same
length as the two long bubbles we just
joined together.
19- do a small incision with a scissor
(or even a needle) at the tip of it to let
the air escape a bit before tying a
knot..
22- And the last one should be smaller
than the previous one.
25- Now take the very first loop of
bubbles we made, and press the
crease formed between the two
smaller bubbles against the crease
formed between the 2 longer bubbles.
17- And attach it to them by turning the
remnant of the balloon around their
base (which is also the base of the two
pinch-twists).
20- The idea is two divide the remnant
of the balloon into two bubbles of
unequal length.
23- Now pull and twist the base of this
small bubble all the way between the
three long bubbles and the loop. The
tension will curve the three longer
bubbles a bit.
26- This should enable you to easily
twist each small bubble with its longer
counterpart, to form the tail of the fish.
18- If the remnant of the balloon is a bit
too long,
21- The first one should be a bit longer
(but much smaller than the 3 long
bubbles that have been joined
together.
24- Once it is done, lodge that last
small bubble in the midst of the cluster
formed by the four other bubbles: the
three longer curved bubbles and the
shorter straight one (that one will be
the bottom base of the fish)
27- Now inflate the small round white
balloon. It should be a bit less
voluminous than the tail we just
formed.
28- Divide the round balloon in two
equal size bubbles. It's a bit tricky at
first, although not much different than
making a regular bubble with a
modeling balloon (except the round
balloon is fatter and shorter, thus
harder to handle).
31- Take a black marker and draw the
eyes on the white bubbles.
34- And with it, make a series of
alternating round bubbles and pinch-
twists.
29- Take back the orange body of the
fish and lodge one of the white bubble
under the top curved orange bubble
(the one at the opposite of the shorter
straight one) , bringing it as close to
the two pinch-twists as possible.
32- There, the balloon is finished! You
could simply stop here if you wanted
too.
35- The last bubble of the series
should be inserted back half way in the
series, against another bubble or
pinch-twist, to form a small cluster.
Aren't they super cute?
And... that's all there is to it!
30- Then find the very last small
bubble that was made with the
remnant of the orange balloon and
lodge its tip between the 2 white
bubbles, thus securing them and filling
in any gap.
33- However, if you had the time and
the material, you could add one last
detail by inflating a transparent "260"
modeling balloon, but only halfway.
36- You can then attach it to the fish
any way you prefer. You could put it
directly at the mouth, while I prefer it
on the side, to give an impression of
movement.
Table of contents
Chapter 11 - How to make a flower

Equipment:

2 modeling balloons
1 pump

Level:
Average difficulty

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 14 - The Flower

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

This is the basic model for the balloon flower which is most widespread. Now, basic doesn't necessarily mean simple.

As such, all basic skills used to create this model have all been seen in the previous tutorials; however, the trick that enables you to
create 6 petals with a single movement will likely require some time to get used to and several practice sessions.

