OK, trying out the Brenion DVD, which I downloaded this morning (very easy download). Mainly because I promised someone a Gruffalo, and I want a giant Bunny in the shop for Easter, and this Mask DVD seems like the obvious first Step ... I also have the Jumbo DVD (downloaded this morning as well).

This is not a review, but my attempts to gain experience in doing these techniques, and modify them to help build the Gruffalo.

Its the first DVD I have had with any sort of twisting in it. I Have to say first impressions is that he's a really good tutor, concise and simple. I like that.

Problem 1  ... So I know you should sort of start at the beginning.... But I dont have any 646q Blush. So I went for the DOG Mask as a start. This picture is the first crack at it, that sidewall is a bugger, but got it, after four or five twists (OK about 10 or 12!).  I am glad i went to Leeds Care & Share, really starting to understand that over inflation and not softening the balloon is a killer...only one part popped balloon on this build, but the pinch twists held either side, and its internal, so not visible- so didnt mess around with it much.

[attachment=0:3397vz72][/attachment]Dog Mask 1.jpg[/attachment:3397vz72]

Thinking what my next step is now. Will hopefully keep an update of progress over the next 11 days I have until April 12th to pull the Gruffalo together!! Nothing like a little pressure to hone the senses!

Any suggestions/ comments - taking into account the end goal of a Gruffalo - would be appreciated.

Cheers

Stu

Some put a bouncy ball inside to help get hold of the side wall bubble, there was a thread on here before about that. Looking good though for your first attempt.
Amanda posted a Gruffalo and I think Kevin has before as well, try the search button, you can also hit the search button for the title thread and first post which I find helps a lot.

That's brilliant about the bouncy ball Graham, just big enough to make it a good connection point.... Plus I have loads in a tub in the Newsagents downstairs Up for anything that saves time and makes it easier.

Amanda posted a Gruffalo the other day and I think Phoenix might have as well, link to Amanda's, for-gruffalo-t8505.html

Ive seen Amandas Gruffalo its excellent, but I need mine to be about 7 feet tall!

Have had such a busy week, so havent followed up on much.... D-Day for Gruffalo is this Saturday...So better pull my finger out... Worked on the Monkey and Elephant today, just to make sure I can do the masks, and then will work on a draft drawing of Gruffalo mask later!!

I used Hi-Float in all the balloons and Nitrogen, as I want them to display in the shop as long as possible. They took me about 50 minutes each, but I was messing around taking notes on amount of nitrogen going in etc. I hope to get a finished mask down to 30 minutes, am writing up notes on all masks so that I have a step by step for all of them.

The only burst I had was on the Trunk, which I lost 2 x 646.... the third one I didnt use hi-float...now I dont know if it was the hi-float, to much air, not softened enough or my tulip technique, as I dont tend to use that twist often. Will maybe go back to that sometime inthe future.

[attachment=1:1kwvs1f1][/attachment]Monkey Mask 1.jpg[/attachment:1kwvs1f1]

[attachment=0:1kwvs1f1][/attachment]Monkey and elephant.jpg[/attachment:1kwvs1f1]

I did a Jumbo Bunny yesterday, it was about 6 feet, but the 3ft bubble for the belly went down... I am going to take it apart and see if it was something in my technique that made it fail first, then reattempt.

Loving the Brenion Masks though, Plans for tomorrow:
a) get Lion on the Stairwell up to my Balloon Shop tomorrow
b) surround stairwell with green foliage.
c) Redo the Jumbo Bunny
and all the other stuff I have to do for the shop!!

Stu.

OK Lookign for a little help, please
Working on the Gruffalo head - RECAP as mentioned previously using the David Brenion Masks as a template. I will then be fitting it on one of his Jumbo Body designs.

I used the Monkey as the template, but with Chocolate Brown. Few things came to mind that needed changing (basing it on the character from the book)

a) He has a longer snout, much larger and with a thick lower jaw.
 So I brought the first upper lip 646 that David Brenion uses inwards, and used a 646 for lower jaw.
b) His orange eyes are oval and not round.
Quick links tide together top and bottom, allow me to connect from above and below - rather than side to side.
c) he has tusks at the front of his mouth
 white  321s
d) the tip of his nose is slightly awkward in shape and has a green wart!
havent looked at this yet!!

