Wha hoppen?

My, that certainly was a long two weeks, wasn't it?

I apologize to my faithful readers, um, reader (you know who you are). Basically, my life went kind of kerflooie this summer and I found that I no longer had the time or equipment to devote to this blog. Sorry about that.

Well, things have cleared up some, and Boston Origami will make its triumphant return soon. I won't be sticking to the old weekly schedule, however. Instead, I'll have updates whenever I have something interesting I want to show -- I'm guessing once every 2 or 3 weeks.

So thanks to everyone who continues to read. I hope you enjoy these upcoming posts.

Pardon the interruption...

My apologies, but Boston Origami is going on a 2-week hiatus. Due to unforseen weddings and holidays (okay, they were foreseen weddings and holidays... I just didn't plan well) my queue of origami pictures is empty. This blog will return on May 4 with something special.

The secret of the small dish

So what exactly is this "secret" we made reference to last week? Look and see, gentle viewer, and all will be revealed...


Here we see the "small dish" from last week, as well as a mirror-image version. (Why a mirror-image version? That's part of the secret, folks.)


Here we see the same two dishes, each with three "flaps" extended. The flaps are normally inserted into the base of the bowl as part of the locking mechanism. However, they can be extended...


...and combined! We are now privy to the secret: the small dish can be combined with it's mirror-image counterpart to create this geometric figure, known as a regular icosahedron. (A regular icosahedron is a solid figure that consists of 20 identical triangles. Geeks like me will also recognize it as a d20.) Such shapes have been studied by mathematicians for thousands of years, and are favorite subjects for unit origami designers.

The icosahedron was constructed from 12 sheets of 5-7/8" square origami paper and stands roughly 5" tall. It was designed by Tomoko Fuse; a folding pattern for it may be found in her book Unit Origami. (Just like last week, huh?)

Rice bowls

Here we have a pair of rice bowls. These bowls are examples of "modular" or "unit origami", a style of origami in which many identical units are created and locked together via folding alone to create the final model. Two different (but similar) kinds of units were used in the creation of these bowls; each bowl consists of 3 of the first kind and 3 of the second kind.

Astute viewers may notice that the bowls are similar in pattern. They are actually from the same pattern; slight changes in the shaping folds of the units account for the difference in shape. The bowl on the left is clearly triangular. The bowl on the right is referred to by its designer as a "small dish" and has special properties. What are these properties? They will be revealed in next week's post.

Notice the interior spiral pattern of the bowls.


Each rice bowl was created from 6 sheets of 5-7/8" square origami paper. Each is approximately 2-1/2" deep and 5" to 5-1/4" wide. The bowls were designed by Tomoko Fuse. The folding pattern for both may be found in her book Unit Origami.

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

And now, the classic Star Trek episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield", re-created with paper cranes.





*sniff* So sad.

The Kirk and Spock cranes are traditional models folded from 4-1/2" squares of standard origami paper. The Lokai and Bele cranes are variations of the traditional model, folded from 5-7/8" squares. (The variation "shrinks" the paper somewhat, making them roughly equivalent to a 4-1/8" square.) The cranes measure 3-1/8" to 3-3/4" from beak to tail, owing to variations in pose as well as paper size. Folding sequences for the traditional model may be found pretty much anywhere; a good folding sequence for the variation may be found at Origami Club under the heading "traditional".

Photography courtest of Danielle Osterweil.

Chickens

Ah, what have we here? Some sort of moonlight tryst?


These chickens are based on a very fun and simple model by Kunihiko Kasahara. Easy enough for beginners, but elegant and evocative.

Which one is the rooster? Which one is the hen? Can you tell? One of the joys of origami is in making subtle adjustments to the pattern. In this case, slight variations in the shaping of the back, tail, and underside create subtle differences in the completed model. Learning these adjustments and variantions is the first step towards origami design.

And now... cyborg rooster.*


"I'm looking for Sarah Connor."

