Showing posts with label Balloon Walls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Balloon Walls. Show all posts

Monday, October 12, 2020

Part 2 Fabulous Balloon Walls - created with QuickLinks™️

Welcome to Part 2 of Fabulous Balloon Walls! In this post we are going to look at balloon walls that are made using QuickLink™️ balloons.

If you missed Part 1 of Fabulous Balloon Walls - created with Latex Round Balloons, click HERE for a direct link.



QuickLink Walls

I have found that using QuickLinks is probably one of the easiest and quickest ways to make a balloon wall.

Firstly, I want to talk about the balloons themselves:

  • QuickLinks are available in both 12” and 6” size.
  • The balloon shape makes tying very easy – tip to tip or tail to tail!
  • And of course all the colours coordinate with the entire Qualatex® range, from latex balloons to Microfoil’s to Bubble Balloons.

When QuickLinks were first launched, It took some time for me to get used to working with them. You need to think logically when assembling a QuickLink design to ensure that you construct it in the simplest way possible. QuickLink designs are typically constructed using chains with connectors that lock the chains together to form a structure.

When making a balloon wall using QuickLinks, there are two methods that are generally used:

  •  QuickLink Vertical/Horizontal Grids
  •  QuickLink X-Pattern Grids
Before we talk about these two methods, I would like to say a quick word about Balloon Design Tools. Balloon Design Tools is a fabulous program that allows balloon professionals to digitally design Arches, Columns, Organic decor and Balloon Walls. It also features other balloon related calculation tools. In this post, I will be featuring walls that I have created for clients and for classes that I designed using this tool. Not only has it saved me many hours in the designing process, it also gives me the perfect computer-based graphic that I can share with my clients for their approval... without the need to inflate any balloons!
If you are considering making a balloon wall, then I strongly recommend testing out this software. It is available on a 7-Day Free Trial. If you wish to sign up after the trial, you have an option of a monthly or annual subscription. 

The Design Tool was created by Chris Adamo, CBA, from Sydney, Australia. He has over 20 years of balloon industry experience and is as passionate about this wonderful profession as anyone could be. In recent years Chris has been asked to teach all around the world and is driven to helping the balloon industry through quality and practical educational videos and tools. The ‘Balloonpro.co Design Tool’  has transformed the way we design, plan and create balloon decor. It is a huge honour and privilege to be able to share this with the wider community.

In a future blog post, we will look at the fabulous functions available on the Balloon Tool and how it can really help you. I guarantee that you will be impressed! 

QuickLink Vertical/Horizontal Grids

This is one of my favourite techniques and I have used it many times when creating balloon walls at corporate events. The last wall that I made before we headed into lock-down was for an event in London where the theme for the party was Great Gatsby! 

Black, Chrome Gold and Chrome Silver QuickLink Balloon Wall designed and created by Sue Bowler, CBA
Black, Chrome Gold and Chrome Silver QuickLink Balloon Wall
designed and created by Sue Bowler, CBA.

www.suebowler.com
Black, Chrome Gold and Chrome Silver QuickLink Balloon Wall
designed and created by Sue Bowler.


Here is the same design that I created on the Balloon Tool. I used this to propose the design to my client and as you can see, it was approved!

Step 1: Use the QuickLink balloons to create the balloon wall frame. 

In this example, I have used 12" Onyx Black QuickLinks inflated to 9" to make the chains, and 7" Chrome Silver inflated to 5" to make the duplets that lock the wall together.

QuickLink Grid


Step 2: Fill the gaps within the grid frame with 11" (Duplets) balloons - the size of the balloons used should be in keeping with the inflated size of the QuickLink balloons. 

In this example, I have used 11" Chrome Gold and 11" Chrome Silver balloons for the fillers (duplets), these balloons were inflated to 8".

QuickLink Grid filled with Chrome Gold & Silver  11" Balloons

Step 3: Optional - you can add different types of balloons into the frame to create an alternative look; you can even create a semi-organic look by using different size balloons.

I added a whole new look to this balloon wall by adding different latex balloons, including prints and confetti-filled. I also added in some Microfoil balloons which I think you would agree really adds value to the design!

