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910: (360/365) After Christmas Sales

| wonko

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 →

908: (358/365) ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas …

| wonko

…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 →

907: (357/365) Mr Origami

| wonko

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 →

906: (356/365) Top of the Food Chain

| wonko

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 →

905: (355/365) Emperor Palpatine

| wonko

I am sure you remember the good old days, when things were better. In the Star Wars Universe this meant Luke, Leia and Han battling the dark side of the force wearing cheesy costumes, in squeeky clean spaceships, among a rain of pew pew pew:

The truth is there were no “good old days”, they were just days, and at the time they seemed amazing but you know, they were just days. This is Lee Armstrong’s “Emperor Palpatine” – you know that evil prune who bar-b-qued people with lightning by channelling the dark side of the force. Continue reading →

902: (352/365) Satan

| wonko

So apparently a symbol of the festive season is a portly old beardy man in a red suit that gives presents to kids who have been nice (and not naughty):

This is Steven Casey’s “Santa”, a lovely exercise in colour change and layer management. Continue reading →

901: (351/365) Little Bird

| wonko

On my “must fold” for some time has been this design bu Hideo Komatso:

Entitled “little bird”, I folded it in black to make an obese crow. A deliciously complex fold that ends up being a 3d representation of a robin-like bird. Continue reading →

894: (344/365) Baby Harp Seal

| wonko

Sad but true, baby harp seals up until fairly recently were hunted for their pelts – the fashion industry could not get enough of them:

While seal hunting still continues today for food, oil and pelts, the clubbing of baby harp seals has largely been banned. Continue reading →

893: (343/365) Teddy

| wonko

It has been said that “you are never alone with a rubber duck” – equally true with a teddy bear I suspect:

I must experiment with the posture. designed for bi-colour paper, you cannot see the colour changes for eyes and the rest with this fold, but the arms and legs are charming, cutie ears and general body morphology is pleasing. Continue reading →

892: (342/365) Inflatable Stellated Octahedron

| wonko

I like a model that is a simple variation of the waterbomb and this is such a thing:

Pre-creasing before locking together creates the facets when the solid is inflated. Continue reading →

891: (341/365) Drop Box

| wonko

Apparently there is a lolly in Holland called “Drop” – it is most likely a salted licorice, must look that up. This box is designed to gift “drop” to friends:

When I first saw the model I was sure it was a bomb … I mean, look at it! Continue reading →

889: (339/365) Sitting Duck

| wonko

There has been a lot of talk in the media about people demonstrably doing the wrong thing, over a really long period of time. Interesting that one of the defences offered was that they were a “sitting duck” in the post-weinstein era. Regardless, a backyard should be a safe place to play:

This is Henry Pham’s “Little Duck” – a charming model I watched a video about before folding it. Continue reading →

887: (337/365) Tree Topper

| wonko

Always looking for a nice Xmas tree topper, this little angel is designed by Leonardo Pulido Martinez and was presented in one of my BOS journals:

Had accuracy (and my Spanish) been better, I would also have hands (fingers) on this little model but I started with an almost square and crease drift occurred towards the end. Continue reading →

886: (336/365) Second-Level Octospiral

| wonko

Paper fractals are fascinating self-repeating/reducing designs that are relatively new in the origami world:

This 2nd-level “Octospiral” is a model I saw in one of my last BOS journals before my membership lapsed. Designed and modified by Roman Diaz, Endre Somos and Meenakshi Mukerji, it is a delightfully dense spiral that, theoretically, could keep reducing inside itself indefinitely. Continue reading →

884: (334/365) Pegasus

| wonko

In my list of “models to try someday” was this model designed by Takashi Hojyo:

A complex management of points, this lovely rendition of a Pegasus has much to love. The wings, legs and general morphology are very pleasing to the eye but not easy to achieve as a fold. Continue reading →