So at the beginning, you may want to inflate the balloon rather less than more, to make things a bit easier.
1- Inflate one balloon all the way, then
let a little air out before tying a knot,
so that the balloon is more supple and
workable.
4- to push back a little air, in order to
reclaim a short length of latex.
7- Bring each side of the loop flat
against the other.
10- You should get this shape. This
next part will be a little complex; you
will likely have to try several times
before you get the hang of it.
2- Make sure that air pressure is
evenly balanced throughout the
balloon.
5- Bring both ends of the balloon
together.
8- Find the middle of the loop, across
from the knot, and form a crease.
11- Take the large bubbles together in
your hands, dividing their length into
three roughly equal parts. Alternating
each of your hands, you need to press
and twist both segments around their
base as if you were making regular
bubbles.
3- Pick up the tip of the balloon and
press it...
6- Tie both ends of the balloon
together to form a large loop.
9- Create two large bubbles at the level
of this crease
12- Only here, you're making two
bubbles at once, and on top of it your
hands aren't moving entirely freely,
since they're working more or less at
the same time on two different parts of
the balloon.
13- Once the bubbles are shaped to
your satisfaction, Arrange them in a
zigzag shape, like this.
16- The idea here is to bring the
creases of the bubbles together, and
thus fold all 6 bubbles to turn them into
small loops (these will be the flower
petals).
19- Rotate several times until the
petals are all supporting each other in
place.
22- Start by making a tulip-twist.
14- Hold one end in place with your
support hand.
17- Ultimately, the support hand will
have to grip all of the creases between
its thumb and forefinger and be able to
hold all 6 bubbles on its own. It's a bit
physical, but it's doable after a few
tries.
20- The petals are done, now let's
work on the stem.
23- Pull any 2 petals apart to insert the
crease of the tulip-twist between them
15- And compress the other end with
your twisting hand.
18- With the twisting hand, take the 3
loops from one end, and twist them
together at the base of the folds held in
the support hand.
21- To make the stem, inflate a
balloon, preferably a green one,
leaving a margin about 3 fingers wide.
24- To lower pressure and avoid either
balloon bursting, you need to gently
insert the tulip-twist forward in a few
successive circular motions, rather
than forcing it straight through in one
go.
25- Turn the flower over and do the 26- Make two small bubbles one after 27- Turn the second bubble into a
same with the rest of the green the other. pinch-twist.
balloon, so that the bottom of the stem
is also located right at the center of the
petals.

29- Push the air back to the tip of the 30- Bend the remaining portion of
28- The idea is to have the stem more remaining length of balloon and make balloon into a zigzag. The tip can
or less in the same alignment as the sure the air pressure is distributed slightly stick outside of the zigzag.
flower petals. evenly throughout its length.

31- Press and block the middle of the 32- Curve the top of the stem a little to 33- Do the same with the bottom of the
zigzag in place and twist both sides of give it a more dancing, natural-looking stem.
the zigzag in opposite directions. This shape.
gives us, in a single movement, two
loops of equal length that will form the
leaves of the flower.

There!
And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Chapter 12 - How to make a butterfly

Equipment:

2 modeling balloon
1 pump
1 felt-tip marker

Level:
Intermediate

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 18 - The Butterfly

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

There are many different designs for balloon butterflies, which are often very artistic and elaborate. Here is one I particularly like to
use. This design is reasonably fast to carry out when faced with a crowd, while remaining a faithful rendition of the light and simple
beauty of this small creature.

Making the wings of the butterfly is a lot like making flower petals, only easier, as there are only four loops to make instead of six.

Ideally, you may want to use a darker-colored balloon for the wings, and a lighter-colored balloon for the body, head, and antennae,
which will allow for a clearer, starker contrast when drawing on the face.
1- Inflate one balloon all the way, then 2- Take the end of the balloon and 3- Bring both ends of the balloon
let a little air out before tying a knot, press it to push back a little air; this together.
so that the balloon is especially supple gives you back a short length of latex
and workable to work with.

4- Tie both ends of the balloon 5- Bring each side of the loop flat 6- Make a crease...
together to form a large loop against the other and find the middle of
the loop, across from the knot.

7- and form two large bubbles at the 8- Mark a rough third of the length of 9- Press and twist the two smaller
level of this crease the loops. segments together to form two sets of
two bubbles each.

