The work of most balloon artists revolves around inflated dogs, giraffes and other animals. But Drake Diamond has taken his art to another level, creating everything from balloon houses to a 40-foot airplane replica. Fifteen years ago, he started TubeWorks in Calabasas, a business devoted to making balloon designs for any occasion, even events staged at Hollywood studios. His has since expanded his business to make confetti. Diamond recently spoke to reporter Jennifer Netherby about his art. “I had been in aerospace, and my wife decided she wanted to open a balloon shop. She showed me a magazine with houses made of balloons and it got me interested. “At the time, Disney had a contest at Northridge Mall to build something out of balloons for Toon Town. I built a version of Toon Town itself and won the contest. It took two to three days to make, with a crew of five. “It was exciting. We started a school to teach others to make balloon designs and then put out a how-to videotape. “Our original products were ‘sky dancers,’ these giant cloth figures that can be hoisted into the air by hand-held poles they dance around at parades and will be used at the Olympics. We put confetti in them and it shoots out. Universal Studios came to us because they saw the dancers. “The weirdest balloon creation we’ve done was a 40-foot airplane for a 65-year-old man in Malibu for his birthday. It was a replica of his plane. “We have 30 employees now. I started Confettiwerks (a division of TubeWorks) four years ago after inventing a device for Universal called the ‘Confetti Storm.’ We installed it in their Nickelodeon Theater. It shoots out a wall of confetti at the audience. At the time we were buying confetti, but we decided to start making it instead. “The busiest time of the year for confetti is New Year’s. We work 24-hours a day the month before to make enough. The confetti is made in a computerized equipment shop. We can do custom shapes. Right now, we’re making some for Disney to create the effect of falling leaves for a movie. “It takes four weeks to do custom-made confetti. We sell it by the pound. Cost ranges from $5 to $75 depending on the material. Our typical order is for 25 pounds.”