I reckon me & my good buddy's jack n red:-) would be up for this top post Neil

Hi folks

Thanks to all who replied. Just to let you know, I sent an email off to Qualatex a few days ago to ask about running a course. I've had an acknowledgement back, but no info yet...

(Graham - I forgot to ask you about the spitfire -argh. Maybe we'll save that one for the train to Belgium - if I'm allowed in your carriage )

--Neil

Large Sculptures I woul dnot have thought as being that easy to put a class together on as everyone who does them does them different.. Most of the time its the passion and vision for taking something! a dream, a thought, a wonder and turning it into a reality with balloons.. I find from talking to some that have done them that its about pushing yourself past your limits.. to see where you can go..

It also depends on how big you think big sculptures are - Most decent twisters can put together a motorbike, you take each part of it and create it and put it all together to get the final finish, but when it comes to big ones made for the competitions and the likes thats a different story.

Many years ago Ian Herd did a large sculpture class, but in those days decorators used round balloons and twisters used long ones and the two very rarely mixed, belive me. Roger should remember he was on it with us ( he reminded me not so long back!!)

These days some people create them with ali rod frame work and cover it in balloons ( you have to remember to make the sculpture smaller but in a proportion that makes it looks right when completed), some with ali rod and chicken wire or cling film and the balloons are either tied or glued on usually in a topiary (circular pattern) way, these days they also use 260's as the frame work and tie the rounds to them, others create the scupture with long balloons ( as in the amazing balloon manor etc)

From my humble perspective whichever way you do it, you have to have a knowledge of engineering as well as design to complete it and have an ability to look around corners ( believe me they appear as large holes at times) its the time when the principles and elements of design you get taught at the basic classes become so important to put into practise.

I have watched Paul develop an idea and ponder the hows ( no good saying whys and wherefores, they dont exist, neither does cost of creation, especially if its for a competition) - the Big wheel came from watching Drayton Manors while working there (and it rotated, with a collection of bicycle wheels as the gearing and wheelchair motors for power), the trefoil knot came from seeing a sculpture of one at magic island in Majorca, blew his brain a knot with no ends. His mazes he created on local tennis courts for our carnival started with straws on a carpet ( I have the pictures) adn turned in to 80+ sds panels, the idea is the easy part, the helicopter from an teesle ornament, the band from can you believe buying a box of 5000 black balloons with stars on at a Qualatex sale for £25 and thinking now what am I going to do with them and then seeing Chris Hornes Gazebo!! then had a go at the distortion technique he used, the list goes on... (maybe I should write a book!!LOL)

1/4 inch ali rod ( ali wire in the trade) is not expensive for one length - about £4-5 for 12 foot - If you can find a aluminium/steel company that sells it (they dont all) and it bends fairly easily, big butch wire cutters cut it, and gaffer tape joins it together. to bend it Paul has a 6" nail in an old lock plank ( a bit like a sleeper) and talks about it being just lilke metal work at school when they made a junior hacksaw!! (as a girl I was not allowed to do metalwork, so dont know for sure)

Have an idea, buy some, play, have a go, thats the big thing to do is go for it.. this industry is still young and growing and new ideas come from us all 'playing' and developing and sharing.

One word of warning - dont do it thinking about cost because you wont achieve your goal, it has to come from the desire within.

Ohh thats deep, I am off to bed now

Pam
xx

Hi Pam

Many thanks for your comprehensive reply - it is very much appreciated.

I've used 1/4 aluminium rod for a large(ish) heart, but I'd consider that to be a simple sculpture. I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying mine, at least, is simply rod bent into a heart shape, with quads of 5" balloons twisted on to it, in the same manner as if you were making a column. Not too tricky.

However, let's say (and this is genuinely hypothetical) I want to make a tea pot. The request is for it to be large (perhaps 5' high and about 6' at it's widest point). In my mind's eye, I see that this is probably three circles of aluminium. One representing the lip where the lid sits, the second being the widest part of the pot, then a third circle the same size as the first, for the base of the teapot. The handle I can weave from 260's or 350's or something like that and attach once I have the body of the teapot made. I suspect I'd do the same with the spout. Would the lid be 'framed' with something (in which case what and how) or would it be weaved?

But.... it's the mechanics and logistics of construction I'm struggling with, or if I'm even on the right track.

I need to be able to connect these three circles, somehow. Do I use lengths of aluminium rod? What's the best way to connect it at either end to the circles? I probably need to cover the whole body in something like chicken wire (but I think that would be too harsh in terms of it would pop the balloons. Is this where the cling film comes in?). I then need to cover the entire surface of the body with round balloons. If I make clusters of balloons, and these are quads, for example, how do I attach them 'flat' to the surface. But then, if I attach them flat, I'll have a 'hole' in the middle of the quad where all the necks are tied... So do I tie in single balloons? Would something like a Rouse matrix or SDS solve this?

