78: Lang’s Butterfly

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Although the wing-span of this model is quite large, for an A4 square-based model, the formation of the body using this paper was torturous at best.

I am very happy, as a first-fold, to get something even vaguely butterfly shaped from this complex design. Having folded it once, I think I could do it much better now I know what goes where.

Robert lang is a master, even though I think this butterfly looks more like a moth (particularly the body placement), it has 2 spikey antennae and a meaty body that seem quite natural.

I sat for 1/4 hour just trying to collapse the base, the valley and mountain folds seemed not to make sense until, when ready to hand in the towel and admit defeat it just sort of… worked. Photocopy paper is lousy as a medium for these types of models, it is just too coarse and there were many moments when bending the model that I fully expected the paper to give. Anyway, 78 down, only 287 to go….

77: Robin

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Robins and Wrens are lovely little birds, stickey-uppey tail, tiny and delicate:

Quite happy with this model, taken from “More Origami” by Robert Harbin, a book I bought years ago.

This is a fairly manageable manipulation of the bird base but the legs are so tortuously thin that I had to help it stand up with a couple of blutac blobs under the feet, soz.

76: Shamrock (Four Leafed Clover)

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The luck of the Irish be with you:

A four leafed clover I thought was appropriate for St Patrick’s Day – pity it is not green, could do with a pint of Guinness right about now, or maybe that is just a load of blarney.

This cute model is actually in 2 pieces – the clover leaf and a stand that tucks into it’s underside – I like it.

You can try to make one for yourself – all simple folds: shamrock

75: Knight In Armor

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Now Jo is researching Castles, we aim to stay in one when in England next year (for my Long Service Leave) and it occurred to me that a knight in armor was possible:I would like to pretend this was my first-fold – in truth however, it is the first SUCCESSFUL attempt after long abandoning it as a younger Origamist. I have less than fond memories of this model – it is from the book “More Origami” by Robert Harbin, a fold I never prior was able to achieve – I had given it up as “too hard”. Interestingly, when I tried it today it seemed easy – my skill level must have improved I guess.

I admire this model, a Neil Elias classic, because the arms seemingly come out of nowhere, you crimp a flat flap and suddenly you have elbows, arms and hands – neat. It is also free-standing also which is nice.

74: Carp

| wonko

I realised I have not done many fish as of yet, so this little beauty will suffice as a piscean addition to the growing collection:

It is a Carp, but has shark-like lines also – good strong pectoral fins, delicious looking dorsal fin and strong tail flukes, with a little more paper mangling I am sure I could craft a lovely wobbeygong or gummy shark. I am happy with my first fold however.

With all that is going on around us – CARPe-Deium 😛

You can have a try for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgeD2uGQqPA

73: Panzer Tank

| wonko

I was leafing through a Robert Harbin book “Introduction to Origami 4” and stumbled across a lovely little box-pleating exercise:

This tank, designed by Laurie Bisman is neat, it is 3d, has a turret, caterpillar tracks and a mobile gun – I wedged a paper shim under it to keep it upright for the photo.

I am actually amazed it worked given the 3×1 rectangle I started with was not entirely straight when I cut it. there are many junctures in the model where there are no measurements and, given pre-folding experience I would have done differently – I un-folded and re-folded the turret 4 times before I was happy with it’s dimensions for instance. Happy with the result in the end – first-fold can be like that.

72: A Load of Old Bull

| wonko

Unusually for me, I have not featured cow-like models yet. This is strange given my predilection for all things that MOO, so to redress this, I have started with the least cow-like models I have:

I am really happy with the head of this model – nice and 3d, horns, big soft nose, the ears are a little low but overall the head is a highlight – this is a particular miracle as the instructions are most unclear how to form it, so I sort of improvised.

The body is clumsy, sadly, the legs thick and stocky and the body out of proportion, nevertheless it is cow-ish and a suitable first moo.

You too can have a go at this model – see if you can improve upon it: bull

71: Oarsome Eight

| wonko

Now I have nothing but respect for rowers (and their poor exhausted parents) and this weekend is the annual “Head of the River” regatta, battling for a shiny thing, so I thought I would do a rower. Our rowers (like many Brisbane-based rowing clubs) have had a really broken season – their shed was destroyed by the floods, they were banned from the river because of water contamination. They did all sorts of non rowing exercises to keep in shape for when they were able to get back on the water, albeit in another school’s shed (many thanks go to Lourdes Hill here). Win or lose, they have already overcome enormous obstacles to even make it to the race.