10- Bend both sets of bubbles... 11- and bring together the end of the 12- Flatten each side against the other
two larger bubbles and the end of the to form four loops....
two smaller ones.
13- Like the flower petals, the idea
here is to bring the creases of the
bubbles together, and doing so, to fold
all 4 bubbles to turn them into small
loops (these will be the wings of the
butterfly).
16- The wings of the butterfly are
ready.
19- Bring the base of both segments of
deflated balloon close to each other.
22- We now have two bubbles, one
against the other. The larger bubble
should be about twice the size of the
smaller one.
14- The support hand has to grip all of
the creases between its thumb and
forefinger and be able to hold all 4
bubbles on its own.
17- Take another balloon, preferably in
a lighter color than the wings, and
inflate it only in the middle, about 4 to 5
fingers wide.
20- Tie a knot to form a loop with the
inflated part of the balloon. The two
segments of deflated balloon will form
the antennae of the butterfly.
23- Pull the bubbles apart from each
other...
15- With the twisting hand, take two
loops from one end, and twist them
together at the base of the folds held in
the support hand.
18- Fold it into two equal parts.
21- Form a small bubble on one side of
the loop.
24- and turn the smaller bubble into a
pinch-twist, taking care not to get the
antennae tangled up.
25- We can now clearly make out the
antennae, head, and abdomen of the
butterfly. Now we need to attach them
to the wings.
28- One turn should be enough. Clear
the space around the head and
antennae so they stick out clearly from
the wings
26- First we need to protect the head
and wings of the butterfly by holding
them securely in the palm of the
twisting hand.
29- The head should naturally be
positioned just above the abdomen,
and the antennae should stick out
behind the top of the head, resting
against the upper wings.
And... that's all there is to it!
27- Then, holding the abdomen and
wings of the butterfly in the support
hand, roll the head of the butterfly
around the crease located between the
four loops of the butterfly wings.
30- Draw a nice-looking face onto the
head for the finishing touch.
Table of contents
Chapter 13 - How to make a snake

Equipment:

3 modeling balloons
1 pump

Level:
Intermediate

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 19 - The Snake

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

This realistic looking snake in balloon is sure to be a hit. Yet it is simple enough to be realized quite quickly in a line job.

However before attempting this new model be sure you have acquired most basic ballooning skills including pinch-twists, making
sharp angles with balloons, etc.

Following is a list of tutorials that might help you review and perfect the very basic skills needed for the execution of this new model:

Skill 1: Knots
Skill 2: Bubbles
Skill 4: Make Angles With Balloons
Skill 5: Pinch-Twists
Skill 6: Air Pressure Control

If you already master those basic skills, you can just dive in.

Ready? Steady? Go!

