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Oh No, Not Again!

| wonko

So I have more or less committed to another 365 Origami challenge. This is not a decision I have taken lightly (unlike the last time, in 2011, where I had NO IDEA what I was getting into).

For those unfamiliar with the concept (as I see it), I will endeavour to fold a different Origami Model every day this year – 2017. As in 2011 I will ensure that the models are things I have NEVER folded before.

Some models will be simple, some less so and others far from it. Time permitting I will do a mix. Check the tags for the designer, sheet shape, base (if any) and the duration of the fold.

My nomenclature this time around is complex. I was up to novel model 550, so the current 365 series will look a little like 551 (1/365), 562 (12/365) and so on – keeping track of both numbering systems is a pain I know but…reasons. It will also seamlessly allow me to continue folding and blogging after the challenge with continuity. Remember, only models I have never folded before get a number, so from time to time there will also be un-numbered posts.

This blog posts automatically to Fakebook so friends get a headsup when the day’s model is up. I am trying to be strategic also this time around, and have a number of models in reserve, folded and ready to go for those times when it gets busy, or I am away, or whatever.

Last time, in 2011, the journey was interesting, I learned a lot and the business helped me be more productive in other areas of my life – I am hoping for similar flow-on benefits, along with a further growth in my skills.

Please feel free to leave comments. I will probably also Auction off selections of this catalogue for charity as I did last time around – we shall see.

555: (5/365) Maple Leaf Bookmark

| wonko

Naturally, I blame Canada, as any good Southparkian would:

This is Inayoshi Hidehisa’s Maple Leaf chopstick holder but I rather think it works (at this scale at least) much better as a bookmark. Continue reading →

552: (2/365) Tiny Snek

| wonko

…so apparently, like, on the internets and stuff, Tiny Sneks are a thing, right:

This is Gen Hagiwara’s cartoon snake, a cute little model with lovely googly eyes and a smile.

I made it tiny… because. Continue reading →

551: (1/365) Mummy Star

| wonko

When my sister in law went to Nepal, she found some rather charming Lokta paper, hand-made with block printed gold floral designs. She carefully transported it back with her for me to wrangle. I had a modular in mind and the orange Lokta seemed the obvious choice:

This is Miyuki Kawamura’s Mummy Star, a startlingly complicated modular in 30 pieces. The technique of folding splayed fans, then folding them back on themselves gives the appearance of “wrapping” or bandages I suppose (think Mummy Movie). Continue reading →

Orchid Shadowbox

| wonko

I love models by Robert Lang, I find I fold them when I need order, therapy, calm. This is a collection of his Orchids, described in his book “Origami Design Secrets”. Something about the mathematical elegance of this flower lends itself to careful modelling and pretty staging. I had a bunch of opalescent 6″ squares in delicate pastel colours so originally folded separate flowers and tried to attach them in a sort of free-form montage.camille

They look better on a stem, so re-thought the mounting, used florist’s wire and tape to build a plausible “spray” and (shhh) used some craft glue to affix the flowers to the ends of each stickey-outey bit.

Working to the diagonal here, with an odd number of blooms works quite nicely I think, coupled with the corrugated (I folded a fan) hand-made gold-flecked tissue the total scene is quite pleasing. Continue reading →

3D Photography Using Fyuse

| wonko

A friend (waves at Roland!) excitedly showed me a new app called Fyuse that allows you to scan objects and create  interactive 3D photos of them.

For ages I have been increasingly unhappy with flat photos of really complex origami models and this tool seems to solve that problem, so long as the lighting is ok.

Unlike panorama software where you pan scenery and it stitches a long photo into a surround-scape, with Fyuse you focus on the object, moving the camera around it.

You can change the camera angle and do other things to enhance the photo but it is pretty neat – I will definitely experiment with it more.

If viewing this page on a mobile device, tilt and the images move with you in a sort of augmented reality sort of a way – otherwise drag with your mouse pointer to view these models for all sorts of angles.

