From: Jan Lissens <jan.lissens@atek.be>
To: "'magic george'" <majikgeorge@yahoo.co.uk>,
Subject: Tractor and making balloon constructions.
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 13:38:32 +0100

Try the links below.

I posted a tractor a good while back, but couldn't find it.

I don't remember exactly how I did it. It was a fairly simple body, with a
split 321 Apple twit for the front wheels, and small geo-blossoms for the
back wheels.

The body was made out of a couple of 260s and generally consisted of a
framework structure. Actually, I find that if you want to portray something
of a technical nature (tractor, car, typewriter,...) that most of the time
an outline frame structure will do as a start. With a couple of add-ons,
you've got the basic shape, and the rest is refinement. It helps to draw a
line drawing in perspective first, with nothing but straight lines or
circles, if possible, and then just translate that line drawing into
balloons: a line is a bubble, a corner is a pinch twist, a circle is a loop,
a disk is a loop with a bubble tucked into it. Make basic shapes (squares,
triangles,...) and combine these. Just make sure that there is either a
twist or a pinch twist at every point where another balloon needs to be
attached. Curved lines are possible to a degree by either connecting a
bubble between two points that are less far apart than the length of the
bubble, or by 'thermobending' it (fold it, then squeeze? to make the balloon
keep its shape.

Once you've got the basic shape down, you can embellish and refine by using
plaiting techniques to give it a more 'solid' look. 

Hope you find any of this useful, else, like Shakespeare said, 'I have not
writ, nor no man ever loved'(balloons).

Jan aka The Trekkie Twister

http://www.balloonhq.com/twistmail/upto12Jul98/archive.6441.html
http://www.balloonhq.com/twistmail/upto12Oct1998/archive.7255.html

-