1- You will need three "260" balloons.
Two green for the body and one red for
the eyes and tongue.
4- Form one round bubble right after
the knot.
7- And form a loop right after the first
bubble.
10- And fold the rest of the balloon
alongside that long "sausage" bubble.
2- Inflate one of the green "260".
5- Holding that first bubble in place,
fold the balloon roughly to help you
evaluate more or less the fifth part of
its length.
8- Then form a long "sausage" bubble
more or less where the end of the 3rd
of the fifth parts were. In other words
form a bubble about as long as the
loop.
11- It should now be easy for you to
form another long sausage bubble that
will be the exact same length as the
previous one.
3- Leave the equivalent of about 7
fingers wide not inflated (but don't
worry too much about it since we will
scrap unneeded balloon length later
on).
6- Fold the 2 first fifth parts together
(you can let the other parts loose for
now).
9- Form a round bubble right after that
long "sausage" bubble.
12- You will now be able to twist both
long bubbles together around their
base.
13- You should now obtain a figure that
looks roughly like this one.
16- Check the length of the remaining
part of the balloon... it shouldn't be
longer than the last two "sausage"
bubbles.
19- Then do a knot at the end of the
last "sausage" bubble.
22- As you'll notice later, the longer the
slack, the shorter the size of the
tongue. Then fold that long bubble into
two smaller bubbles of equal length.
14- Finally, take hold of the round
bubble between the two long ones
(that you have just twisted together).
17- If it is too long, like it is here for
instance, simply twist the balloon to
form one last "sausage" bubble of the
proper length,
20- And you should now obtain a figure
that looks roughly like this one (the
green "260" I used here happened to
be quite thick, so the non inflated part
still holds quite straight, while yours
may slag somewhat...).
23- Attach these two bubbles together,
using the slack and the remnant of the
non inflated part of the red balloon (the
future tongue).
15- And transform it into a pinch-twist.
18- And do a small incision with a
scissor at the end of the non inflated
part to let the air escape.
21- Now take the red "260" and inflate
it so that you obtain a bubble which
should be about as long as the width of
your palm and where there should be
some slack between the knot and the
"mouth" of the balloon.
24- Once the knot is done, bring only
the non inflated part of the red balloon
on the other side of the two bubbles
and make it go around their joint base.
25- Pull tight...
28- Attach the red slack (the part with
the knot), at the base of the green loop
(which is also the base of the three
sausage bubbles). This doesn't have to
be too tight.
31- Contrary to the previous step, the
knot should be quite tight.
34- Lock the base of the tongue
around the pinch-twist.
26- So that you obtain something like
this. It will form the eyes and the
tongue of the balloon snake.
29- Cut the extra slack if needed.
32- Cut the rest of the green balloon,
but keep the rest of the red balloon
(the tongue of the snake).
35- You should get something like
this...
27- Align the two red "eyes" alongside
the last two "sausage" bubbles of the
green balloon, so that the red "tongue"
of the snake is beside the green pinch-
twist .
30- Next, attach the remnant of the
green balloon and the remnant of the
red balloon together at their base.
33- Bring the pinch-twist closer to the
red balloon.
36- Now take the loop and flatten it
between your two palms.
37- If necessary pinching its tip to
"sharpen" it as much as possible, as
shown in the "Make Angles With
Balloons" tutorial.
40- Until it is perfectly lodged in the
center of the loop.
43- And tuck it between the pinch-twist
and the criss formed under the tip of
the loop.
46- And transform this bubble into a
pinch twist.
38- You should obtain a figure similar
to this one.
41- Pull the pinch-twist through and
edge it against the tip of the loop.
44- Now fully inflate the last green
"260", let a bit of air escape so that it is
nice and supple, and make a knot.
47- Twist another bubble to make a
second pinch-twist.
39- Now, delicately push the last green
"sausage" bubble (the one that has
been attached to the pinch-twist)
through the loop.
42- Pull the tongue through as well.
45- Attach it to the knot of the bubble
located behind the head of the snake.
48- These two pinch-twists will keep
both body and head tightly joined
together. They will also be very useful
for pointing the head in any direction or
angle.
49- For the body of the snake we
simply have to make a series of
zigzags (again, refer to the "Make
Angles With Balloons" tutorial if
necessary).
50- According to the way you do your
zigzags, the snake's head can be on
the same horizontal plane as its body.
And... that's all there is to it!
51- Or the snake can lift its head up
while the rest of its body stays on the
ground. Play with a few positions until
you find the one you prefer.
Table of contents
Appendice - Ballooning techniques
Skill 1 - How to tie a knot
Skill 2 - How to make a bubble
Skill 3 - How to curve a balloon
Skill 4 - How to make an angle
Skill 5 - How to make a pinch-twist
Skill 6 - How to manage the air pressure
Skill 7 - How to make a loop
Skill 8 - How to make a tulip-twist

Table of contents
Skill 1 - How to tie a knot

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump

Level:
Very easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 6 - Skill 1: Knots

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

The aim of this series of tutorials is to teach complete beginners how to learn balloon twisting "from scratch", and I've noticed that at
first, quite a few of you, children as well as adults, often have trouble tying balloon knots.

The advantage of the technique used in this tutorial is that it avoids any friction of the balloon against the skin of your fingers. It's a
detail that may seem innocuous but it's very significant when you have to tie hundreds of knots one after the other. And that's
exactly what will happen once your fame as a balloon twister reaches beyond your family, your neighborhood, or even your region.
Which is why you need to acquire good habits straight from the start.

Try it slowly and regularly until this sequence of movements has become imprinted into your muscle memory and you can carry it
out quickly without even thinking about it.

Have fun... and practice regularly!

