blah blah blah, about nothing in marticular – may contain traces of aaaarrrggghh
I have long admired Sara Adams at Happy Folding as an inspirational folder and teacher.
Recently, she had a compentition (well, 5 in fact to celebrate 50k subscribers to her video channel), I entered and won – yay!
I recently received, by mail, all the way from Germany, a paper pack with some lovely papers to try
Much energetic folding will result from this gift, including a chance to try elephant hide, washi-deluxe and many more. Thank you Sara, you have made another Happyfolder 😛
Walking, as I do, through our Year 10 campus I was struck at how many display cases they have, mostly empty.
I put forward the suggestion that I was happy to fill one with origami and the idea took hold.
The cabinets are big unstructured spaces, I appropriated a clump of plinths to create levels and stages for larger works and then plopped large cool bits of bent paper on them in a sort of fashion.
Stepping back I am struck by a couple of things – (1) how amazing some of the models are (testament to the brilliance of the designers); (2) how much time that tiny collection of models represents (testament to my patience, insanity or both); and (3) I made them.
I hope the kids realize that patience and skill is developmental – passion is an energy that can be harnessed to make great beauty and paper is not “just paper”
I am old enough to remember when a folk singer named Ross Ryan released a campy song about flying horses, and given that is an ear-worm of a song and it has just turned “Year of the Horse” for Chinese New Year, I thought it was an omen on what next to fold:
This is “Pegasus” by Dong Viet Thien from my newly arrived VOG2 origami book. A lovely use of a square, with some of the largest wings of this style of model I have seen.
Much of Origami is algorithmic (algorithm = procedural solution to a problem). A rabbit ear is an algorithm, one knows how to fold it on a corner – double rabbit ear is the same solution, folded two simultaneously. Petal fold is also a standard maneuver which got me thinking of the Sato Rose algorithm.
I like this algorithm particularly because of the free-form nature of much of the folding, and the way it seems to “fit” a pentagon. I decided to use the same folding algorithm but try it with other regular polygons – I tried triangle(3), square(4), pentagon(5), hexagon(6), heptagon(7), octagon(8), nonagon(9) but gave up on the decagon(10).
The algorithm involves “nearly” bisecting each vertex to form an echo shape at the centre of the sheet – you then halve that internal echo to create a slightly offset echo and use that as the basis of a “kawasaki twist” Continue reading
Exploring my new VOG2 book, there are many lovely things to try but this model uses a method I have not been brave enough to try until now – wet folding.
The idea is to take heavy paper, too thick to fold conventionally (it would crack, split and otherwise be finger-bruisingly impossible to sculpt) and apply WATER to it before coaxing it into shape.
I used watercolour cartridge (27cm square) – a thick board-like paper that snaps when bent dry. Using a damp rag, I applied water to front and back and immediately the sheet transformed into this malleable leather-like slab. Continue reading
Flushed with the success of MC on Ricepaper, I decided to try “Double Tissue” – a fine crisp strong medium that many origamists rave over.
I found some bargain animal-print tissue whilst looking on a whim in a “Crazy Clarks” wrapping section ($1.50 for 10 sheets 50x70cm), then went to the newsagent and purchased a packet of “Hallmark” brand tissue ($2 for 3 sheets 50x70cm) – both ends of the tissue paper spectrum I guessed. Continue reading
In our previous house I had a rose garden – I planted and maintained 42 rose bushes, lovingly collected cow poo, mulched, pruned and relentlessly sprayed them to combat the Queensland climate’s unsuitability for growing them. I also was a member of the Queensland Rose Society so occasionally displayed blooms at shows and in competitions, gaining an appreciation of the ‘technical appreciation’ of a bloom’s structure, symmetry and form. Needless to say I love roses.
I have long been fascinated and frustrated by the modified Kawasaki Rose II in equal parts, it’s mathematics is mind-buggering and all the techniques I had been exploring contained so much pre-creasing that the resultant bloom is mashed and dented beyond recognition. This variation, designed by Naomiki Sato is quite the loveliest thing of this ilk on the planet at the moment in my opinion. Continue reading
It is not every day that I get a model published, less frequently (like never for me) in the British Origami Society Journal but …
Ballerina Kit, an original designed for my little friend dancing Kit made it into the June 2013 edition
What a lovely (if slightly late) birthday present indeed.
I have been agonising for ages (years in fact) as to the best way of personalising my models, so it is obvious that I folded them.
I toyed with the idea of a Japanese stamp/cartouche/character but realised pretty soon that even I had no idea what the symbols meant. I wanted something small enough to be added to a finished model, that looked like it belongs, that is something about me.
The essence of the idea is that PDub bends paper, so set about designing that, the resultant stamps (I could not decide on which one I liked the best so had both made) are lovely. They are tiny – the resultant impressions measure 12mm x 7mm, will be discrete but there enough I think.
Above is my POINTING FINGER, to give you an idea of scale
Managing ink, getting a good impression etc are all things I look forward to playing with (and look forward to the time when the blue test ink they used goes away) but I think they are terrific. I cannot wait to decide where on my existing models the “PDub seal of approval” will go.
I have, of late, been exploring different papers and decided some nice paper was in order. Needing to get out of the house for a while (unfortunately from the cool aircon to the blistering heatwave), I bussed into the city then walked to an art supplies shop in The Valley called “Oxylades” but am always on the lookout for other local suppliers – sadly there seems little demand for it here so far.
They have an interesting collection of art papers – some beautiful light weight textured papers that would be amazing to work with – most much heavier than 180GSM, most lovely but brittle art papers suitable for painting and drawing on. They have a large collection of hand-made mulberry but it is card stock and would not take folds well.
