Like with anything new it takes a little time before it becomes second nature, like tying a balloon for the first time... and what about creating an 'apple twist' and other balloon art techniques?
Working with the new Qualatex Quick Link balloons is for me a whole new world, different design ideas and concepts and the construction methods are again new, but great once you get the hang of it... and most importantly it's SO QUICK! So before I show you how I made my very first Quick Link Heart, in fact my very first Quick Link anything, I will share with you some of the great tips, hints and terminology that Lisa Swiger CBA (my Quick Link guru) shared with me. Lisa will be teaching a Quick Link Class at WBC along with Alberto Falcone, who you know will use these balloons in a completely new way... I think both classes will be awesome!
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?
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.
Baby 1st Birthday Balloon Wall Backdrop Design by Sue Bowler
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:
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 Photo Op by Chris Adamo, CBA, of The Balloon Crew, Sydney, Australia
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
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™️.
When I started my balloon business over 30 years ago it was considered extremely important to learn the skills to create beautiful Classic Balloon Décor. These skills really made your balloon business stand out, and set you apart from your untrained competitors!
Fantastic Circus Clowns Entrance Décor Design by Tope Abulude, CBA
What is Classic Balloon Décor?
When I think of Classic Balloon décor, I think of precision, where every balloon is sized precisely and each balloon looks identical... think of peas in a pod. Classic balloon décor refers to Columns, Garland Arches, and String of Pearl Arches. It is the foundation of balloon decorating, and can often be found at weddings, fairs, dances, grand openings, and almost anywhere balloons are used to enhance the atmosphere of an event. Just take a look at the fabulous Circus Clown entrance decor above, this is 100% Classic Balloon décor! The legs, body, and arms of each balloon uses the classic Garland technique to create these impressive structures!
To make any style of Classic Balloon décor, you first need to know the basics: duplets and clusters.
Duplet: To make a duplet, inflate and accurately size two latex balloons, and then tie the two balloons closely together, this is known as a duplet. TIP: the tighter a duplet is tied, (leaving no stretch between the two balloons) the better the end result will be when creating clusters.
Photo courtesy of Balloon Market for full step-by-step instructions click HERE
Clusters: A cluster is when we take two or more duplets and twist them together at the centre to form a cluster. Two duplets twisted together makes a 4-balloon cluster. We can also make 5-balloon and 6-balloons clusters, simply by adding additional duplets or in the case of the 5-balloon cluster, an additional single balloon to two duplets.
Photo courtesy of Balloon Market for full step-by-step instructions click HERE
Puff Ball or Balloon Topiary: A Puff Ball is made using a total of twelve balloons. This is formed by twisting six duplets together, making sure that each duplet is twisted through the centre core of the ball.
Garlands
Garlands are the building block of Classic Balloon Décor and can be used to create;
Columns - Columns can be built on a pole and base plate, or can be self-supporting if tethered to a weight and topped with a helium-filled balloon to keep it upright. Columns are great for entrances, corners of a dance floor, or any space that needs a touch of colour.
Balloon Column by Luc Bertrand, CBA of WaW Balloons in Vichte, Belgium
Swags - this style of décor can be draped from a ceiling or pillars down into a room. Balloon swags give decor a sense of motion and energy.
This amazing décor was designed by Tope Abulude, CBA of Balloon Inspirations Design Studio in Brentwood, England. The balloon Swags formed the canopy of a Circus Tent. The décor was created by a team of balloon professionals at the World Balloon Convention.
Arches - When built on a frame, a Garland easily becomes a long-lasting focal point for entrances, buffet tables, or photo backdrops.
Garland Patterns
Garlands are often referred to as Spiral Garlands, however, there are many more patterns that can be created within a Garland to create different effects.
The above Arch pattern displays a 'Fast Spiral' the means that the spiral repeats quickly. You could use four different colours for this spiral pattern
This Arch pattern displays a 'Slow Spiral' This is when you use two colours sitting side by side so that the repeat is less frequent.
This Arch pattern is known as the 'Polka Dot'. Using a printed balloon as the dot can be very effective.
This Arch is known as the 'Small Flower' pattern.
The number of different patterns that you can create in a Garland is unlimited, you simply need to experiment and play! The easiest way to do this is by using a balloon design tool such as Balloon Pro, which is what I have used to illustrate the Arch design above. This is a fantastic way for you to create design ideas for your customers without having to touch a balloon! https://balloonpro.co
TIPS:
Experiment with different colour combinations to create different patterns.
Use all-over printed latex balloons to enhance a theme or to make a bold statement.
Top columns with giant 3' latex balloons or 36" Microfoil® balloons.
Add curly 260Q latex balloons to add visual interest and movement within a design.
Use 5-balloon and 6-balloon clusters to create rounder structures.
Use the Garland technique to create many different styles of Garland Sculptures, like the Clown Arches shown above or the 'Tropical Cocktail' below! The only limitations is your creativity!