1- Inflate a balloon and leave as much
room as possible after the nozzle of
the balloon which should be directed
towards your palm, which itself should
be facing you.
4- Once your hand is completely facing
away from you…
7- Move your fingers apart while
turning your palm towards you once
again.
10- Form a loop around your forefinger
and middle finger, placing the nozzle
just behind the base of the inflated part
of the balloon.
13- Take your fingers out of the loop so
that the knot can close up completely.
Having done so, now move the balloon
to your other hand...
2- The thumb and forefinger should
pinch the balloon and prevent the air
from escaping. Slowly, turn your
hand...
5- pass your other hand over it to pick
up the nozzle of the balloon.
8- Pass the long stretch of balloon just
behind your middle finger...
11- Then feed the nozzle of the balloon
through the center of the loop.
14- so you can tighten the knot
properly.
3- just a bit more... you should no
longer be able to see your palm.
6- Pull on the nozzle, forming a long
stretch of balloon.
9- Finish turning your hand so that your
palm is facing you again.
12- Once the nozzle of the balloon has
passed through the loop, pick it up with
your thumb and forefinger.
And... that's all there is to it!
Table of contents
Skill 2 - How to make a bubble

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump

Level:
Very easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 7 - Skill 2: Bubbles

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

Making bubbles is the most basic skill used in balloon modeling. A bubble can be round, or it can be longer, like a kind of
"sausage".

From the very start, you will have to choose:

Your holding hand is the one you will always use to hold the balloon.
Your twisting hand is the one you will always use to twist the balloon.
Your preferred twisting direction is the direction towards which you will always twist the remaining segment of balloon.

Try out a few different ways to see which works best for you, but once you've made up your mind always stick to it! The future
quality of your muscle memory depends on it.

Last but not least! As long as you hold the first bubble of a row with your holding hand, you hold the remaining segment of balloon
in your twisting hand, and you twist every bubble in the row in the same direction... well, the bubbles in the middle will never
unravel, even if nothing but thin air seems to prevent them from doing so! You'll see, it's magic!
1- Take a balloon in one hand (the
holding hand) and place your fingers
where you want to make the bubble.
4- Once the crease is formed, keep
twisting the remaining segment of
balloon, at least three more times, so
that the first bubble is secure.
7- Do the same with the third bubble.
Don't worry about the bubble in the
middle, it will stay in place as long
as you stick to the same twisting
direction.
10- You can vary the size of your
bubbles as required and make as
many as you want.
2- Place your other hand (the twisting 3- all the while twisting the balloon,
hand) just opposite the first one, and which will make a crease.
press the balloon with your thumb and
forefinger...
5- Without letting go of the balloon, 6- Make sure to twist the remaining
move your fingers to the place where segment of balloon at least three more
you want to make the second bubble times so that the second bubble is
and repeat the process. Always twist secure.
the balloon in the same direction!
8- Do the same with the fourth bubble. 9- Etc, etc!
And again, don't worry about the
bubbles in the middle, they will stay
in place as long as you stick to the
same twisting direction.
And... that's all there is to it!
Table of contents
Skill 3 - How to curve a balloon

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump

Level:
Very easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 8 - Skill 3: How to Curve a Balloon

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

Now let's see how to give a curved shape to a segment of balloon.

It is an important skill to have because it enables you to refine the smaller details of your balloon models, which will make them
more realistic and more natural.

For example, this will enable you to mimic the rounded shape of a belly on a little dog, a teddy bear, or a penguin; the curve of a
flower's stem, or of a sword's blade, etc.

To go further, we will also see how to very simply make a spiral (there are other ways to do this but we will talk about them later as
they are a bit more complex).

Spiral-shaped balloons can be used to form the body of a snake, or even the suspension spring on a motor vehicle!
1- Take a balloon in both hands and 2- Rub both segments against each 3- then upwards, several times.
bend it, near the knot. other to move the crease downwards,

4- Keep going back and forth, all the 5- Little by little the balloon knot will 6- The idea is to make the whole
while guiding the balloon, where the move away from your support hand inflated portion of balloon go through
crease and the friction is taking place, this friction movement,
forward between your hands

7- until the deflated tail end of the 8- With this method, you can get an 9- To get a spiral, the operation is
balloon reaches your twisting hand. almost perfect circle. almost identical, except that you
shouldn't let the balloon out of your
hands.