QuickLink Grid filled with a selection of latex and Microfoil balloons

I also want to share with you this fabulous wall. The original design was by Luc Bertrand, CBA, of WaW Balloons in Vichte, Belgium. Luc created this wall as part of the décor for the 100 year celebration of Pioneer Balloon Company on the Qualatex stand at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair in Germany. Luc's design uses the AeröPole System® to create the circular frame and then Luc used 6" QuickLink balloons to create the central grid system and filled with multi-coloured 5" latex balloons. 

100 Year Celebration Balloon Wall by Luc Bertrand
100 Years Celebration Balloon Wall by Luc Bertrand


I re-created Luc's design for the Pioneer Balloon Company's 100th Birthday Celebration Party in Wichita in 2017. The party theme was Black & White, and it was a great opportunity to use a fantastic selection of black & white printed balloons.This wall made the perfect photo backdrop!

Who are all these lovely people?

QuickLink X Pattern Grids

This is another great technique using QuickLinks to create fabulous wall designs. 

Here are two grids that I have designed on the Balloon Tool to show you examples of how the frame looks with and without the balloon fillers.






Here are some examples of wall designs using the X-Pattern Grid


QuickLInk 'Love' Balloon Wall by Sue Bowler
'Love' X-Grid Wall designed and created by Sue Bowler




It's a Boy! QuickLink Balloon Wall by Sue Bowler
'Welcome Baby' X-Grid Wall Designed and created by Sue Bowler

Nir and Avital Shechter, CBA's of Baloney Nir in Katzrin, Israel
Nir and Avital Shechter, CBA's of Baloney Nir in Katzrin, Israel are all about design especially when they create their fabulous balloon walls! 

Back to School Balloon Wall by Nir and Avital Shechter, CBA's of Baloney Nir in Katzrin, Israel
'Back to School' X-Grid Wall Designed by Avital and Nir  

Probably one of my favourite X-Grid Wall designs is also by the incredible duo, Avital & Nir. The fabulous colours and the different sizing of the fillers makes this design fun, exciting and oh so vibrant! 

Multi-Coloured Balloon Wal by Nir and Avital Shechter, CBA's of Baloney Nir in Katzrin, Israel

And finally, two more fantastic balloon wall designs by Nir & Avital using this very versatile X-Grid wall technique. Their attention to detail really brings their designs to life!

Back to School Balloon Wall by Nir and Avital Shechter, CBA's of Baloney Nir in Katzrin, Israel
Balloon Wall by Nir & Avital Shechter

Fabulous Coloured Balloon Wall by Nir and Avital Shechter, CBA's of Baloney Nir in Katzrin, Israel
Balloon Wall by Nir & Avital Shechter


If you have never tried making a balloon wall before, then I recommend that you start with QuickLinks! If you want to practice you can use 6" QuickLinks which means that your design will be much smaller than if you use 12". You can still make a great backdrop design using 6" QuickLink balloons, so make sure that whatever you make you use it for a photo opportunity! 

A huge thank you to Nir & Avital Shechter, Alberto Falcone and Luc Bertrand for sharing their beautiful balloon wall designs with the Very Best Balloon Blog! 

In my next blog post, we will look at balloon walls made with Microfoil™️ Balloons! 

Happy Ballooning! 


Sue
Follow me @suebowler



Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Part 1 Fabulous Balloon Walls - Created with Latex Round Balloons

There are many different ways to create walls with balloons. We can use latex rounds, QuickLinks, non-rounds and foil balloons such as Qualatex Starpoints, and others too! So, we need to determine which type of wall we want to create, or more importantly, which wall best suits our or our customers needs?

Elegant Balloon Wall and Sculptured Column by Sue Bowler

So why are we proposing a balloon wall to our clients - a client would generally never ask you for a balloon wall unless they have seen something specific on Instagram or Pinterest! It is your job to sell what a wall can do for them - sell the emotion and not the product! To give you an idea of what I mean by selling the emotion here are a few examples.

  • Suction power doesn’t sell vacuum cleaners; seeing the dirt it gathers does.
  • Ingredients don’t sell expensive face creams; the confidence they give you does.
  • And carbon footprint stats don’t sell electric cars; pride in eco-friendliness does.

