About a week ago, I got a new balloon book that really shook my world, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it for anyone else wondering if they should buy Totally WAY Cool Balloons. If you're in a hurry, here's the thought - definitely buy it, it's great!
The Longer Version Totally WAY Cool Balloons is 138 pages long, with 26 separate sculptures - some single balloon, most 2 or more balloons. The sculptures are all different from one another. The book is 8.5" x 11" in size, with a cover flap that protects the non-bound edge of the pages. There is a 10" ruler printed on cover flap, it has a good spiral binding, and jokes, patter, and commentary from the authors. And there's even more, which I'll get to in a moment.
This Book Starts Right If every balloon sculpture book was made like this one, twisting as an occupation and hobby would spread like wild fire. Why? Because if you've ever worked with most balloon books, you either fight a binding that threatens to tear out the page, or you have a binding that works against laying the book out flat. This may be the reason that balloon twisters are still a small, elite group. They've found a way to hold a balloon and read one of these bad binding books. Luckily, this isn't like most balloon books. This book has easy to turn pages that lay flat. This book is easy to work with - and good looking to boot!
Getting into this book is easy - getting out is hard, because it is so engrossing. WAY refers to the co-creators, Wally, Arleenie, and Yummy, a trio of clowns who produced this material and published a lot of it in other forms. The book is filled with jokes appropriate to each sculpture, banter between the WAY gang, and additional suggestions to make each sculpture more versatile. If you aren't a twister, the book is a fun read, with excellent, clear diagrams of sculptures that really come to life through the dialog provided. And if you are a twister?
Multi-Balloon Masterpieces Prepare to reach a new level in performance, and use all those balloons you bought but aren't sure why. Totally WAY Cool Balloons uses 260s, 160s, 6" hearts, 5" rounds, Geos, and just about anything else you might have. They show you how to put these various kinds of balloons together into wonderful creations that delight the most balloon-jaded children and adults. In other words, your wife and daughter will find these creations thrilling, so the effect on non-family will be even greater!
There are many strengths in this book, but one which appeals to me is attention to detail. At the beginning of the book, they concisely cover all the twists balloonologists use. Next they move to eyes, a subject neglected in nearly every other balloon book. You'll find 12 different eyes you can draw onto the balloon, and 5 more eye styles made from balloons. Equipped just these first seven pages, current balloon sculptures improve dramatically. Want to really shine? Learn the sculptures in the next 131 pages.
Another detail of this book is the way the authors and publisher established a clear style for each kind of content. Sculpture directions are in a black Times font, the drawings are in an easy to see blue, and the extensive commentary and jokes are in an informal blue script style. Look at the page, and you immediately know whether you have ideas, instructions, or diagram. This may be the first book created with a reader interface, and it works, beautifully.
Putting Your New Sculptures In Brochures What more could they offer? Clean, crisp, clip art in the back of the book. After choosing which sculptures to add to your twisting list, the clip art makes it easy to add a good 'picture' on promotional materials or at a web site. Learn awesome sculptures, then tell the world! Don't forget the 10 inch ruler printed on the overlay flap. When twisting a balloon, it is easy to make the bubbles too small or too large, so measuring guarantees an accurate creation. With just this book, you can make the sculptures and test the size of the bubbles for accuracy. Totally WAY Cool Balloons takes care of all the details a reader is concerned with, and then some!
The book itself sets a new standard with the flap to protect the unbound side of the pages. The spiral binding is large enough that the pages turn easily with little jamming. The covers - made from durable card stock - have color images and pictures, so that the book looks great both on a shelf and off. I can't believe that the WAY Cool folks are making any money from a book with this much quality and a cover price of just $19.95.
Offers The Best Balloons While these are all worthy points, the true focus of a balloon book is the sculptures. It is for this that we endure inferior bindings and low production values. Totally WAY Cool Balloons offers a wide selection of sculptures, all of the highest quality for detail, recognition, and delight. The book offers balloon women from a one balloon mermaid to the belle of the ball (complete with formal gown!), a wonderful astronaut with alien (a balloon stuffing machine is helpful here, but should be possible without it), seasonal sculptures, cartoonish creations, and the endearing Pick N Choose Pocket Monsters. All the sculptures come complete with patter, jokes, comments, and suggestions for variation.
I often read reviews that distinguish between 'good for line work' and not 'good for line work'. I think it's time for a third approach: good sculptures worth waiting for. Totally WAY Cool offers a good, fast sword, and the 2 balloon shamrock won't take long either. Should twisters strive to become fast food purveyors of their art? I don't think so. They should strive to make an impressive work that entertains while it is made, like those expensive restaurants where they prepare the food in front of you. This is the direction of Totally WAY Cool balloons - many twisters will produce these at breakneck speed to keep the line moving; but the best will treat these treasures with the time and love that popular art deserves. In return, the Totally WAY Cool sculpture will be more pleasing for detail and creativity for the customer. Take a chance, and choose art over speed - this book will help make the transition.
Far from a dry recitation of twists, this book immerses the reader in the vision and warm hearted nature of the WAY Cool authors. With any luck, you'll get infected, and never look at balloon sculpting in the same way again. These three convey a sense of merriment and vigor that reminds twisters of the sheer joy we first knew in balloon sculpting. My highest recommendation to you - buy this book as soon as you can, and lock yourself away for the best weekend of your life.
Mike
"Life is art if lived properly."
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