Manipulation of an allied sort:

Learn balloon sculpture!

McNeely teaches basics at convention workshop

By Grin Neighbors, Levittown, New York

 

Any juggler knows that correct hand placement is key to successful manipula­tion. The same holds true for making balloon sculptures.

 

Lester McNeely, a clown from Chicago, has made this point clear during the past few years as leader of balloon sculpture workshops at IJA conventions. Using the fingers of his left hand, held palm up, he deftly twists off ten quick segments of a long green tube held palm down in his right hand. The resulting dachshund appears so effortlessly that this whole art form seems a bit too easy... until he starts passing out balloons to the audience!

 

Lester explains that it takes a strong push from the diaphragm to fill up balloons. You might stretch it a little first and pull the far end away from the mouth while blowing. It must also be done in one breath or the thickness of the balloon will vary. I was one of many first time "balloonatics" left red-faced and wheezing by the attempts.

 

The next step is hand placement. In his ten years of practice, Lester has found that the left/up, right/down method offers several advantages. It lets you rotate the right hand away from the body to keep the sculpture out front where you and the audience can see it. This frees the fingers of the left hand to hold segments as they are made and to pinch points for twisting.

 

With practice and some help from another expert IJA balloon twister, Larry Olson, workshop participants were soon making mutant-looking dogs - a far cry from Lester's splashy sunflower or complex E.T.  The workshop could not effectively cover these more complicated sculptures. They are best left to one of several good books on the subject, and Lester hopes to soon add his own volume to those on the market now. Suggested reading includes The Rubber Ark and The Rubber Jungle by Roger Segal, The One Balloon Zoo by Jim Davis, and Dewey's Balloon and Clown Notebook by Ralph Dewey.

 

McNeely mentioned at this point that merely making animals won't do. Entertainers must make the steps and presentation amusing. Some sculptures will be a bit abstract, so you can generate a little excitement by emphasizing ears with a wiggle or a head with a nod to cue the audience as to what you are making.

 

Balloon care is important, too. Always store them in a cool, dry place. Since a refrigerator may be too damp, close them in a coffee can before shutting the door. Try to use them within a couple of months or they can dry out.

 

An advanced project: 5 balls on a unicycle!

By Doc Orbit, Portland, Oregon

 

An impressive calling card to leave at a place you are trying to get a job is this masterpiece of balloon sculpture - a clown on a unicycle showering five balls.

 

Because this sculpture takes longer than the common French poodle, it's not a good one for fast production. Of the more than 100 different animals I do, it's one of the 10 most difficult.

 

I use 260E white pencil balloons, available at most magic stores (inflates to 2x60 inches, E thickness). These are not easy to blow up, so start by stretching it. Then, using cheek muscles, blow a small bubble, and continue to blow the balloon up half way. It's important to only blow it up half way, because each twist of the balloon to follow pushes air to the end.

 

Tie it off at the end and you're ready to begin twisting.  First, some vocabulary:

 

1. Twist-Connect - This means to twist the bubbles together a full revolution or more. The purpose is to keep certain parts of the balloon sculpture together.

 

2. Apple Twist - Using the right index finger, poke the knot into the balloon. Then capture the knot with the left fingers. Extract the right index finger and twist the bubble several times.

 

3. Ear Twist - Form a small soft bubble, then pull and twist at the same time. This twist resembles an ear, and is good to use on animals such as cats, chipmunks and horses.

 

THE HAT - Start the sculpture by making the hat. A small apple twist is used for the top of the hat, and two ear twists form the brim.

 

THE HEAD - Use one small bubble for the head.

                      

THE COLLAR - Make two ear twists for the collar.

 

ARMS, HANDS AND JUGGLING BALLS - A total of 13 bubbles will be twisted here. Twist one for the top of the arm and a subsequent ear twist for the elbow.  Twist another bubble for the lower part of the arm and a smaller bubble for the hand.

 

To make the juggling balls, twist five bubbles of equal size (larger than the hand), twist the other hand, and twist­connect the five balls to the hands as shown on the illustration.

 

Next you will make the lower part of the other arm, by twisting a bubble, then make an ear twist for the elbow, another bubble for the upper part of the arm.

 

Then twist-connect the upper part of both arms together, and this part of the sculpture is finished.

 

THE STOMACH - Twist one large bubble for the stomach.

 

THE LEGS AND FOOT - Twist a large bubble, the same size as the stomach, then make a small bubble for the foot (this juggler has two legs, but on­ly one foot!). Then twist another large bubble for the other leg. Now, twist­connect to the stomach, and this part is finished.

 

THE UNICYCLE WHEEL - The bubble used for the wheel is the longest on the sculpture. It should be about 5 1/2-inches long, and is wrapped around. the foot, then twist-connected to the stomach.

 

THE TAIL - This small bubble is needed to hold the wheel together. Except for decoration with the pen, your sculpture is now complete!