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.

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.

Nesting cranes

Today's post shows a variant of origami called renzuru or sembazuru (literally, "one thousand cranes"), which involves cutting a rectangle or square into a series of smaller, connected squares. The completed model, "nesting cranes" depicts two cranes side-by-side, sharing a nest. (They also share a wing, but hey, you have to make sacrifices for the one you love.)

The above model was constructed from a 6"x3" rectangle. A partial cut was made in the rectangle at the midway point, dividing it into two 3" squares. The cut was made only about 2" deep, so the squares shared a connection. Each square was folded into an individual crane, and the whole model posed and finished.

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.

Industrial crane

I love paper. I love the feel of paper. I love the smell of paper. I even love the sound of paper, when I riffle* through an old book or wave a large piece of cardstock through the air.

But, y'know... sometimes you want something more than just paper.

The medium for this piece is some nifty aluminum wire mesh I picked up from my local art-n-craft store. It's normally used as a framework for sculpting, so it's cuttable and bendable but stiff. This piece was originally formed from a 6" square of the stuff. It is 5 1/4" long with a 5 5/8" wingspan.

As will all the other photos on this site, you may click on it to display a larger version. Be advised, however, that this image is considerably larger than normal -- I loved the intricacies of the mesh that were caught by the camera, and I hated to shrink the file.

* Yeah, it's not a real word. You know what I mean.

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.