Here are a few reasons why you might suggest a balloon wall to a client:

  • To create their corporate logo
  • To create a theme background
  • To create a theme entrance
  • To create a photo or stage back-drop
  • To enhance a trade show or exhibition stand

I love designing and making balloon walls, and will always propose them to a client whenever possible. I have a client that now always insists that they have a balloon wall photo backdrop at all of their events! 

There are a number of different techniques that we can use to make balloon walls using latex round balloons:

  • Duplet Square Pack
  • Alternate Size Square Garland Pack
  • Traditional 4-Balloon Garland Pack
  • Organic

Duplet Square Pack
This is one of my favourite techniques. I really like that balloon walls made with this technique have a flat, smooth surface (not bumpy like balloons), straight sides, and really good definition on straight and diagonal lines. This type of wall can be made with a double-sided pattern or with a plain back; however keep in mind it is not as robust as other wall techniques.


Here are a few examples of décor using the Duplet Square-Pack Technique.


https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bspsettingthescene1and2
Elegant Tropical Balloon Wall and Organic Garland design by Sue Bowler, CBA

Its Birthday Balloon Wall and Decor by Sue Bowler
Baby 1st Birthday Balloon Wall Backdrop
Design by Sue Bowler


Zoe Adam-Jones of Jazzer's Trading designed and made this fabulous backdrop  Duplet Square Pack Balloon Wall at the 2019 Qualatex Event in Brazil.
Zoe Adam-Jones, CBA of Jaz Trading, designed and made this
fabulous backdrop using the Duplet Square Pack Balloon technique
at the 2019 Qualatex Event in Brazil.

Watch as Chris Adamo, CBA, demonstrates the duplet square pack wall method for his mountain scene design. For more information and tips check out the great article in Balloon Images Issue 2


Alternate Size Square Pack Garland
When making balloon walls using this technique, you can guarantee that it will be robust and will always looks good! It is probably the most widely used method of precision wall. It is made by alternating clusters of four balloons in two different sizes packed on to 50lb Dacron line. This produces a square shape garland.

Alternate Clusters of four balloons in two different sizes


The garlands when built are laid side by side and interlocked, then joined together 

The difference in size between the two sets is relative to the size of balloon used.

2" - 4½" = use a ½" differential
4½" - 7½" = use a 1" differential
7½" - 11" = use a 2" differential

5cm - 11.5cm = use a 1.5cm differential
11.5cm - 19cm = 2.5cm differential
19cm - 28cm = 5cm differential

Practice to see which sizes work best for you. The garlands once built are placed side -by-side and interlocked, then connected together.

This method produces quite a smooth design with a flat surface, it allows for good diagonal lines and triangles. However, not all balloon wall types work with different patterns!

Here are some examples of balloon walls using the Alternate Size Square Garland method:

Alternate Size Balloon Wall by Sue Bowler
Chrome Silver & Gold with Black - Alternate Size Square Pack Balloon Wall
Design by Sue Bowler


Check out Chris Adamo's demonstration where he shows the alternate square pack method to create an ice cream truck photo op.


Ice-Cream Truck by Chris Adamo
Ice-Cream Truck Photo Op by Chris Adamo, CBA,
of The Balloon Crew, Sydney, Australia

Ice-Cream Truck Decor by Chris Adamo
Ice-Cream Truck by Chris Adamo


Consistent sizing of balloons is paramount with balloon walls! Some methods are not very forgiving of badly sized balloons or inconsistent  'dupleting'  of balloons. To form the duplets, we must make sure that the balloons are tied as tightly together as possible, leaving no slack latex between the knot and the inflated part of the balloon.

Everyone will pack clusters on to line at a particular tension. It is usual to have only one person pack the garlands while others inflate and tie. This is not possible on large jobs, so you will need to practice consistent sizing and packing with your crew. 


Organic Balloon Walls
It would appear that there are many different techniques used to create Organic Style Balloon Walls. I suppose this is not surprising, as there are equally many different techniques to create Organic Garlands. I personally have used two different methods, and I will share one of the techniques that I used. We will look at other methods in Part 2.



