I apologize if this comes across as a silly question.
Whenever I try to do a Pinch Twist (Teddy/Ear Twist), all the air seems to go leaving me with a teddy or whatever I am doing with no ear.
Does anyone know why this is happening, how I can stop it or am I doing something drastically wrong?

Thanks

It's hard to know just what's causing your difficulty without seeing how you're making the pinch twist. Be certain that the twists on either end of the bubble you're pinch twisting are twisted enough times that when you do the pinch twist you aren't untwisting the previous twist and allowing air to escape. Also be consistent with the direction of your twists. If these suggestions don't help, have another balloon artist watch you make pinch twists and give you feedback.

Only unasked questions are silly. Even those of us who have been twisting for years can learn from the rest of you, and sometimes we see something that makes us ask ourselves how we could have missed figuring them out on our own.

Modine
http://www.laughsbymodine.com

Thanks for the advice, I was shown how to do it at the S&C on Wednesday but today I seem to be having problems with it.  I will not falter and keep at it however.

Chris,
Make sure the balloon is well inflated & not soft as it's the pressure of the balloon that helps to keep the pinch twist or is that a very small fold twist in place.

Graham Lee

and make sure that the corners of your fingernails aren't sharp. I've nicked the balloon enough to put a leak in my pinch twist but the twist itself kept the air from escaping from the rest of the balloon.

Quote from: "seanmcd51"and make sure that the corners of your fingernails aren't sharp. I've nicked the balloon enough to put a leak in my pinch twist but the twist itself kept the air from escaping from the rest of the balloon.

I've 'lost' a few bubbles that way too

Chris, I too had problems (no, nightmares) with pinch twists, until going to a C & S day.
Graham offered the simplest advice.
Inflate a 260, leaving, say, a 3 inch tip, and just make pinch twists, one after another. Inflate another, and just make pinch twists .....  and so on.
I am now the proud maker of 'pinch twists to go' and sleep well at nights.
It really is just practice.

Good luck, Chris. If I can, you can  

Dave