I headed to their racks of specialist papers and drooled at the Unryu tissues they stock – suck lovely things, fibres visible, thin and strong – decided on a black/grey and a lime green. I also bought a sheet of “natural fibre” paper made from banana and flax – very beautiful and lumpy but should prove interesting.
On arriving home, a parcel from The Origami Shop had been delivered and was baking on our front porch. retreating to the cooler interiors, I broke into the package to discover my VOG (paper made popular by the Vietnamese Origami Group – VOG, you see) paper had arrived.
Huge sheets (folded into quarters for transport) of textured, colourful gloriousness – cannot wait to fold that let me tell you.
I also purchased a couple more “envelopeners” – fantastic little accurate crease splitters – you fold paper then run this little gadget along the crease and the sheet is split precisely on the crease, no more scissors – yay.
Fab day, all be it hot and a long walk, but worth it. I now have a fair selection of specialist papers – you really can tell the difference when working with good paper but I still really like brown Kraft paper also to prototype/practise complex folds on as it is strong, thin and cheap as chips – I wish I could say the same for the papers I acquired today.
A tool in many origamist’s toolbox is a goopy substance called “Methyl Cellulose” (MC) – it is a chemical that is used as a size (keeps paper crisp/stiff), gelling agent (it is the stuff that makes KY Jelly so slimy – no kids, that is NOT a new aeroplane flavour) and there is even a food grade MC used in cooking (although I think only the Japanese truly like the slimy textures it produces).
I have had enormous difficulty finding this stuff – Oxylades (a local art shop) ordered some stuff, turned out to be Ethyl Cellulose which is not PH neutral and will, eventually discolour and degrade, taking whatever is coated with it.
Digging through my cupboards, as you do, I chanced upon a tub of powdered adhesive goop that we used to use to make finger paint for the kids when they were little tackers. A tiny amount dissolved in warm water makes the most delightful goopy gel-like liquid (that we used to add powdered pigment to to make the best finger paint in the world).
Educational Colours “Mix-A-Paste”, it seems, is Methyl Cellulose – we had some in the house for over 20 years and I did not realise – *Face Palm*
Origamists use it to re-stiffen paper, laminate it with other paper (double tissue is something I must now try), pose models and so on and it was not really until the last 2 models I folded that I realised the appearance of the model would be improved if it did NOT splay open – a common problem with very dense folds and domestic (non tissue-foil) papers.
Up until now, I have been creasing, then while the creases were sharp spraying the models with a clear, matt, lacquer – this at least prevents the folds from unfurling due to humidity but does little to tidy many layers and dense seams.
The last time I tried a bird similar – the Great Egret – when I say similar, the legs and neck/head were similar – very dense, lots of wrangling resulting in limp, broken joints and an un-poseable mess in the end. The model was relegated to the bin as it almost entirely failed to stand up or stay together. I suspect I could have “saved” the model with MC.
I will let it dry, see how it turns out – I dislike models that do not look after themselves – ie need assistance to stay together, I steer clear of models that are generally not possible with all but specialist papers – the foil cored tissue foil is something I have yet to use – lots of models work only if the folds you place stay folded.
I had a need, my brain was fried but I had to keep busy sooo…
I was given some lovely Yuzen squares (15cm) and, because the papers well all different, so colourful I decided to try to fold, from memory the Jackstone – unsure if my fat clumsy fingers could manage the fold so tiny.
I managed a dozen of them before the cramps and RSI flared up again. The resultant 6 pointed stars are so lovely, I threaded them on gold thread and gifted them to friends to put on their christmas tree (I do hope they like them).
When my hands settle down I might make some more – mind you it helps to have good paper.
I have been toying with the idea of membership of BOS (British Origami Society) and JOS (Japanese Origami Society) for ages now and then along came “Fathers Day”:
The kids shouted membership so now I guess it gets official.
Membership is important, I just wish I could join an Australian Society but sadly, there is none. Membership brings official magazines (JOAS Taintedan is mostly in Japanese which makes things difficult) and news from like-minded folders which is a good thing.
My next level-up as a folding geek is to attend conventions I guess – one day perhaps
I first noticed this lovely little fold nestled amongst the masterpiece that is Eric Joisel’s Musicians, and decided that i must try to work out how to make it:
Now the “purists” amongst you will recognise this as a “Concertina”, but that is splitting hairs, given a “Bandonéon” is square, this is clearly hexagonal, but I digress.
Presenting a tantalising hand-drawn crease pattern idea on his memorial website, I decided to try and work out a method for this fold.
Unlike the original, my design is based on a 32 x 20 grid, making an extra gather in the bellows section (which is not a bad thing) and a simpler join along the long seam (which, sadly, I still needed to use double-sided tape to close).
The geometry of this model is really nice – the bellows almost fold themselves when the creases are laid in – I experimented with the seam in and thought it looked better with the strappy seams out in the bellows.
fashioning handles at the end happens quite naturally if you have been neat, and folding it without any extra creases is possible if you concentrate, making the presentation fold very tidy indeed.
I have folded many of these, they are lovely and, now I have a handle on the scaling factors and geometry there is a knack to making them that is quite easy to pick up.
On the same hand-drawn crease pattern, there is another that supposedly makes a saxophone – might give that a whirl as I seem to be in a musical instrument frame of mind at the moment. very happy with this one however, and need to move on from it.
April 2, a special day that Jo and I celebrate our Wedding anniversary:
So I thought a schmaltzy, sentimental origami card was in order, so fashioned an origami “valentine” designed by Robert Lang (from “Origami Design Secrets”, a fantastic book). I had not tried this model and wondered how it was possible to sculpt both arrow and heart from the one square of paper – lovely design. I then added a pair of interlocking rings designed by Jeremy Schafer and voila.
Some shiny cardstock, a printed parchment inner with verse and greeting and it is done.
Much to celebrate, some of that celebration will be done overseas. Win Win.