Version 1
[attachment=1:1p7r7fmg][/attachment]Gruffalo 1.jpg[/attachment:1p7r7fmg]
[attachment=0:1p7r7fmg][/attachment]Gruffalo2.jpg[/attachment:1p7r7fmg]

HELP ADVICE.....Problems
1. As yet not sure how I will work the snout in, I think the sidewall will be the first try....Or the same way he did the elephant, twisting the 646 into two bubbles. Then having a tulip twist in there.
2.the eyes are right shape, however the black pupils don't sit well as the nose bridge is now further out! Not sure how to solve this.
3. How do I connect the tusks in.... at present they are just trapped between the upper and lower 646.

Not sure about forehead yet either, I haven't put eye brows on it as yet, which will change the look of the face...he does seem to have a small cranium in the book.

Any Help or advice appreciated.

Thanks

Stuart

This is looking good Stu. For fixing where it does not seem possible, I know some people make use of double sided sticky dots.
For the nose, how about trying a soft, half inflated 5inch round, then attach a small bubble made from an end of 160 by sort of tulip twisting it (from off centre push the knot towards the knot of the 5inch round and secure with a twist and extra scrap of 160 to ensure it does not come undone)
Finally, some of the Brenion masks get you to twist off the loop over the top of the head. This would then be a good point to add small ears and the horns on the top of his head.
Hope all this makes sense and looking forward to seeing the final result.
Good luck  

This is the sort of thing I meant with the nose. A bubble in a scrap of 350 would also work instead of a 5inch round. You do get a kind of distorted look and this can be changed by pushing the air around the wart to make one side bigger or smaller. Clearly I did not have any choc brown and realise I have chosen a poor choice of colour for this pic   :oops:

Does he need a nose on the top lip? Like you have on the dog? Maybe have a twist there as well and have two twists on lower jam where teeth come up from.
Would make a more pronounced jawline rather than the smooth shape you have, trouble is there is only one way to find out.
How about making it from 260's first, then when you have a shape you like up-size, easier to work small and change idea's about maybe.
As other suggestion, add ears and horns as well.

Thanks both.... thats really helpful!! I will try the workign a smaller model first....that makes a lot of sense!!

And yes STuart do get the tulip twist, I think thats a great idea.

Stu.

Looking great I would just put a 5inch black round on top lip draw a wart in white then green you will never get the whole detailed pic like in a book but just showed daughter ( age 3) and said who is this she said gruffalo and that's as it stands at that point so great work


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Quote from: "cashmagic"Looking great I would just put a 5inch black round on top lip draw a wart in white then green you will never get the whole detailed pic like in a book but just showed daughter ( age 3) and said who is this she said gruffalo and that's as it stands at that point so great work

Thanks for that - to be honest (no offense to anyone else) it means a lot more when a 3 year old recognises it.

With regards to the Nose. I went with the other Stuarts idea of the tulip twist. I made it really soft and was able to shape it, and the upper lip 646 I twisted it right in the centre, and connected it in there. Which also resolved the nose bridge problem.

The eyes, I have taken back and instead of trapping behind the nose bridge, I have now taken between the loops between the eyes.

Sorry Graham ...couldnt get the handle on using the smaller balloons...I guess that needs practice.

The lower Jaw, I am going to keep rounded, but pull in so that it sits properly under the upper jaw. However to get the jaw set properly, I need to have it starting from back behind the eyes, which means i have to rejig the basic structure of David Brenions template, Making more conection points further back and also further in to the centre. So looking at this under structure first.

Think I will either use glue dots for the teeth (I know cheating) cause time is running out OR I will set a side wall in the lower 646 and run a 260q inside it like an inner runner, and use the gap between to run teeth up.

The heads going to sit on a 16" Chocolate Brown, and as Graham said I will sit the ears and the horns off the 350q going over the top.

Well no pictures as yet, but hoping Mark 2 (and hopefully the final version) will be done by this evening.

Thanks for all your advice and comments.

Stu.

Looking forward to seeing the final version, thanks for the update.

The final version is eagerly anticipated here too! :-)

Any pics ?


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