Fancy Cocktail Glass Double stuff latex colours into Diamond Clear latex to create a frosted glass effect! Designer name: Federico Onida, CBA, Balloon Express Shop - Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Tools of the Trade: The AeröPole System® was designed to help decorators easily create different styles of air-filled balloon Arches. To find out more visit www.areopolesystem.com
Here are a few more examples of designs created using Classic décor.
Christmas Tree by Cam Woody, CBA
The backdrop balloon wall was create using the Duplet Square Pack Technique. Design by Sue Bowler, CBA
This Circus Ring Sculpture was mainly created using Classic Balloon Décor techniques. Sculpture by Sue Bowler, CBA
Balloon Wall created using Alternative Size Balloon Technique Design by Sue Bowler
So many balloon companies seem to focus solely on organic balloon décor today, but for me personally, I love knowing how to create both, and being able to apply the most appropriate technique to the style of décor or event that I am decorating.
Since posting the Clown balloon wall that I taught at the Balloonland Event, Israel, January 2012, I have had many requests asking how it was made. So here is the first of 2 blogs showing 2 different wall techniques, with a little introduction to balloon walls.
Clown Balloon Wall created by delegates at Balloonland Israel January 2012
There are many different ways to create walls with balloons! We can use latex rounds, 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?
So why are we proposing a balloon wall to our clients... a client will never ask you for a wall, it is your job to sell what it can do for them... sell the emotion and not the product!
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?
Balloon wall techniques using latex round balloons:
Duplet Square Pack
Alternate Size Square Garland Pack
Traditional 4-Balloon Garland Pack
There have been a few people during my career as a Balloon Artist who have inspired me to create balloon walls, Ian Herd CBA and Bruce Walden CBA.
Bruce Walden created this Balloon Wall Mural Paper, and this proved to be very important to me when I first started to design walls, without this, it was extremely difficult to determine which type of wall best suited the design or logo that I wanted to build within the wall. Today, I have created my own 'Mural Paper' on my computer, which saves me a great deal of time when creating a design!
As there are a number of different techniques, I am going to focus on each one separately, today we are going to look at how to create a DUPLET SQUARE PACK WALL.
Duplet Square Pack Wall
Characteristics:
Flat Surface Straight Sides Good definition on straight lines & Diagonal lines Wall can be made with a double sided pattern or with a plain back. Not as robust as other wall techniques.
The Mardi Gras wall above is an example of a wall that has been made using the Duplet Square Pack technique. It features with Step-by-Step instructions in the Master Series DVD available from Qualatex distributors.
Here is another example this time with a logo built into the BAPIA logo built into the wall.
Regardless of which technique you use there are a few simple rules when making a wall:
The balloons MUST be inflated with precision, every balloon must be accurately sized!
I will only make garlands/ Columns/ walls using Dacron line and not monofilament. Dacron is strong, yet soft against the balloons, it will not stretch when under tension.
Wall Construction - How to fix the columns together.
This is such an important part of the wall construction, if done badly the wall can distort and not look good. The following technique was taught to me by Ian Herd, there are many people who use 260Q to fix a wall together, but for me the elastic band and paperclip method is the best technique!
Project
I recently designed a wall for a class that I taught at the Balloonland Event in Israel, I knew that it was a pretty complex design and a great challenge for the class!
First I needed to get my inspiration. I knew that I wanted to create a wall with a clown face. To help me with my design I found a clown face Cross Stitch pattern on the internet! This design is far too detailed for my wall, but I liked the shape and features, so I down scaled the design to work for me.
Cross Stitch Pattern
My version of the Clown Face
Here is my interpretation of the Happy Clown design featured above. Once I have created the design that I want to make on the mural paper, I now break the wall down into columns, this makes it much easier when building each of the columns.
Now I can easily see the balloons required for each of the columns! Looking at the columns above you can see 18 columns, each column has 44 duplets - 88 balloons per column! This whole wall uses1584 balloons!
Black - 1086 Orange - 114 Blush - 189 Yellow - 22 Lime - 48 Rose - 8 Robin's Egg Blue - 40 Purple Violet - 8 Blue - 8 White - 44 Red - 17
If you count the balloons that you can see, you will only count 792 balloons, this is because every balloon you see has one behind it! To make this wall easier, we used Black balloons as the back balloon.
This picture shows balloons being counted out to make the columns.
This shows how important it is to 'read' the pattern as you go!
This shows the columns being linked together with the elastic bands and paper clips
The Clown wall that we made was not perfect, it was a group exercise with 20 people working on it. When you work on your walls, I recommend that if possible only 1 person packs the balloons on to the Dacron line, everyone has their own tension, varying tensions will effect the overall look of the finished wall...
Example of Technique
Here is a small project that I have put together to help explain the technique with a short DVD. You might find it useful if you right click on the design and print it off whilst you watch the DVD so that you can follow the pattern as I make it, I think that you may find it easier to understand it a little easier.
I hope that you have found this blog useful? There are many different walls to create walls and other techniques for creating a Duplet Square Pack wall. I always recommend that you use the technique that suits you best.