I was contacted by a brand development agency who asked me to create a balloon and flower wall for a press event in London. 

When building a wall like this, it is important to consider how stable it needs to be. The balloon themselves are not heavy, but when you load it with lots of faux flowers, the weight increases considerably. So my first consideration was how was I going to support my balloon wall?

Thinking about what would work best, I came up with the idea of using a wire grid frame. My next task was to find a grid frame that would be suitable. After a little research, I found the perfect solution!

One of the client's criteria was that the balloons needed to be pastel tones to suit the faux flowers that they were supplying for the wall. 


Organic Balloon & Flower Wall by Sue Bowler
Organic Balloon & Flower Wall by Sue Bowler

I loved making this wall and learned a great deal whilst building it. I was really happy with the end result, as was the client. This wall took around eight hours to build, including the construction time to build the panels. 

A huge thank you to Chris Adamo and Zoe Adam-Jones for sharing their knowledge and inspiration! 

In Part 2 of this Balloon Wall blog post, we will look at a fabulous collection of Balloon Walls made from QuickLinks™️.

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue
Follow me @suebowler





 

Monday, November 25, 2019

FAN-tastic Balloon Decor - Perfect for New Year's Celebrations and Elegant Black-Tie Affairs!



I don't know about you, but I am a little bit in love with gorgeous decorative paper fans! They easily add an incredible visual texture and a touch of elegance to your balloon decor.






With New Year's Eve not too far away, you might be looking for a little "FANcifal" inspiration! So, I have selected a few design ideas that you could present to your clients.


Black, Gold, and Silver New Years Eve Balloon Wall by Sue Bowler
Balloon walls are always an exciting addition to any party. They make a fabulous dramatic backdrop that can be used as entrance, stage decor, or as a superb photo opportunity! 

The balloon wall above was created with Onyx Black Qualatex® 12" QuickLink™️ balloons inflated to 9" using the Grid technique. The gaps are filled with a selection of  7" & 11" Chrome balloons, 11" plain & prints and Microfoil® balloons as shown below. The addition of the stars and the Happy New Year foils to the wall adds another level of depth and dimension.


18" "New Year Black & Gold Fans" Microfoil Balloon
20" "Glittergraphic" Silver & Gold Stars
11" "Star Patterns" Onyx Black & White with Gold print
11" Chrome Gold & Chrome Silver

Below is another balloon wall that I recently made for a client's "Great Gatsby" theme party. Using the same Grid technique, this time I used just Chrome Gold and Chrome Silver 7" & 11" balloons to fill the spaces. The end result was perfect, it looked perfectly elegant and classy! Despite the Roaring 20's vibe, this wall would work perfectly well for a New Year's Eve party!



Centrepiece design ideas can always be a little tricky. Here's one that I made recently that would work perfectly for this style of decor! 

This elegant organic style design was made using a Plexipoles base and pole. I added two beautiful paper fans that complemented the "New Year Black & Gold Fan" Microfoil balloon perfectly! 





I recently designed a new style of balloon column that I named the "Artistic Sculptured Column". Only a few days after making this design for a client I was teaching at the Qualatex Event Mexico 2019 and decided to show my design to the delegates with a few small tweaks and changes from the original design. And the extra additions of the fan's paid off, as they worked perfectly with this design! 






To give you some idea of the scale of this column, I added a photograph with me standing next to it. 




All the designs shown above are air-filled, which is beneficial during this uncertain time of helium availability!

Don't forget - you can find more inspiring ideas by visiting the Qualatex website - click on INSPIRATION and then BALLOON DECOR, use the OCCASIONS tab to select New Year.

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler













Thursday, January 11, 2018

Creative Valentine's Ideas - Part 1

Valentine's Day has a habit of creeping up on us very quickly, arriving very soon after Christmas and New Year. We don't seem to get the same lead time as we do for other key seasonal occasions. So if you have not already started your Valentine's campaign, now is the time to get started! 




This morning I thought that I would have a little play with Chris Adamo's fabulous Balloons Online Design Tool - I have added a link that will take you directly to the page. Remember to save or bookmark the link for the future!  I have designed many balloon walls, but this FREE program makes it so incredibly easy!