I like that you can use a flash, move the model as you pan and that it allows you to see the nooks and crannies that would otherwise not be represented in a conventional flat photo

541: Charizard – GO!

| wonko

Now I am not of the generation that grew up with Pokemon, but seem surrounded by adults that were. Fandom/enthusiasm takes many forms and the latest augmented reality game “Pokemon GO!” is so hot right now I felt I had to fold a poke-thing because…reasons541CharizardCaught

I had seen a video tutorial from Tadashi Mori on a complex model called “Charizard” so thought I would give it a go. Squaring up a large sheet of crumpled VOG paper (I used red, the critter should be orange – not sure if it matters) and began folding.541Charizard

Turns out the tutorial was in 3 parts, and the model was really challenging, but I think I managed a reasonable rendition of the critter. Continue reading →

The Gardener

| wonko

People with “green thumbs” are a treasure to behold.Gardiner

As someone with a not-quite-green, more of a dirty yellow thumb I am in awe of people who delight in growing things.

Our College gardener/groundsman John has retired, while I am as jealous as anything, I know he will have a fabulous time. Ever friendly, it has been a pleasure to share a workplace with him. The College will miss his charming style, happy greetings and zeal for gardens.

He retired on the sly, which is the right way to escape our asylum – the exit rituals can be exhausting so I understand he went on term break and retired earlier than first advertised – good on him, I will probably try to do the same.

I made this figurine for him, as a way of saying thanks. I hope i get a chance to give it to him. Enjoy retirement John, may your gardens bloom and be ever greener on the other side of working life.

540: Parliament

| wonko

Voting is something democratic societies hold as an important right. Some counties have compulsory voting, most allow citizens to choose whether they want to vote – all too often the result is the same – groups of opinionated, empty-headed people are elected to represent the views of the common people.540Parliament4

Anyone who knows me, realises I take the political piss whenever I can – voting only encouraged politicians to think they are more important than the rest of us, but they are just us, right, paid to argue (usually paid a LOT more that those of us who enjoy a good argument). 540Parliament

We organise candidates into “parties”, “alliances” and “coalitions”, pick “leaders” and rally behind them like their personalities are what really matters. All too often, in the end, we end up with the government we deserve. Continue reading →

535: Double Tsuru (1)

| wonko

Browsing the internet, as you do, I came upon a chance find of an amazing archive of pages from what is thought to be the oldest Origami book published – “Hiden Senbazuru Orikata (The Secret of One Thousand Cranes Origami)”, first published in 1797:535DoubleTsuru

Looks like i have a new project, making Tsuru (traditional Cranes) in multiples on a single (cut) sheet – looks like it is going to be a fascinating ride.535DoubleTsuruInspiration

Continue reading →

Comedy – Tragedy

| wonko

Doodling with a single uncut A3 sheet, I managed to fold something approaching both masks of the Drama “Comedy and Tragedy” thingimage

Using a Joisel-like face thing twice, I think this model has potential as it uses one piece of paper to realise the whole enchilada. Continue reading →

533: Gjerde’s Pinwheel Tessellation

| wonko

After leafing through Eric Gjerde’s “Origami Tessellations” I knew I had found the motherload of paper punishment:Tessellation6

This is the “Pinwheel” tessellation and it has a hidden beauty. I am learning that a tessellation is a regular repeating pattern, magically interlocking “molecules” that go together like tiles on a mosaic floor.

Usually based on a grid (at least initially), this one is based on a triangle grid, and features closed hexagon twists and open triangle twists that compliment each others vertices very neatly. Backlit they reveal an intense and curious but often completely different geometry. Continue reading →

Tessellations

| wonko

Folding is something I do, often to stave off boredom. When my students are working on assignments, I get large slabs of time where I need to be there but am not needed, so I bend paper relentlessly:t3

Folding grids is painstaking, but excellent discipline – accuracy is the key Continue reading →

531: Joisel’s Horse Head

| wonko

Many beauties reside in Eric Joisel’s folding legacy, most have no hints as to how he achieved them. The “Horse Head” design exists as an obscured crease pattern from his original notes:531JoiselHorseHead

A friend of this blog (Hi Jean-Baptiste!) offered his interpretation of the crease pattern and invited me to try folding it as he was having trouble with the collapse, so I thought why not. I need all the practice I can get on interpreting CPs. Continue reading →

528: Joisel’s Pangolin

| wonko

Few Origami models reach Iconic status, few have the charm and grace of Eric Joisel’s Pangolin. I thought I would have a go at this fold:528Pangolin

Based, in part, on a field of diagonal graduated pleats that are “popped” into scaley plates, shaped simply to suggest tail, head and feet, his folds have a unique life breathed into them. Continue reading →