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.

Office frog

Here we see the office frog in its native habitat -- the office. The office frog is a traditional model folded from a 4"x6" index card. (They had 4"x6" index cards in ancient Japan? Just go with it.) Folding directions can be found in many places -- searching the Internet for "index card frog" will bring up some good links.

The office frog is springy and can be made to jump by pressing down on its rear end and releasing.

Crane comparison

Here we have three crane-like birds. The orange bird on the left is the simple crane, or orizuru. The green bird in the center is the "crane with folded wings", or orihazuru. The blue bird on the left is not technically a crane; it is the traditional "flapping bird" -- unlike the other two, it will flap somewhat convincingly when the holder tugs on the bases of the neck and tail.

Given the similarity of all three models, it should come as no shock that the folding patterns are all remarkably similar. Each model was created from a 5 7/8" square of standard origami paper folded into a standard bird base -- variations in the final folds account for the differences in each model.

Instructions for folding the crane and flapping bird can be found in many beginner origami books or online. Instructions for the crane with folded wings appear to be more elusive -- one source is Origami Made Easy by Kunihiko Kasahara.