| Kids learn balloon twisting from balloon artists who | | | | restaurant entertainers or clowns. |
| use balloon twisting to entertain, they twist and tie | | | | Usually there are two primary design styles, single |
| inflated tubular balloons into cartoon like sculptures. | | | | balloon modeling, which restricts itself to the use of |
| The balloons that are used for balloon twisting are | | | | one balloon per model, and multiple balloon modeling, |
| made of extra-stretchy rubber so that they can be | | | | which uses more than one balloon. Each style has its |
| twisted, tied and stressed without bursting. A pump | | | | own set of challenges and skills, but few twisters |
| is usually used to inflate these balloons as they are | | | | who have reached an intermediate or advanced skill |
| chosen by the balloon artist because they are | | | | level limit themselves to one style or another. |
| stronger than normal balloons. | | | | Depending on the needs of the moment, they might |
| For instance, decorators of functions such as | | | | easily move between the one-balloon or multiple |
| weddings and parties may use hundreds of helium | | | | approaches, or they might even incorporate additional |
| balloons to create balloon sculptures to add interest | | | | techniques such as "weaving" and "stuffing". |
| to the event. Usually the round shape of the balloon | | | | Modeling techniques have evolved to include a range |
| restricts these to simple arches or walls, but on | | | | of very complex moves, and a highly specialized |
| occasion more ambitious "themed sculptures" are | | | | vocabulary has emerged to describe the techniques |
| attempted. It is not uncommon to use balloons as | | | | involved and their resulting creations. |
| table decorations and gifts for celebratory events. | | | | Some twisters inflate their balloons with their own |
| Table decorations normally appear with 3 or 5 | | | | lungs, and for many years this was a standard and |
| balloons on each bouquet. Ribbon is curled and added | | | | necessary part of the act. But many now use a |
| with an anchor weight to keep the balloons from | | | | pump of some sort, whether it is a hand pump, an |
| floating away. | | | | electric pump plugged in or run by a battery pack, or |
| Kids learn balloon twisting with balloon modeling | | | | a compressed gas tank containing air or nitrogen. |
| This is the shaping of special modeling balloons into | | | | Twisters do not generally fill their creations with |
| almost any given shape, often a balloon animal or | | | | helium, as these designs will not usually float anyway. |
| stick figure. People who create balloon animals and | | | | The balloons for twisting are too porous for helium |
| other twisted balloon sculptures are known as | | | | and the designs are generally too heavy for helium to |
| Twisters. Twisters commonly work as buskers, | | | | lift. |