10- You need to keep it compressed in 11- If it's too difficult to keep the spiral 12- Once the whole length of the
a spiral shape as you gradually work compressed only with your support balloon is compressed in the shape of
on the whole length of balloon. hand, you can use any other part of a spiral, firmly hold both ends of the
your body to the rescue. spiral in each of your hands,

13- and gently pull each end as far 14- Once released, the balloon will
apart from the other as you can, then keep its spiral shape.
let go just as gently. And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Skill 4 - How to make an angle

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump

Level:
Very easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 9 - Skill 4: Make Angles with Balloons

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

Now, I'm going to teach you how to make angles (right angles, acute angles, or obtuse angles) with a balloon.

This skill is used in the sword tutorial, in the giraffe tutorial, and the tutorial on love hearts.
1- Hold a balloon between your palms
so as to bend it near your wrists.
4- Then, you must first ease off the
pressure from the base of your hands
and gently move your wrists outwards
to let the bent part of the balloon come
back out.
7- You can do this again as many times
as you like. All you need to do is to
bend the balloon between your wrists
and press...
10- Then gently ease back the top of
your hands, pulling them away from
one another to free the rest of the
balloon.
2- Gently press the folded area
between your wrists...
5- Secondly, ease back the top of your
hands and gently pull your hands
away from each other to free the rest
of the balloon.
8- until the bend disappears entirely
between your hands.
11- This way, you can make several
angles one after the other, to create a
zigzag for example.
3- Until the bend is pushed away and
disappears entirely between your
palms. Hold it that way for a few
seconds.
6- Once released, the balloon stays
bent into the shape of an angle.
9- Gently ease back the base of your
hands, leaving the bent part of the
balloon come back out from between
your wrists.
12- To make a pointier angle, all you
need to do is take an already formed
angle in the palm of one hand, with the
bend sticking out between your thumb
and forefinger,
13- Next, with the thumb and forefinger 14- then, just as gently, twist the bit of 15- until the air is completely pushed
of your other hand, gently pinch the tip latex pinched between your fingers... out of it and there's only latex left
of the balloon… between your fingers.

16- Gently release the twist for the air 17- Then, just as gently, release the 18- Angles made in this fashion will be
to gradually come back into the angle two segments of balloon that were pointier.
pressed into your palm. And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Skill 5 - How to make a pinch-twist

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump

Level:
Easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 10 - Skill 5: Pinch-Twists

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

We are now going to take a closer look at how to make a pinch-twist, also known as an "ear-twist" or sometimes even a "bean-
twist". This technique is used in many models. For instance, you can find it in the following tutorials: the sword, the frog, the tiger,
the penguin, the flower, the giraffe, etc.

The reason this particular technique is used so frequently is not only because of its natural-looking ear shape (or bean shape) but
also because it strengthens and reinforces the parts of a balloon sculpture which might otherwise be somewhat fragile and delicate.

That makes it all the more important to master this skill.

1- To practice making a string of pinch-
twists, inflate a modeling balloon about
a third of the way.
4- Bend the balloon at the second
bubble, so that the bubble is sticking
out from your support hand.
7- You need to twist it at least 3 or 4
times around its base.
10- Bend the balloon again so the last
bubble is sticking out from your support
hand.
2- Start by making a first bubble...
5- Insert the pointer of your support
hand under this second bubble to pull it
out of the way, and so that it's easier to
hold between your thumb and middle
finger.
8- Having done so, you get a bubble
that looks like a bean or an ear.
11- Insert the pointer of your support
hand under this last bubble to pull it out
of the way, and so that it's easier to
hold between your thumb and middle
finger.
3- Then a second one...
6- Once the bubble is firmly secured,
you need to pinch it, and then twist it
several times around the base (hence
the name: pinch-twist).
9- To practice further, make two more
bubbles following the first one…
12- And once you have the bubble
firmly in your hand, pinch the bubble
and twist it several times around the
base.
13- This gives you a second pinch- 14- Rinse and repeat as many times as 15- You should now be able to make a
twist. you like! pinch-twist!
And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Skill 6 - How to manage the air pressure