"Ain't nobody here but us chickens!"

The rooster and hen were made from standard 5-7/8" red origami paper. The cyborg was made from 5-7/8" square gold and red foil paper. Each stands about 2-5/8" tall and is roughly 4-1/4" long (minus tail, in the cyborg's case). Folding patterns for a basic hen and rooster can be found in Kasahara's Origami Omnibus.

* Please, no "Robot Chicken" jokes.

Two cranes in flight

Today we have two cranes in flight, modeled here by the amazing Alex and Jason.

The orange crane on the left is a clever model from the "technical school", based on John Montroll's "five-sided square". (Best name ever.) It is essentially a five-limbed version of the traditional flapping bird, with some extra shaping and detailing. And yes, it flaps.

The purple crane on the right is belongs to the more "traditional school", and is incredibly elegant and fun to fold. Whereas the orange crane has two distinct, defined legs, the purple crane has a single rear flap, folded in such a way to suggest the existence of two separate legs. I find this very clever and aesthetically pleasing.

The orange crane was folded from a 9-3/4" square of standard origami paper. It measures 5-5/8" from beak to foot. The model was designed by Robert J. Lang, and folding instructions may be found in his book Origami in Action. The purple crane was folded from a 5-7/8" square of standard origami paper and measures 5" from beak to foot. This crane was designed by Kunihiko Kasahara, and folding instructions may be found in his book Origami Omnibus.

Pteranodon

It's a lovely day in the Mesozoic Era. The sun is shining... it's a beautiful day... and then all of a sudden... pterodactyl attack!


Caw!

This Pteranodon, photographed soaring above the coniferous forests of the late Cretaceous Period, is actually a sophisticated adaptation of the traditional flapping bird model, as featured in last week's post. The wings of the traditional model are reshaped; the tail and head are split into feet, beak, and crest, and voila! Although the modifications might seem severe, they don't alter the underlying structure of the model. Thus, the flapping action is preserved; tugging the beastie's feet produces a terrific prehistoric flap.


This model was designed by Robert J. Lang and folded from a 7" square of standard origami paper. It measures 3-1/4" from snout to rump, with a 5-3/8" wingspan. Folding instructions may be found in Lang's excellent book Origami Design Secrets.

Flapping birds

Flap. Flap. Flap.

Today's post features three bird models that flap when you tug on them. Specifically, it features photos of these birds. I suppose it would have made more sense to take videos of them flapping, but hey.

The topmost bird is a traditional model based on the bird base. The bird on the left is a modern creation by Samuel Randlett, based on the waterbomb base. It has a much smoother action than the traditional model. The bird on the right is a variation of Randlett's bird by Paul Jackson.

The traditional bird has a property known as one-sidedness. In layman's terms, the entire outside of the model is derived from only one side of the paper. (Most origami paper is colored or patterned on one side, and white on the other. You will note that the model is completely patterned -- the white side of the paper is completely hidden.) The other two birds do not posess the one-sidedness property; in each model you can see the both the upper (patterned) and lower (solid colored) sides of the paper.

You will notice that the traditional bird is significantly smaller than the other two. This is a side-effect of the one-sidedness property: the usable surface area of the paper is reduced by a factor of 50%.

All three birds were folded from 5-7/8" squares of origami paper. The traditional model uses a standard patterned paper. The other models use pattern/solid duo paper. The traditional bird measures 4-3/8" from beak to tail-tip, with 3" tall wings. Randlett's and Jackson's birds both measure 5-1/2" from beak to tail-tip, with 3-1/8" tall wings.

Folding instructions for the traditional bird may be found in many books and on many websites; Origami USA offers some. Instructions for Randlett's bird may be found in Origami in Action by Robert J. Lang. Instructions for Jackson's variant may be found in Practical Origami by Rick Beech.

Be sure to check back next week, when we will take a look at another flapping beast.

