30min

972: “Simple” Square Rose

| wonko

I bought Naomiki Sato’s first book on origami roses to satisfy an obsession with mastering his pentagonal rose (a quest that is still in progress). Recently, he has published a second book (this one in English) and I knew I had to buy it:

complete

Perhaps starting my journey in the new book with a 15cm square of red washi was possibly not the most sensible thing to do (waay smaller than suggested), however I ploughed on and much to my delight fashioned a fairly decent rendering of the simple square rose – the first rose I have folded from a square that actually looks like a rose.

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944: I Love Lamp

| wonko

Playing with geometry, it got me thinking about lampshade forms. Correct me if I am wrong but there are the sort of “hang-down” and the “stand-up” types common?

Using 15cm Kami, I began doodling, the blue square form came first – a simple corrugation on the middle half of a sheet, folded in eighths only in the middle section it curves perfectly and creates a rather regal “ruff” – imagine nice/interesting/handmade paper and diffuse light in the middle of that.

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927: It’s All About the Base

| wonko

One approach to paper folding starts with a “base” – a form with flaps and general morphology that suits an end goal.

A well-designed base is a thing of beauty, and a flexible tool.

This base, a mutated fish base has really useful properties as demonstrated by these two wildly different folds, both designed by Jose Ma Chaquet from Spain. Continue reading →

920: Koala – A Possible Travel Fold

| wonko

As I am about to embark on more world travel (see travelblog), I am on the lookout for a fold I can leave in each of the places we stay. Oddly, it is something I do, often hiding little Australiana figures in out of the way places,  to hopefully provide delightful surprises for subsequent guests:

Oddly, the very best Koala designs do not come from Australian designers at all, but from places that do not have them. This lovely design is designed by Mindaugas Cesnavicius, a talented folder from Lithuania. Continue reading →

917: Triangular Mouse

| wonko

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 →

913: (363/365) When you wish upon a Star …

| wonko

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 →

911: (361/365) Tiny Teddy

| wonko

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 →

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 →

900: (350/365) Calamari

| wonko

I stumbled across a “dollar fold” designed by Daniel Brown and decided to try it:

An interesting exercise in sinking, point isolation and layer management, this charming squid looks fresh enough to cook. 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 →

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 →

880: (330/365) Seated Mother

| wonko

So the challenge to render a more feminine figure, seated, as if tending something was on:

Using a variation of the generic judaian I managed to change the head, add knees and change the posture so sitting is suggested. Continue reading →

878: (328/365) Holy Infant

| wonko

So the next challenge was to render a babe, in swaddling clothes:

Using principles garnered from an adult fold, I sort of MacGuivered a larger-proportion head, wrapped the body and presto. Continue reading →

877: (327/365) Generic Judaian

| wonko

…now when you want to fold someone from ancient Jerusalem, the options are few and far between. I stumbled across a design, again by Max Hulme, that will, with modification, do nicely:

My generic Judaian is wrangled from a 50cm square of thick Kraft paper, and ends up being about 25cm tall all up. Continue reading →

875: (325/365) Cat in Box

| wonko

It is a well known fact, in households that own a cat, that when there is a box, your cat will, at some time, be in that box:

It has taken me a while to get around to perfecting this fold – it is designed for a larger sheet but I managed to achieve it on a 17.5cm square. Continue reading →