If you are wondering where this little gem of a program is hidden, look on the menu for the Quick Link Designer. Once you click on that, it will take you to the design page where it will open in the last model that you used. To change the model, click on ADD MODEL on the right-hand side of the page and it will open a drop-down menu where you will be able to select the type of wall that you want to design. I selected the Alternate Size Pack wall as it allows me to add greater detail to my design versus Duplet Square pack.


Alternate Size Pack Walls

I really like this style of balloon wall. It is robust, always looks good, and is probably the most widely used method of precision wall. It is made by alternating clusters of four balloons in two different sizes packed on to 50lb Dacron line. This produces a square garland (see example below).
The first and last garland in your wall starts and finishes with one size of balloon cluster. The next garland starts and finishes with the alternate size of balloon cluster. The example below shows the green balloon being the bigger of the two sizes.
Sue Bowler
Square Garlands
The difference in size between the two sets is relative to the size of balloon used.

 2" - 4½" = use a ½"differential
4½" - 7½" = use a 1" differential 
7½" - 11" = use a 2" differential

5cm - 11.5cm = use a 1.5cm differential
11.5cm - 19cm = 2.5cm differential
19cm - 28cm = 5cm differential

Practice and see which size works best for you. The garlands are laid side-by-side and interlocked when built, then joined together using the elastic band method* 

Sue Bowler
Square Garlands locked together

Accurate sizing of balloons is paramount with this style of balloon wall. When making the duplets, we must make sure that the balloons are tied as tightly together as possible, leaving no slack latex between the knot and the inflated part of the balloon.

Everyone will pack clusters on the line at a particular tension. It is typical to have only one person pack the garlands while others inflate and tie. This may not possible when working on large-scale jobs, so you will need to practice consistent sizing and packing with your crew.

This method produces quite a smooth design with a flat surface that allows for good diagonal lines and triangles. Not all balloon wall types work with different patterns!

The inspiration for this Valentine's wall was from the Qualatex® "Love You Red Ribbon" Microfoil® balloon. If you made a display using both, it would look stunning and very eye- catching - perfect for a window display! 

18" & 36" "Love You Red Ribbon" Microfoil Balloons

If you would like to have a go at making this wall, here is the design recipe. It even tells you how many balloons of each colour you will need! If you right-click on the instructions, you can save the file to your computer and open it in its original size!

Image 1 - Balloon Wall as it will look when completed.


 Image 2 - Balloon Wall in columns.




To secure the columns together, I use the paperclip and elastic band method that I was taught many years ago by Ian Herd, CBA.

This is such an important part of the wall construction. If done badly, the wall can distort and not look good. There are many people who use 260Qs to fix a wall, but for me, the elastic band and paperclip method is the best technique!




If you have never made a balloon wall before, this style of wall is a great one to start with. Don't forget, you do not need to make it huge; use 5" balloons and you will get exactly the same results, but on a smaller scale!

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing more Valentine's design ideas to help you with your campaign! Don't forget that there is a fabulous INSPIRATION area on the Qualatex website where you can view and download BALLOON BOUQUET and DECOR ideas, like the "Embellished Heart" designed by Luc Bertrand, CBA. If you are a QBN member or CBA, you are also able to log in and download the recipe sheet and a high-resolution photograph that you could use for marketing purposes.





Once again, my sincere thanks and gratitude goes out to Chris Adamo, CBA, of Balloons Online, Sydney, Australia, who continuously gives to the balloon industry and inspires many of us each day with his incredible ballooning skills! Thank you, Chris. Your gestures are truly helping so many!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue




Tuesday, November 12, 2013

A Balloon Wall backdrop perfect for Christmas!

Balloon Walls make the perfect backdrop! Great for entrance decor, window displays and as a photo opportunity at events! The great thing about balloon walls is that they can be made to any size subject to the size of balloons and inflation size that you decide to work with!


Sue Bowler
You may have already secured your Christmas decor designs with your clients, but maybe you are still looking for inspiration?










Earlier this year I attended JBAN, and taught a Christmas decor class, where I showed a number of different designs including how to create balloons walls featuring a 'Santa Face'.