Start with a simple project to learn and perfect the technique before you embark on a large scale project for a customer.
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!
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'.
I love balloon walls and the fantastic impact that they create! A balloon wall can be used in many ways; as a backdrop for an entrance or stage, they are also great for photo opportunities, everyone will love to have their pictures taken standing in front of it! Balloon walls and Qualatex Quick Link Balloons® are the perfect combination making them easier and faster to build!
I would have to say that the new Qualatex Dazzling Snowflakes Holographic Microfoil® balloon has to be one of my favourite winter balloons this year!
Dazzling Snowflakes #20263/ #20260
I'm not sure if it's the 6-Point Star shape, the design, the Holographic effect or all of it, but they are such an elegant balloon that is perfect for all winter events! I am very excited to be decorating a corporate Christmas party this year and the Snowflake balloons will be a huge part of the decor, I will be using them for the centrepieces and a feature arch! I will share the end result after the event, but I am sure that it will look amazing! This balloon shape is also perfect for connecting together, allowing us to create stunning air-filled mobiles, which I think are perfect for venues with higher ceilings and good fixing points. Once positioned they will gently move around, and the Holographic elements will sparkle in the light!
'Love Stack' - A great design for Valentines Created by Sue Bowler CBA
Here is my newest design idea for Valentines Day, I have named it 'Love Stack' (designs are easier to sell when you name them). The name Love Stack is a play on that very famous song 'Love Shack' (baby love shack) by the B52's - you'll be humming that all day now...
It uses Qualatex Geo Blossoms in a different way (which I know some of you do this already), but this is my first time for a while and I have enjoyed re-visiting this technique!
So for those of you who have not used the inside-out method here's how simple it is!
As contribution to my recent series of posts on Balloon Walls, Chris Adamo has very kindly offered his thoughts, tips and advice.
Chris Adamo, CBA Balloons Online Balloonpro.co The Balloon Crew, Sydney, Australia
"Balloon walls are as diverse as the balloon industry itself! Whether self-supporting, rigged or floating, we as professional balloon decorators have a huge range of products, techniques, tones and textures to choose from.
If you look at it from your customers perspective, I can guarantee that they do not know of this malleable product type, or that we can offer a huge range of styles versus the one's that they have seen before.
It is up to us to suggest the most appropriate wall style based on the variables, and it is our responsibility to establish what those variables are. Customer service is just that: serving your customers. Selling product is not service, take the time to ask questions and understand everything about your customer's event, then you can suggest the right product.
Some questions are:
Indoors
Helium is possible
Rigged is possible
Outdoors
Most probably framed
Longevity will be an issue
Wind / sunlight / rain?
Size / Purpose / Budget
Low budget or large size = hollow quick link wall?
High budget / premium finish = foils or organic
Theme / Message
This is the fun part! If creating a logo or colour theme, we need to think of what construction method will offer the most useful lines or texture to best emulate that design.
Vertical & horizontal lines = QuickLinks or alternate size pack
Diagonal lines = duplet square pack
No lines OR abstract colour = organic
Pro tips:
Balloon walls can be BOTH beautiful décor AND functional, perhaps your client wants to block a door / view / room partition? Perhaps the wall can help direct the flow of thoroughfare? Solving problems with décor is a win win = your customer can justify a better allocation of budget.
Don’t forget the golden ratio (1:1.6 or simplified to 2:3), when designing a wall to fit a specific space, your wall will sit with more of a natural disposition using 1/3 white space and 2/3 wall.
Now we have decided on the style of wall (construction method) and size we need to create a design. Designing your wall at this stage gives you the benefit of formulating an accurate quote, and it gives you a sketch or digital render to help converting your sale.
The online design tool at www.balloonpro.co was created to help streamline this very problem. One can create multiple designs in minutes with a colour matched digital render using Qualatex balloon colour swatches, a stock order list and a production break down."
If the online design tool is new to you, and you would like to know a little more, I recommend that you check out the short video below to see many of the different design functions available.
Chris shares one of his fun wall builds. Here is a bit of behind the scenes from the design and construction of his "Avengers" - Alternate Size Pack balloon wall.
Avengers Balloon Wall by Chris Adamo
In preparation for Christmas, Chris has shared two fabulous design templates that he created on Balloonpro - Balloon Design Tool, you are very welcome to use these.
Santa Face Balloon Wall Mural using QuickLink X-Pattern technique
Christmas Tree Balloon Wall Mural using Duplet Square Pack technique
I am a regular user of Balloon Design Tools! I love how I can work on my designs on my laptop, create a few different options and then send them over to my clients for approval... without even touching a balloon!
You can try out this fabulous tool for 7 days for free. After that, you can sign up with either a monthly (cancel anytime) or annual subscription. Plus, there are many other fabulous free resources as part of your membership!
If you missed my earlier Balloon Wall Posts, simply click on the links below:
Once again, a huge thank you to Chris, who has to be one of the most sharing people in the balloon world! I know I truly appreciate everything that he does for our ballooning community!
