Just about every child loves balloon weapons! It comes as no surprise then that one of the more popular balloon twisting designs for child birthday parties and festivals is the infamous Star Wars lightsaber.
So here is my step-by-step tutorial on how to twist any Star Wars lightsaber out of balloons! Feel free to watch the YouTube tutorial or you can read through the steps below.
As a balloon artist in Charlotte, NC it was important to me to have a good lightsaber design. A couple of year ago I looked at many tutorials online and on YouTube on how to make balloon lightsabers and many of them were amazing! The problem I found though is that many of the simple designs didn’t really look enough like a lightsaber to satisfy a Star Wars fan like myself and the designs that looked good were too complicated and time consuming to do in a line work setting where you may only have a couple of minutes per balloon to crank out the numbers.
This prompted me to create a two balloon lightsaber design that looked good enough to be used at birthday parties but was also fast enough to use in line work. It was also important to me to have one design that was sturdy and also versatile enough that with only very small modifications could be used to create any Star Wars lightsaber used by any jedi. This way no matter which jedi is the child’s favorite, you’ve got it covered!
STEP 1
We will start with the blade of your sword. I like using jewel colors for the blade because I feel it adds a more authentic look. Regular colors work just fine as well though. I will be using regular for this tutorial.
Inflate one 260 all the way and let out a squeak of air to make sure the balloon is somewhat soft.
STEP 2
Determine how long you want your blade to be, pinch, and drain the air from the nozzle end. Using the second half of the balloon insures that your lightsaber blade will have a nice rounded tip. I usually let out about one third of the air. Make sure you leave enough extra length to make two pinch twists at the base. When you have done this cut off the excess.
STEP 3
Create two pinch twists at the base of your blade.
STEP 4
Inflate your second 260 part way and tie off. This will be the hilt of your sword and you will only use a little bit of this balloon. Make sure to give a squeak so that the balloon is somewhat soft.
STEP 5
Create two pinch twists that are the same size as the pinch twists used on the blade.
STEP 6
Put the two pinch twists from the hilt next to the two pinch twists from the blade and twist all four together horizontally.
STEP 7
Place your hands on either side of the pinch twists and twist them again using a vertical twist. Arrange the pinch twists in vertical position so that the colors alternate and the blade and hilt are on opposite ends of the pinch twists. This four pinch twist cluster gives strength to the blade and keeps it from being as wobbly as some on the other similar designs I have seen.
STEP 8
At this point if you are in a hurry you can determine how long you want your hilt to be and just tie it off OR you can create two pinch twists at the base of the hilt (a necessary step if making Darth Maul’s double bladed lightsaber) creating more detail to your creation! Break off the excess and tie it off and you’re done!
STEP 9
Artwork: I often times draw on a power button and a few small marks to the hilt to add a little extra detail. That’s it! That’s really all there is to it!
Kylo Ren Lightsaber Variation:
STEP 1
For Kylo Ren we are going to add one red 160 for the guard blades. Inflate the 160 part of the way and make about a four to six finger bubble. We are only going to use the first part of the balloon.
STEP 2
Twist the joint into the hilt of the lightsaber bringing the rest of the balloon out the opposite side of the hilt. Arrange the side blades so they fit snugly in between the pinch twists.
STEP 3
Create the same four to six finger bubble on the other side and tie off the balloon. Cut off the excess from both ends and you’re done!
Darth Maul Double Bladed Lightsaber Variation:
STEP 1
For Darth Maul we are going to use our original lightsaber design but make the hilt a little longer to accommodate a two handed grip. Make sure you use the two pinch twist option at the base of your hilt.
STEP 2
Made a second blade and twist it into the base using the same technique used to attach the first blade. It’s really that simple.
Disclaimer: This design is simple enough that it would not surprise me at all to find out that other balloon artists out there are already using it or variations of it but as of now I haven’t seen it anywhere else shown and explained exactly like this which is the purpose of this article.