I could go on(!), but I'm sure you get the picture. So the training I'm looking for is more engineering, techniques and thought processes.

Please though, I'm honestly not making a teapot or anything similar, so I'm not looking for 'free' answers to the questions above. It's really just a made up example to highlight the areas I personally have mental blanks with, and therefore the areas I'd like to see various interpretations of how to solve (through a training course).

I hope this makes sense?!?!

Best regards

--Neil

I would be very interested but in all honesty I probably wouldn't be able to arrange childcare!

Thats where the thought process starts for everyone making one, and then you have to answer the questions. answering your own questions and Planning are the biggest time part of building a big sculpture. Most are done as individual pieces of art and as I said most who do them do them in a different way.

Have you got David's Big Ones DVD Graham could tell you which number it is - that gives information on how he built the sculptures he did and can be very useful. (I have the videos)

When we built the big wheel it was quads on the rod - that simple!!!!just like the heart but Bigger. SDS and Rouse matrix you could say is just packing balloons in a frame, flat wall designs are just columns of square pack clusters joined together, Link-o-loon designs are just balloons tied together. I know Colin did a 260 weave - just that can be a frame as so can a 5 point 260 star, all joined together.

Its the thought process and imagination that takes the time

Paul always says you need triangles of stability when he is building his, if that means anything to you.

Personaly I think anyone would need more than one day with all the different ways and techniques available today. and think the best way would be to offer to help someone else build theres at an event, most have others helping, that way you learn their way.

Pam
xx

I see what you're saying, Pam, but my problem (in part) is that I've not been able to afford to go to Dallas or Vegas to help with building a large scale piece, so have never seen how to do it or been party to the thought and design process.

I'm off to Belgium to TMJ in November, so hopefully someone will be building something big and I can watch and learn (and help, of course). But I still think there must be a 'training' gap there - I'm sure I can't be the only one who wants to learn how to do this, but doesn't really know where to start and can't afford to get to the States or China etc for first hand experience...

I take you're point fully though. Ask 5 experienced 'deco-twisters' how to make something and you'll get 5 different answers - but I'd like to see those 5 different ways to then decided for myself which way I'd do it.

I'm not much of an engineer, and although my teapot logistics above may actually work, if someone else has gone through the pain (and cost) of trying different ways to build something, then I'd be happy to pay to learn from them the 'best' way, or at least the way that worked for them.

Don't suppose Paul's got some time on his hands soon....?

--Neil

Pam it's kinda like saying design you own versions of characters to a twister who cant/or is just getting started at least not in the beginning that is so she/he goes to C&S days buys DVD's book's & mag's ect to get started once they get started there off & running
it seems to me at this stage of the preceding there's very little info available for the big stuff so if there's enough interest it seems to me this is a good way to go/start
DENNIS

I know what your saying Dennis, but I dont have the answers I am afraid, its not my brief.. I am just trying to help and point in the right direction as I dont think anyone has ever discussed this. Most of the sculptures I am aware of have been built by someone who looked at a way to do it and developed a style themselves

Just look how the dresses have developed in the last couple of years.. Unbelievable to the first ones, and we thought they where amazing...

My Husband will tell you I am the horrible person who after you have spent hours trying to work something out says, why cant we do it this way? and is many times right!! - or when the panic sets in on the build (and belive me it does) especially for a competition just stands and inflates the balloons to the sizes she is told to.. just the same as the guys who used to help David did back in the days of the NEC, and we would stand there saying inflate the balloons, inflate the balloons... we are not worthy LOL...

Many of the people giving seminars at this years NABAS show on the Sunday have created large sculptures, maybe they will be willing to answer questions on the subject.

How about those that cant make the show (The exhibition is free on the Sunday and the jam room, you just pay if you want to go to any of the seminars) put their questions here and perhaps we can ask them for you and put the replies here too. maybe that could help?

Pam
xx

Hi to all, I think that us non scupltures are just looking for the end of the sellotape - so to speak.

Whilst I do agree with Pam I think that we need pointing in one direction.

Just an idea, what if the people who want to have a go at these scupltures agreed among oursleves, see who was interested, got some numbers together and then find someone who we could pay for the day and maybe build the teapot - at least we would know how we were supposesd to start - then after we have the basics the world is your oyster. I know the teapot is hyperthethical but we would need to build somehting so see how the bones were attached together, regardless of all the different ways at least we would have something to be getting on with and we could start to build smaller balloon scupltures and then as time went on we could start to build bigger and bigger ones but we need to start somewhere. Hopefully that passion that Pam spoke about ( and it is a passion ) will start to work its way out of us.

I for one would not know where to start and would be willing to travel mid way up the country to meet all concerned at a venue .

So anyway else looking for the end of the sellotape - ???

Rgds Debbie