I hear entertainers say time after time, at balloon conventions, jams and other get-togethers, “I can’t even draw a straight line! I am not an artist!”
They say it so definitively! Well I can tell them how to do it, but I’ve learned I must show them how before they get the confidence to do it themselves.
Here are a few tricks that I show other balloon entertainers that makes a big difference when it comes to drawing on a balloon.
Using your trusty Sharpie©, you can add detail to any creation. If you can print each letter with the marker, you can create the different parts of the face.
Making eyes:
Simple way – make a backwards 6 ! Take at look at this six. 6 See how the circle part of the six could be the pupil of the eye? You don’t have to fill it in, but if you do, it will take on the look of drawing an eye more!
A little more involved way – Make the parentheses symbol. This can look like the outline of the eyes. If you put two circles in between the parentheses and you have eyeballs! Example: (oo)
If you use this, just draw a line over the circles that includes the parentheses and the eyes suddenly have emotions! A “V” makes it Mad. A stretched out “S” that is lying down over the o’s give it more attitude!
Making a nose:
It is just as writing an “O” or an oval. Even a “V” that you draw a line to connect the top of the “V” becomes a nose. It doesn’t always have to be a perfect circle.
Making a mouth:
Mouths have a lot more variety! You can use a simple line to denote the expressionless mouth. A simple small “o” denotes surprise. Large “O” is yelling or a yawn, depending on how you draw the eyes. A stretched out “U” can become a smile while an upside down stretched out “U” can denote sadness. Even a long curved line with a stretched out “U” connecting each end will give the impression of a happy, open mouth.