Insects
Dragonflies
Apr 24th
I’ve made dragonflies before, but I wanted to try them with the new Qualatex Chrome colors… and I really like them!
Some kids know what a dragonfly is, but not all kids have been exposed to them. But they are winged and fun in any case!
To make this balloon, check out Sergey’s tutorial video. You’ll need one 260 balloon for the body, two 160s for the wings, and one small round for the eyes. Leave about 2.5″ uninflated for the 260.
Dragonfly
Apr 18th
Here’s another fun balloon!
To make this balloon, you’ll need one 260 balloon for the body, two 160s for the wings, and one small round for the eyes. Leave about 2.5″ uninflated for the 260. This balloon is easy to make – there are a few pinch twists, which can be tricky for new twisters. Check out Sergey’s tutorial video.
If I were a butterfly…
Jun 20th
I got my first real close up view of a butterfly of this year this past Sunday. It landed on the bright green shirt of someone sitting a few feet away. So beautiful!
The pink butterfly shown here was made using a single 260. The other one was made using one yellow 260 balloon and a scrap black 260 balloon.
Twisting the one-balloon butterfly is a little more difficult than twisting a “dog” balloon – the butterfly consists of a number of twists that all go around the same joint, which makes things a little tight.
As you can see, the wings are twisted similarly to how you would twist flower petals; they are just different sizes – two are smaller and two are bigger. (When twisting flower petals, you normally locate the midpoint and twist the balloon there. With these wings, you locate a point a few inches from the midpoint and twist the balloon there.)
Next time, I’ll try using a 160 balloon for the body, and will draw some spots/designs on the butterfly wings using markers! Decorating the butterfly might be a fun activity for kids too!