Equipment:

2 modeling balloons
1 pump
1 felt-tip marker (optional)

Level:
Very easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 11 - Skill 6: Air Pressure Control

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

This is probably the most important basic skill you need to know and master: air pressure control. How do you avoid the balloon
bursting if there's too much pressure, or on the other hand, avoid it getting undone if there's not enough?

Once you know how to manage both worst-case scenarios, all you will need to do is to keep an eye on the pressure of the air in
your balloon at each step of creating your models so that you can spread it out evenly from start to finish. You can very well use
both of these skills one after the other, while making a single balloon model, in order to modulate how the air pressure evolves to
match your assessment of what's needed at any given moment.
1- To practice, we are going to make
two versions of the classic dog
sculpture (see the balloon dog tutorial).
The first balloon won't be inflated
enough, while the second will be far
too much.
4- When making the first bubble, twist
the balloon 2 or 3 times more than
usual (turn it 7 or 8 times at least) to
"use up" the most latex as possible.
7- Next, don't forget to push back the
air pressure towards the end of the
balloon again,
10- After several bubbles created this
way, the margin at the end of the
balloon has shrunk noticeably.
2- Take the under-inflated balloon (with
a margin much wider than your hand).
The tactic will be simple, you'll have to
use as much latex as possible... and
as little air as possible!
5- Once the first bubble is finished,
squeeze the balloon again to push
back the pressure that built up again
after you made the first bubble.
8- Then the third bubble in the same
way.
11- And in the end, you get a sculpture
with pressure that's perfectly balanced
throughout the design.
3- Start by squeezing the balloon near
the knot, to displace air pressure
towards the end of the balloon. Use
both hands, if necessary, to push the
air even farther.
6- Make a second bubble, again
twisting the balloon far more than
needed, with the purpose still being to
use more latex than necessary.
9- And so on and so forth, for each of
the following bubbles.
12- For the balloon that's been inflated
too much, the tactic used will be
exactly the opposite. You'll have to use
as much air as possible... while using
the least latex as possible.
13- One starting trick is to latch onto
the knot of the balloon...
16- And firmly press the end of the
balloon so that the air goes back into
the space that's been freed up by the
knot.
19- When starting the first bubble, twist
it as little as possible (once or twice at
most).
22- Several bubbles have been done in
this fashion and you'll notice that
there's still some margin left at the end
of the balloon (practically as much as
there was on the first balloon at this
stage of development).
14- and tug it back to displace it and
free up the inch or so of latex that's
caught in the knot (as long as the knot
wasn't tied too tightly in the first place).
17- With a bit of luck, by doing this you
can get an inch or so of your margin
back.
20- Make the second one in the same
fashion. The air pressure in the
bubbles being higher, they will be a
little more prone to bursting, so you will
need to handle them a little more
delicately.
23- And in the end, here too, we get a
sculpture with pressure that's perfectly
balanced throughout the design.
15- Then, turn the balloon over,
18- Here is the somewhat deformed
space where the air was able to move
back to, just next to the knot, freeing
up that much space at the end of the
balloon.
21- Go on like this with the next ones…
whatever you do, do not squeeze
the balloon in order to push the air
pressure forward, since it needs to
remain as compressed as possible.
24- Here are the two sculptures side by
side. The only noticeable difference is
that one is larger while the other is
smaller, but the proportions of both
sculptures are harmonious, and much
the same.
And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Skill 7 - How to make a loop

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump

Level:
Very easy

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 12 - Skill 7: The Loop

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

This, along with the bubble, is possibly the simplest of all the basic techniques in balloon modeling. This technique is commonly
used in many balloon models, and namely, within the Ballooning From Scratch series, it appears in the tutorials for the sword, the
frog, the penguin, etc.

