I am writing because I am first timer. I have never twisted at all in my life. Allot of place where I perform always ask me if I will make balloon animals. I always say no I never really go into them. So what is a good DVD to start out with to learn? Is there any good place to start getting supplies from? I really want to learn doing this. Can any one help me out....?

Mike

I think it comes down to what you want to learn, for instance if you want to start with single balloon creations there are options like balloon magic made easy (around $10) or Entertaining With Balloon Sculpting ($15- $20). However I believe that everyone should strive for greatness and why be just a "regular balloon twister". I suggest getting Bad to the balloon ($25) with your first DVDs as well. Mark is a great guy and gives a lot of information for free on this forum.

One of my first DVDs was Mad Hats 1 by Don Caldwell and this is what got me hooked as I saw him doing things that I didn't think were possible.

Balloons can be purchased from almost any magic or party store to begin with. As you get more into them you can then start buying by the colour and hundreds of dollars worth at a time like a lot of us.

Mike,
some very good advice from Ryan. I am going to warn you and don't say I didn't tell you so .... I was in this very position about a year ago, A client called and wanted a Magic show with Balloons, I didn't do Balloons However he was very persistent... He wanted Balloons, So I learned a few simple Balloons and after that show I learned a few More balloons and a few more and a few more and a few more.... you get the point. Balloons are GREAT they are very addictive and you will find yourself wanting to learn more and more, I can now offer Just a Balloon show or as an added bonus Balloons to my Magic show. I buy my Balloons at http://www.larocks.com they are great there and shipping is reasonable, If you do a quick search there are some great videos online, Don Caldwell has some on his site to get you started learning while you are waiting for your videos to come in the mail. Also before buying my stock from larocks I was buying Practice Balloons from Party City. You can also buy a cheap Hand Pump from party city to get you started
Bob

Great thanks everyone. I really appreciate all your help.
Mike

Be careful buying your pump from Party City or any other party supply store the pump is weak and does not hold up. I had one and at one of my jobs it broke I do mouth inflate so no big deal. Go to T Myers.com for great deals on balloons.

That also brings up the point that you should always have multiple pumps with you. For larger gigs I am starting to use the majiloon. However I also have a stand up pump in the car in case something happens. If that fails I have the standard hand held as well.

I recommend The Balloon Merchant: http://www.balloonmerchant.com/

As for learning, one of the best FREE sources is YouTube. Just search for balloon twisting.

Hope that helps you get started. You won't regret it. That's the same way I got started. I love it.

Metatron

I broke 3 pumps from party city and walmart in 2 days. They're super cheap, and you can afford to break them. But eventually you're going to want a real pump.