Face Painting and Balloon Twisting Blog

I started learning how to twist balloon in 2008 when I attended Mooseburger Clown Arts Camp or Moose Camp. I bought my first bag or two of balloons before going to camp and watched a few videos on YouTube, but I had no idea what I was doing. When I got started, I didn’t like balloons and had so many things I wanted to learn that it wasn’t a priority.

It took me 18 months to get to a point where I felt comfortable doing balloons and felt that I knew enough balloons to be able to offer it as a service. OK, I didn’t put much effort into balloon the first year… I was taking magic and unicycle lessons and going to face painting jams. Suddenly, something shifted and I began to focus on balloons and stopped working on magic and the Unicycle. I still wanted to learn face painting, but realized it was so much easier to practice balloons (I don’t have kids to practice face painting on).

In March 2010, Balloons By Mike was created. I had been advertising balloons on my clown website, Sir Toony Van Dukes but realized I didn’t have to be dressed as a clown to do balloons. Now, 18 months later, I am booked more for balloons than for clown or face painting. I have friends who are much better at balloons, but I think I am catching up.

Each month, I host a face painting and balloon jam at the Cici’s Pizza in Chantilly. It is normally on the 2nd Monday of the month, and in
October, the official jam will be on Columbus Day, Monday, October 10th. Since Columbus Day is a Federal Holiday, I plan to start the jam early… 4:00pm.

This month, we will share ideas on designs for Halloween.

Note: The theme is more a conversation starter for the dinner period of the jam. It is not a lecture but an open opportunity to ask questions of the group or share what has worked in the past. come with your questions and ideas… Bring your ideas and an open mind for the discussion.

Arrive when you can… I will try to arrive around 4:00. The jam continues until Cici’s closes at 9:00pm. You can come as early or late as you like.

The jam is open to face painters and balloon twisters of all skill levels.

October Face Painting and Balloon Jam in Chantilly
Monday, October 10th
Jam from 4:00 – Close

CiCi’s Pizza Buffet
14392 Chantilly Crossing Lane
Chantilly, VA 20151
703-961-9100

FABA TV is the newest offering from Silly Farm. Meet some of their artists on their YouTube Interviews.

Mama Clown – Marcela Murad

Brian Wolfe Interview – with a great Grinch face…

Pam Trent Interview

Pashur

Almost every time I go to an event to do balloons or face painting, I meet someone who asks where I learned how to make balloons or do face painting. The answer is, I went to clown conventions. There are a few dedicated face painting or balloon twisting conventions, but there are more clown conventions.

You don’t need to be a clown to go to a clown convention… Most clown conventions offer a variety of workshops including magic, face painting, skits, balloon twisting, puppets, juggling, and more. They will often have competitions for face painters and balloon twisters or jam sessions. Also, they will have dealers who sell balloons, pumps, face paints, brushes, along with colorful outfits and other supplies.

So, the next time you are thinking that you need to go to a convention to expand your skills be sure to check out the clown conventions and see if they have enough workshops to meet your needs. And you never know, maybe you will discover the clown you were ment to be.

Snakes are a fun design for face painting. You can make them big or small. They can go around the face or up an arm. There are several snake videos on YouTube.

Silly Farm demonstrates a snake using the Arty Cakes.

Silly Farm also demonstrates a snake on a boy’s arm using a double loaded sponge.

Mandi shows how to make a coiled snake on the cheek.

Tag Body Art shows how to make a snake and a frog.

It is almost that time of the month again… Each month, I host a face painting and balloon jam at the Cici’s Pizza in Chantilly. It is normally on the 2nd Monday of the month, and in September, the official jam will be on Monday, September 12th.

This month, we will share ideas on making something special for the birthday child. What do you do to make the balloon of face painting design a little more special for the birthday child. Note: The theme is more a conversation starter for the dinner period of the jam. It is not a lecture but an open opportunity to ask questions of the group or share what has worked in the past. come with your questions and ideas… Bring your ideas and an open mind for the discussion.

