The Art Of Balloon Twisting

Thursday, January 21, 2010, 16:09

Remember stopping at a traffic signal to buy that animal shaped balloon and play with it till it the air squeezes out? Most of our childhood memories do have a page on balloon arts, but how many of us have wondered how it is made?.

Balloon twisting and balloon modelling is the shaping of a balloon to make desired shapes. Most often the art of balloon twisting is done to make shapes of animals and birds. Those who twists balloon to make various shapes are called Twisters.

Single balloon modelling and multiple balloon modelling are the two types of balloon twisting. Each style requires its own sets of talents and skills. Most of the skilled balloon twisters, depending on what to make, switch between both the styles. Some twisters experiment with the art and come up with their own new ways of creating a masterpiece. They use new techniques such as weaving and stuffing.

The primary need of the art is to inflate the balloon in such a way so that its neither over nor less inflated. Some do it with their mouths but most of the people prefer using balloon inflation pumps. Twisters generally do not use helium for inflating the balloons as helium would make the balloon fly up in the air.

The origin of the art of balloon twisting is unknown. The concept of balloon twisting was first introduced by Herman Bonnert at a magician's convention in 1939. Ever since, the art has fascinated not only children but adults too. While children are exited to see balloons shaped into various forms of birds and animals, some designers have used this art to add a different dimension to their collections.