Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 19:23:14 -0400
Subject: Getting Letters in Proportion
From: Bruce Walden <walden@uplifter.com>
To: <balloondeco@balloonhq.com>

Misty wrote saying she was having problems figuring out how big her balloons
and frames should be to spell the word HOPE out of balloons.

The frames can be any size as long as the balloons are sized in proportion
to them. Usually, the bigger the letters are, the easier they are to do.
Letters that are only a couple of feet tall require very small balloons. No
matter how big or small the letters are, to create them as a garland you'll
use exactly the same number of balloons - only the size of the balloons
changes.

To get everything in proportion, it's easiest to work backwards. Draw what
you want the finished letters to look like on some old newspaper (make them
the right size and remember to use a thick font). Draw a line through the
center of each section - this will show you how big each section of frame
should be. Then measure the distance from the frame to the outside of the
letter. This will tell you how LONG the balloons need to be in that section.
It's sometimes hard for new artists to understand but it's the LENGTH of the
balloons that is important for sculpture work - not the balloons diameter.
Since it's easiest to size balloons by their diameter you can then use a
Slide-N-Size or other template device to replicate that diameter.

If you make the frame size and balloon length to match your diagram, you'll
end up with perfect letters.

HOPE this helps!

Bruce Walden
Walden Productions Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada
http://www.uplifter.com