Arrive when you can… I try to arrive aroudn 6:00 for dinner. The actual jam portion of the night begins around 7:00 and continues until Cici’s closes at 9:00pm. You can come as early or late as you like. The jam is open to face painters and balloon twisters of all skill levels.

September Face Painting and Balloon Jam in Chantilly
Monday, September 12th
Buffet from 6:00 – 7:00
Jam from 7:00 – Close

CiCi’s Pizza Buffet
14392 Chantilly Crossing Lane
Chantilly, VA 20151
703-961-9100

Looking for pictures from past jams or a place to communicate with the other local face painters and balloon twisters? Check out our group, “Chantilly Face Painting and Balloon Jam” on facebook.

Kids and parents are getting ready for the start of the new school year, but I am already a month ahead and thinking about fall festivals, Halloween, and yes, even Christmas.

I was telling a friend that with my last order of balloons from La Rock’s I picked up the 5 inch Round Dracula Head Lime Green and 5 inch Round Pirate Skull balloons for Halloween. I also mentioned that I need to go back and review my Halloween Balloons.

Believe it or not, it is not too early. Kids are already thinking about Halloween and mention it when they ask to get their faces painted. The other week, I actually had a kid ask me to paint his face to look like a Jack-o-lantern.

My suggestion is to start stocking up on Orange balloons for pumpkins, white balloons for skeletons, black balloons for spiders, brown/orange/goldenrod balloons for Turkeys, and yes, even the red/white balloons for the Santa and candycanes. It might be a good time to go back and review your holiday balloons before kids start asking for things you once remembered how to make.

The other week, I was shopping at BJ’s Wholesale Club and saw the Giant Kingpin Folding Chair. I had seen another oversized chair at a clown convention, and thought it would make a great addition to my Farmer’s Market setup. I happened to be driving my smart car at the time, so it was interesting getting it home, but it fit.

One of the local farmer’s markets sets up in an open field and all of the vendors have plenty of room. The first time I brought it to the farmer’s market, I put it in my tent and sat in the chair. At the end of the day, I realized that keeping the chair under my tent didn’t quite have the effect I was hoping for. The next week. I set it up in front of my tent and let other people sit for a while. I think it definitely caught the attention of people and helped draw people over to my tent where I had a chance to offer them a balloon.

The chair stands over five feet tall, has six drink holders, and is supposed to be able to hold two adults. It all folds up and fits in a bag about the same size as the bag for a 10×10 vendor’s tent.

It is a large item to carry around, but if it helps attract customers and increases my sales, I think it was worth it. I am not sure that I will pull it out every week (some weeks I have to leave quickly to get to another event) but think that when I do bring it that it will continue to be a big hit.

Each month, I host a face painting and balloon jam at the Cici’s Pizza in Chantilly. It is normally on the 2nd Monday of the month, and in August, the official jam will be on Monday, August 8th.

Come early and enjoy the buffet and conversation with your friends from 6:00-7:00pm. Bring your ideas and an open mind for casual discussion about topics related to face painting, balloon twisting, and events. The regular Jam will be from 7:00-9:00 pm when the restaurant closes. You can come as early or late as you like. The jam is open to face painters and balloon twisters of all skill levels. Bring your balloons and face painting supplies.

August Face Painting and Balloon Jam in Chantilly
Monday, August 8th, 2011
Buffet from 6:00 – 7:00
Jam from 7:00 – Close

CiCi’s Pizza Buffet
14392 Chantilly Crossing Lane
Chantilly, VA 20151
703-961-9100

I mentioned before, sometimes I like to see the video of a real face painter in action as seen by the parents over a professional doing a face painting demo in their own home. Here are two videos from parents taken at Universal Studios…

Boy becomes Frankenstein at Universal Studios

Boy becomes Dog