The online Origami community is rich and supportive. Last night Kade Chan shared his publicly diagrammed “Iris Butterfly” diagrams via Fakebook and knew I had to try it:
I used a fake US dollar bill, but it is actually designed for a Hong Kong dollar (which I think is a little less long and a little wider) – the proportions of the note would change the wing shape subtly. Continue reading
The poppy has become a symbol of remembrance, reverence and honour:
A humble flower capable of thriving in the harshest of conditions, flourishing under duress with a beautiful, if short-lived ephemeral flower. Something existential to learn here for all of us. Continue reading
…yes, I know, a day late but, meh! Always on the look out for fascinating geometry, I had put this 6-part Rhombicuboctahedron, designed by David Mitchell, in my “fold this when you get a moment” pile:
6 relatively simple modules interlock to make a fascinating ball-like structure but the devil is in the details. Continue reading
I always find it remarkable that with relatively few folds, we can hint at a shape so familiar that our minds go nuts and full in the visual context:
This is Roman Diaz’s “Casa Illusione”, a faux 3D dwelling that nicely plays with light, angle, perspective and proportion.
I chose to fold it white (Casa Blanca) with a terracotta roof, and imagine it perched on some Tuscan hillside, awaiting my return after a hard day wining and dining at some cantina.
Now I am as much a fan of Game of Thrones as the next person, but I do like a good ice zombie as a baddie:
This is Nick Robinson’s “Hairy Man”, but I think it is much more demonstrative of an icy undead monster. Continue reading
I saw a photo sequence of a tessellation that was fashioned into a box and knew I had to try it:
Well, I say tessellation, but really this is just one molecule, but it is none the less beautiful. Continue reading
You know, I thought I understood Pizza, then I went to Naples, Italy, and realised I knew nothing about pizza at all:
There are moments in your life when things just make sense – that moment of clarity where the perfect combination of crushed tomato, basil and mozzarella on a thin crisp base spends 90 seconds in the wood fired oven and emerges perfect in every way. Continue reading
The traditional world of Origami has many classic folds, it is constantly amazing to me how few of them I have actually folded:
This is a traditional jumping from – well, at least one version of it. The mechanism is simple and relies on paper thickness to provide a spring on the back legs. You gently press between the back legs and as the paper flips out from under your finger, the frog hops – ingenious. Continue reading
Sometime a simple model has a charm of its own:
This tadpole is a relatively simple exercise in box pleating to isolate tail and back legs but the shaping is lovely. Continue reading
Many origami designers have tried to pack lots of details into the one sheet. I have folded Brian Chan’s One sheet Rose many times but I like the simplicity of this flower, stem and leaves:
Using some interesting box pleating and colour management make a rather nice simple flower atop a divided stem and pair of leaves. Continue reading
I am always on the lookout for interesting folded geometry:
A modular exploration, designed by David Brill is usually interesting and these Brillex cubes seem fascinating. Continue reading
As is customary on the first day of a new month, we say “white rabbits!”:
This is an old design, and I am not sure i have the shaping quite right yet. Akira Yoshizawa is credited as founding modern Origami and this is one of his designs. Continue reading
Australia does not really have a tradition of Halloween, it seems to me a cultural import that encourages the worst sort of excesses – a point I tried to explain to a small halloweenie dressed as a fairy who came knocking on my door on this day a few years back:
It did not go as well as planned, needless to say I am now labelled “the grinch” of our street and little kids scuttle past our place in costume afraid of the bad man in that house. Continue reading
…so if you found a magic lamp, rubbed it and a Genie appeared, granting you 3 wishes, what would you wish for?:
It is an interesting, vaguely existential question that is remarkably difficult to answer with any certainty. Continue reading
Go on, admit it. Ever since you saw the “Aladdin” movie you have secretly thought how cool it would be to ride on a magic carpet:
This clever model, inexpertly folded, is an exercise in colour management- had I used bi-colour paper, the rider and carpet would be different colours – pretty neat. Continue reading
