IBM Ring 60 held their monthly clinic this weekend. While not magic, balloon art is a popular related skill that many use to supplement their performances. JD Stewart led a group of intrepid participants through a squeaky lesson of basic twists, animals and hats. Here are some things that were explored:

• Types of balloons and how to get them
• Storage and care of balloons
• Inflating balloons with hand-held or standing pumps (and a brief lesson on inflating by mouth)
• Basic twists including the lock-twist, ear twist and pearl
• Inking sculptures
• Accessories to help such as aprons
• Presenting balloon sculpture as entertainment

There was a bit of balloon carnage all over the room when we were done and we loaded all the finished creations into Carlos’s car to take home to his daughters—where they were well received.

For those interested in further exploration here are a few resources:
How to make animal balloons on about.com – simple instructions for several classic sculptures.
balloon-animals.com – Site with Los Angeles twister featuring several YouTube videos of some interesting additions to your repertoire.
fewdoit – unusual site featuring many different sculpts, some which look pretty unique and challenging.

Overall it was a great clinic and everyone, including the teachers learned something new.