They say practice makes perfect so Masayoshi Matsumoto, an artist who has been perfecting his craft for 10 years, should be pretty good, right? No. He's amazing. The guy creates balloon sculptures so intricate, every single one of his pieces seem to breathe with life.
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Colossal Squid
What makes Matsumoto stand out from the crowd is how insanely familiar he is with the material. "My creations are one hundred percent balloon-only," the 29-year-old told Bored Panda. "I don't use any adhesive, marker pens, or anything else."
Jewel Beetle
I like this one because it doesn't have those gugoillie creepily bumps or bubbles. I know I have that thing about seeing frog eggs still in a frog kinda of thing and I don't know the phobia word for it.
Once you know that, the limbs, spikes, and other little details elevate his pieces to another level. Majestic mammals, graceful birds, and pesky insects with their incredibly textural exoskeletons are only part of the artist's body of work. Fauna aside, Matsumoto also portrays plants and fungi, including cacti and morel mushrooms.
Horned Puffin
"A lot of my work revolves around nature because I've been fascinated with it since I was very young," Matsumoto said. The artist added that his sculptures aren't products of spontaneity; they're the offspring of careful and deliberate planning. Once he's done designing a particular piece, Matsumoto usually spends 2-5 hours blowing and twisting the balloons.
Cuckoo Wasp
White Rooster
i love how the deflated red balloon is expressed. (what do you call that on a chicken?)
Blobfish
Ermine
Assassinfly
Poodle
Horned Owl
Emperor Penguin Chick
Green Tree Python
Flamingo
Wondering how the neck balloon stays so curvy against all physical odds.
Bee (Nomia (Hoplonomia) Incerta)
Scarab
Pygmy Jerboa
American Bison
Mudskipper
Giant Isopod
Paper Nautilus
Pangolin
These little guys are on the endangered list, please help save them!
Japanese Paradise Flycatcher
Dobsonfly
Kiwi
Walrus
Diving Beetle
Camel Spider
Violin Beetle
Tufted Puffin
Weevil (Pachyrhynchus Infernalis)
My reaction exactly! He should hook up with JK and run his shop floor!
Load More Replies...These are amazing. So realistic that all the bugs are creeping me out.
Incredible art! Completely amazed at the precision. Loved em all, especially the poodle one. Kudos!
Amazingly transient... After less than a day they lose some of their shape & shininess; like delicate flowers they're just gone after a day or two, three at most. Any way to preserve them? (Except casting them in metal, like Koons' horribly tackiness I guess.)
I guess the clowns that are hired for kid's birthday parties will need to up their game.
Fabulous work! I wonder if the pieces deflate like most balloons do when left alone.
Amazing, but the balloons will probably start to deflate after a few months :(
I think it's like those sand paintings by Tibetan monks - their ephemerality is part of their beauty.
Load More Replies...I wish I could upvote these more because they are all absolutely stunning
Wow! That's amazing! Now I want to learn that skill. It must have taken hours of practice and many popped balloons to get that good.
My reaction exactly! He should hook up with JK and run his shop floor!
Load More Replies...These are amazing. So realistic that all the bugs are creeping me out.
Incredible art! Completely amazed at the precision. Loved em all, especially the poodle one. Kudos!
Amazingly transient... After less than a day they lose some of their shape & shininess; like delicate flowers they're just gone after a day or two, three at most. Any way to preserve them? (Except casting them in metal, like Koons' horribly tackiness I guess.)
I guess the clowns that are hired for kid's birthday parties will need to up their game.
Fabulous work! I wonder if the pieces deflate like most balloons do when left alone.
Amazing, but the balloons will probably start to deflate after a few months :(
I think it's like those sand paintings by Tibetan monks - their ephemerality is part of their beauty.
Load More Replies...I wish I could upvote these more because they are all absolutely stunning
Wow! That's amazing! Now I want to learn that skill. It must have taken hours of practice and many popped balloons to get that good.