As I relax from the 365 challenge, I am finally getting the need to fold again:
Fractal folding is relaxing and yet challenging, Shuzo Fujimoto’s Hydrangea fractal seems to be able to be tessellated also.
In these 2 folds I experimented with different densities of repeat, discovering that accuracy matters – a fraction of a millimeter initially magnifies as the folding progresses. Continue reading
Now if we were looking for a mascot for procrastination, I think a panda is the perfect animal because, well, from all accounts, they just couldn’t give a flying f*ck:
It seems they are endangered. My guess is it is due to them losing interest in most things (except eating bamboo) including sex – a real deal breaker genetically speaking I would imagine. Continue reading
It is a little known fact that mice used to originally be triangular – the closer to a right angle triangle, the more genetically successful apparently*:
This charming model is designed by Makoto Yamaguchi, a quirky fold that I found when browsing Tanteidan 106. Continue reading
Interestingly, paper folding developed independently in most countries that made paper. In China, traditional folding included objects like this:
This is a modern interpretation of a Zhen Xian Bao – a traditional thread case. Even cursory research on teh interwebs reveals astonishing combinations of these little compartments, nested in other compartments.
This fold was designed by Paula Versnick, and has 7 separate compartments of varying size, that all lock together into a charming little book. Continue reading
People think a 365 challenge is all beer and skittles, well there was a number of things I learned this time through that might be worthy of reflection.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CfJilbZ0JQZzDvte8aF6CoEKgfTOZP97QJxIe7F-6f4/edit?usp=sharing
What follows is a lengthy rant, strap yourself in if you are game: Continue reading
I have a long and terrifying “fold me” list of models I will one day get around to – this was on it:
An excruciating fractal tessellation that eats paper like few other folds, based on spiral collapses of a dodecagon that then gets turned inside out to make the next level to collapse.
The unfold and re-collapse stages (I did 3, but theoretically could keep going getting smaller and smaller) looks like it is going to hell in a handbasket, then it sort of just sorts itself out in a magic sort of way. Continue reading
Riccardo Foschi has a magic sense of design in his models, and this cartoon rabbit is a real charmer:
As an exercise in box pleating, this model takes a 12 x 24 square grid and, via a. Are fully designed collapse teases arms, legs, tummy and detailed head while providing enough paper to model those features in a fun way. Continue reading
So when I asked for suggestions on what to fold, Janet suggested a Starfish which prompted me to try Riccardo Foschi’s model:
Made from a pentagon, a lovely little fold that has some charming qualities. Continue reading
As the year 2017 swiftly comes to an end, after seemingly being in a hurry to do so all year, it is almost time to abandon ship:
Time for one last waltz, one more visit to the buffet, perhaps a cigar on the poop deck then it is lifejackets on and over the side into the icy uncertainty of the new year. Continue reading
There are many bears out there in the origami design community, and I have folded most of them:
This is Robyn Glynn’s “Teddy”, a charming bi-color fold that looks cuddly and seems quite poseable. Continue reading
Retailers really have a nerve when you think about it. Right up to Christmas they hike up their prices. We dutiful drones pay top dollar for loot which we wrap and give away. Come “Boxing Day” prices plummet in almost obscene ways and it can get hectic as people clamber for bargains:
We went early, with a list and an idea of what we would regularly pay for the items on that list. In, bought (from the then still full shelves and racks), and out again in an hour and a half – this is the stuff of legends. Continue reading
Christmas is many things to many people. For me it is another chance to get together with family and catch up over a shared feast:
I hope that wherever you find yourself, you stay safe and look after each other, share some joy, love, hugs and laughter. Merry Christmas, ho ho ho and all that humbug. Continue reading
…and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for a mouse:
Prep for festivities is always fun. Family feast tomorrow, lots to do. I hope you and your families enjoy the prep time as much as the day itself. Continue reading
Always on the look out for a model that somehow incorporates traditional cranes (Tsuru), I stumbled across this design and knew I had to try it:
A clever pre-folding sequence caches paper that later emerges as “bird-baseable” end points you can locate at the ends of arms. Continue reading
As custodians of this planet, we do a pretty lousy job overall at looking after it. We see apex predators as threats and demonise them for acting naturally in their own domain:
In Australia, we employ shark nets which each year kill more OTHER things things than keep out sharks – time to think more about our place in this complex ecosystem. It is heartening to see activist groups like Sea Shepherds and Greenpeace actively working to change peoples perspectives but our News and media have much to learn about this – headlines are seductive but rarely paint a balanced or objective picture. Continue reading