In first-fold tradition I initially worked on a model by Neil Elias called “Hiawatha in a canoe” but modified the boat, the indian (gave him a cap instead of a feather and made him look like a schoolboy) and the oar. Quite happy with a “single scull”, I realised that he only has ONE oar, and that would result in him going around in circles I began bending and torturing it further.

It occurred to me that a modular (multi-part linked together model) might be possible based on this figure, as there was some symmetry and I could determine which side the oar was formed, so set about making eight. Because each was folded separately, they all have slightly different postures, I like that. On the back end, I sort of bent a “cox” but there was not much paper so he is a little wee fellow (which coxes are apparently).

I tried to work out a way of joining them into one shell – really I did. I have to admit to cheating (a little) – I used some staples to keep the model together, it is as long as my keyboard and totally unstable without being fixed, so I hope my faithful following (lol) will forgive this transgression because it is so oaresome.

70: Wild Boar

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Apparently it is “Bacon Week” – why was I not told? I find out on Thursday that it has been bacon week and all this time I could have been celebrating bacon-goodness

This is a little wild boar – I quite like the stance, the ears and the fact it also has tusks – it came from one of my Japanese origami books so do not know the designer, sorry.

I have a bunch of other pigs, more some other month.

(I made it to 70, yay me)

69: Space Shuttle

| wonko

Now I read, after the fact, that the Space Shuttle “Discovery” landed for the last time, and I gather it will not go up again.

I quite like this model, fairly simple folds but the shape relies on shaping and puckering in places to indicate lines – neat indeed.

You too can have a go: http://www.nickrobinson.info/origami/diagrams/shuttle1.htm

68: Stegosaurus

| wonko

Looking for something simple for a change, I stumbled across this little stegosaurus:There is much to like about this little fellow – plates across the back, head with enough paper (if the moder were bigger) to get eye expressions, and cutey little feet.

Built like a Sherman tank, these guys sadly had a brain the size of a walnut – I know that feeling sometimes.

You can have a go at this one also: stegosaurus

67: Bloxy

| wonko

Now to celebrate International Women’s Day, I initially decided to make a woman, and stumbled across a model known as “bloxy” because she is a box pleated block-like lego lady.

I like that she has a firm bosom, bangs and is sort of free-standing (although the centre of balance is a little off because of the weight in the head – you get that).

I am hoping my feminist friends will not see this as an objectification of women as that was not intended of this … object … well … umm … Happy(?) IWD anyway.

66: Golden Slipper Orchid

| wonko

I have grown these, but the blooms of the cultivars I am familiar with are really tiny yellow leopard spotted flowers – I misjudged the scale (seems a full square from an A4 makes quite a sizeable bloom)

A delicate, spidery flower, with a well developed nectary and some interesting folds – if I was to fold it again I have learned what does what so I think the second+ fold would be much better

You too can have a go – it is not that difficult: goldenslipperorchid

65: Vase

| wonko

Ingenious folds that create waterproof containers are interesting:

Massaging the edges to the top and finishing them off decoratively so they lock and stay together is an art, this little vase is a beauty, apart from the whole 1/3rd 1/6th thing necessary to initially pleat the structure.

I cheated, did a square in quarters and cut off one quarter on 2 sides to leave thirds – am sure there is a method to precisely fold thirds though. I could imagine this in tissue-foil with camellia blossoms – a pretty bit of geometric paper torture – see if you can follow along.Taken from a book I bought in Japan, no idea what it is called, sorry as it is all in Japanese.

64: KNL Dragon

| wonko

wow, no again I mean WOW! This little beauty is another elegant example of Robert Lang’s extreme paper torture:

I should have realised it was going to be tough when the head folding required fingernails and a magnifying glass to complete (yes, my A4 -cut square of photocopy paper was much smaller and I think thicker than recommended, but I was determined not to let the media fail this time) – such a nice looking model:

I am so impressed that I actually achieved it, patience and accuracy were important here as details emerged from places unexpected. I like that it has pleated wings (with little claspers at the top – can you see?), a horned and snappy head, twisty tail and is free-standing.

I added feet bends because I thought they looked better, getting the head posture and expression right on such a small scale was interesting to say the least.

Very happy with this as a first-fold, next time I will know what to look out for and I think I will make it with a bigger sheet as the amount of scrunching down made the neck and legs pucker a bit – ingenious nonetheless.

Have a go yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5JhIL-THGU