In some cases, if it is large enough and not too compressed, a loop may itself be subsequently divided into two parts to form two
new, smaller loops, as we will see at the end of this tutorial.
1- To practice, inflate a balloon to any length.
2- Then start with a bubble, of any size.

3- With the portion of balloon following the bubble, form a 4- To mark the length of your loop, press the balloon and
large loop. twist (as if you were forming a bubble).

5- Hold the bubble against the remaining portion of balloon 6- This gives us a loop. It's really that simple!
and twist the bubble several times around its base.
7- Now, if the loop is large enough and supple enough (i.e. if 8- Press the center of the loop against its base so as to form
it's not too compressed), it can even be divided into two a crease (and the start of two small loops) then twist one of
parts. To do this, flatten the loop bringing its center towards the two small loops around its base, which will block the
its base… whole thing together.

9- And here are our two small loops!

And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Skill 8 - How to make a tulip-twist

Equipment:

1 modeling balloon
1 pump

Level:
Average difficulty

This tutorial was originally published as Balloon Twisting From Scratch 13 - Skill 8: The Tulip Twist

You can watch the video version of this tutorial on YouTube

This is the last basic skill a beginner needs under their belt : the "tulip-twist", sometimes also known as an "apple-twist" due to its
shape.

This skill is used in the tutorial on how to make a balloon flower. This shape can also be used to create the shape of the wheel of a
car, etc.
1- To practice, inflate a balloon to any length.
3- Press on the knot to push it inside the balloon.
5- Catch the knot through the balloon with the thumb and
forefinger of your support hand, and hold it firmly in place.
2- Place the forefinger of your twisting hand on the balloon
knot.
4- Push your finger inside fairly deeply so that the knot
(inside the balloon) ends up in reach of the thumb and
forefinger of your support hand (outside the balloon).
6- While firmly keeping the knot inside the balloon, slowly
pull out the forefinger of your twisting hand from the balloon,
if necessary by using the thumb and middle finger of the
same hand (or any other available finger) in order to ease
the pressure of the air surrounding your forefinger, caught
inside the balloon.
7- This movement must be carried out very gently, so that
you can pull your finger out of the balloon without making it
burst (the balloon, that is).
9- Press... and twist, to make a bubble which will trap the
knot inside the remaining segment of balloon.
11- If there's no intention of using another balloon part to
secure the fold, you will then have to gently push the knot
back inside the tulip-twist while twisting it around its axis.
8- Using your twisting hand, press the balloon near the knot,
still held in place through the sides of the balloon by your
support hand.
10- Through the balloon, you can make out the knot trapped
outside the tulip-twist. If you wedge another balloon part
(flower petals for instance) into the fold between the tulip-
twist and the remaining segment of balloon, the tulip-twist
will be secure and will not be at risk of getting undone.
12- Through the balloon, you can clearly make out the knot,
caught and secure in the middle of the tulip-twist.
13- And here is our finished tulip-twist!
And... that's all there is to it!

Table of contents
Conclusion
We have now come to the end of this beginner's series on balloon modeling and you may wonder what to do next?

Well, if you have followed each lesson fully and have devoted the necessary time to practise most of the concepts and skills taught
therein, you should now be able to easily follow most other balloon tutorials out there on YouTube, even if they are in a foreign
language, just by observing carefully the techniques used.

I suggest for a start that you pay a visit to the other balloon channels that I subscribe to and that I particularly appreciate either for
their ingenuity or for the beauty of their realization. But as I said, there are plenty more out there.

Sooner or later, I'll hopefully be able to produce a sequel... In the meanwhile I wish you all the best!

Enjoy yourself as you create great balloon sculptures that bring fun and smiles around you.

Table of contents