Here at Party101 we are all about balloons! That is why we wanted to show you different ways in which you can make your balloons become art! Take a look at our Pinterest board with our favourite tutorials!
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Balloon animals-Making a Balloon Dog
Step 1: Inflate the balloon and leave a 3-inch tail.
Just keep blowing until the air has inflated the balloon to about three inches from the end, then stop blowing and tie off the balloon.
Step 2: Make three basic twists.
Starting at the knotted end of the balloon, make three basic twists to create a total of four balloon segments. The first segment, which includes the balloon’s knot, will form the dog’s snout. It is slightly longer than the second two segments, which will form the dog’s ears. The last segment, which will be twisted into the dog’s body, is the longest.
- Hold all of the segments in one hand to prevent them from becoming untwisted, since they have not yet been locked.
- Experiment with different segment lengths for the snout and ear segments. You can also make an extra-long snout and call your balloon animal an anteater.
Step 3: Twist the ear segments together.
Use your free hand to grasp the second and third segments, the ear segments, and twist them together three times. This lock twist will keep them from coming untwisted. Do you see the dog’s head?
Step 4: Make three more basic twists.
Make the first twist a few inches below the head to form a neck segment. Make two more twists below the neck to create two segments that are equal in length; these will be the front legs. Hold all the new segments in the same hand to prevent them from coming untwisted.
- Would you rather have a giraffe than a dog? Make the neck segment extra long; the rest of the body is exactly the same.
- You can make the leg segments long or short, but they should be the same length.
Step 5: Twist the leg segments together.
Fold the balloon at the twist between the two leg segments. Grasp the leg segments with your free hand and twist them together three times at the base of the neck. The legs and neck are now locked in place.
6. Make three more basic twists.
This time divide the remaining length of the balloon into four equal segments. The first segment is the dog’s body, the second two segments will become the back legs of the dog, and the final segment is the tail. Hold them all in one hand to prevent them from becoming untwisted.
Step 7: Twist the back legs together.
Fold the balloon at the twist between the two back leg segments. Grasp the segments and twist them three times at the base of the body segment. Take a look at your finished sculpture: it has a knotted nose, short ears, front legs and back legs and a tail that sticks straight up. Your work is complete.
And just like that, you have your very now balloon dog! Find out how to learn how to make other balloon animals here.
How to make a Balloon Arch
Step 1: Find or create a wire base.
Use wire cutters to cut a long piece of sturdy wire to the length and height you want the arch to be.
- Because wire gets flimsier the longer you cut it, this method is best used for smaller arches.
Step 2 :Anchor the arch.
Stick the ends of the arch into a bucket filled with gravel, pebbles, or sand. If you bought a pre-made arch from the store, it may already have a flat, base or platform. In this case, place something heavy, such as a brick or cinderblock on the base to weigh it down.
- Add a thin layer of colored sand or pebbles to your bucket. This will hide the plain sand or pebbles.
- Wrap bricks or cinderblocks in paper that matches your balloons. You can also paint them to match the base of your balloon arch.
Step 3: Blow up four balloons with a balloon pump
They can all be the same color, or they can be different ones. Tie the tail end of each balloon into a knot as soon as you finish blowing it up. Try to make each balloon the same size.
- Use a regular pump for this method, not a helium tank.
- You don’t have to use a balloon pump for this, but your lungs may get tired after a while.
Step 4: Tie two balloons together by the tails in a double-knot.
If you are having trouble with this, you can tie the balloons together using string instead. Repeat this step for the remaining two balloons. You should now have two balloon pairs.
Step 5: Twist the balloon pairs together to make a clover shape.
Place your first set of balloons over the second one in a cross shape. Pull the bottom two balloons upward. Pull the left one to the right, and the right one to the left. You will have something that looks like a four-leaf clover.
- Alternatively, you can tie the balloons together in a cross shape with some string.
Step 6: Tie or twist the balloons to your wire.
Pull the balloon clover against the wire. Make sure that the wire is resting against the knot in the middle of the clover. Twist the two adjacent balloons together so that they close in front of the wire.
- You can also secure the balloons to the wire with string or colorful ribbon.
Step 7: Repeat the process to make more rows.
Blow four balloons at a time. Twist them into sets, then twist the sets together to make a clover. Slide the clover onto the wire, just above the bottom row of balloons, and secure it. Keep doing this until the wire is filled.
- You can use all the same color or you can alternate colors.
- Stagger the balloons. Let the balloons in row two rest in the cracks between the balloons in row one.
And there you have it! If you want to learn how to make a different type of arch, click here.