Wriggling lizard

This handsome fellow looks like he crawled straight out of the American southwest. Actually, he was designed by Japanese folder Tomoko Fuse. This lizard is a multi-sheet model with a very clever locking system between the body segments, allowing the monster to move and bend somewhat realistically. It's fun to grab it by the tail, give it a good shake, and watch it wiggle!

For this model, I ended up using card stock. Paper would work well for a posed model, but I really really wanted to grab it by the tail and shake, so I figured I needed something a bit sturdier than normal. For anyone following in my steps, I highly recommend the use of a bone folder or other folding tool.


This model was designed by Tomoko Fuse and is constructed from 12 5" squares of green card stock. The completed model measures a bit over 19" long. Folding instructions may be found in Rick Beech's Practical Origami.

Leafy box

My friend Liz is moving away. *sniff, sob* So I made her a box.


The leafy box is almost exactly the same design as the purple swirly box, but made with different paper. It's very thin and delicate -- almost translucent -- with small leaves embedded throughout. I picked this paper up (as a huge sheet) and sliced it down to a manageable size.

The box is made from 8 units, each made from a 6" square of paper. I didn't have a chance to measure it before I gave it away, but ideally the lid should be 3-3/16" square. (In reality it's probably closer to 3-3/8".) The design is by Tomoko Fuse, and may be found in her book Origami Boxes.

Valentine

I found my ruler. Specifically, I found it under my foot, in two pieces. Ah, well.

This week's model is a little somethin'-somethin' for the lovers. Aw, yeah.


This Valentine was a pretty fun model to make. It actually starts life as a traditional (but versatile) bird base. Two flaps become the top of the heart (front and back), and two flaps become the arrow. The flaps are largely consumed by the folding. My first attempt at this model was with a standard 5-7/8" square of origami paper. It very quickly became too small to fold.

This model was folded from a 13-3/4" square of red origami paper. The completed Valentine is almost 9-1/2" from arrow tip to arrow tail. (I made a new ruler!) The model was designed by Robert J. Lang. Folding instructions may be found in his book Origami Design Secrets.

Hina dolls

Here we see Mr. and Mrs. Samurai at home.


These traditional hina dolls are two-piece models, designed once again by Jun Maekawa. (Hey, it's a long book.) They are a lot of fun to make, although they tend to get thick and stiff near the end of the folding sequence, making them somewhat difficult to stand. The costumes are completely separate from the dolls, meaning it is possible to make additional costumes for them. For instance, here we see Mr. and Mrs. Samurai at the discotheque.


(Yes. I know. I not only made paper dolls, I made different outfits for the paper dolls. I don't care, I'm still macho.)

The dolls themselves are each made from a 5-7/8" square of black origami paper. The home costumes are each made from a 5-7/8" square of patterned origami paper. The party outfits are each made from a piece of shiny wrapping paper cut into a 6" square. The completed models are approximately 2" tall. (Yup, still no ruler.) The folding patterns for these dolls may be found in Maekawa's book Genuine Origami.

Sheep

Baa.

This is a nice ram model designed by Jun Maekawa. My interpretation of it is unfortunately somewhat goat-like, but I hope you get the general idea.

This goat -- sheep, I mean sheep -- was made from a 10" square of standard origami paper. The final model is approximately 3" long. (I can't find my ruler.) The folding pattern may be found in Maekawa's book Genuine Origami.

Three-headed crane

Welcome,. and happy 2009! We start out the year with a traditional standby, the three-headed crane.



Actually, three-headed cranes are not in any way traditional. This model is by Jun Maekawa, designed to illustrate certain aspects of technical folding. My favorite part of this model, however, is actually an intermediary stage -- a six-pointed analogue of the traditional bird base. Using this base, I have created my own (slight) variations on Maekawa's model.

Phoenix.



Triple crane.



Folding instructions for the three-headed crane may be found in Maekawa's excellent book Genuine Origami.