Author: wonko

693: (143/365) Ladybird Wing Hinge

| wonko

I was reading a paper on Ladybirds, and it turns out they have remarkable wings. What makes them truly remarkable is they fit beneath tiny cup-shaped hard wing covers. Until recently, scientists had no idea how that mechanism worked:

When ladybirds are about to take off, they lift their wing covers and then inflate complicated pleated wings that flip out from their zig-zag folded position.

When they land, they put their wing covers down first then retract their wings under them. This mechanism is bewildering until you look at an origami maquette which explains the natural zig zag hinge. Continue reading →

692: (142/365) Wu’s Modular Chess Board

| wonko

Looking around for a chess board in origami was fun, there seem to be a few out there, including a few that use only 1 sheet of paper and a million creases to perform the necessary colour changes for the squares:

I discovered I could not source paper large enough to make a playable chess board, so looked for alternatives and stumbled across Joseph Wu’s modular chessboard. Continue reading →

691: (141/365) Max Hulme’s Chess King

| wonko

Head of the house, monarch to be protected, fragile and nearly the least mobile, such is a Chess King:

I like this model, the crown is cute, as is his beard and robes – hiding the round figure of a largely sedentary piece.  Continue reading →

689: (139/365) Max Hulme’s Chess Knight

| wonko

…so, in a conventional chess set, the knight is a horsey, but in this chess set the Knight is the rider:

Not sure I am really happy with this, difficult to tell with this thick paper, but the head shaping is clumsy because of the layers. Continue reading →

688: (138/365) Max Hulme’s Chess Bishop

| wonko

Integral to the war effort, the church remains a dangerous player on the board:

This is Max Hulme’s “Bishop” – a lovely little Pontif-ish chap that is missing his golden hook and holy relic. Continue reading →

686: (136/365) Max Hulme’s Chess Pawn

| wonko

The next few posts will follow a theme, playing with the idea of a classic game, this is the infantry – the cannon fodder, there are lots of these to throw at the enemy:

Max Hulme has designed all of the pieces for a paper chess game, seems wrong to split them up. Folded from a 12×3 proportioned rectangle, a little grimacing face under  helmet emerges, then arms, finally the body. Continue reading →

685: (135/365) Bug

| wonko

Old-school origami can still be fun, and this model is no exception:

Eduardo Clemente’s book “Papiroflexia” contains a plethora of old-style 60’s origami, before the boxpleating, tree-maker days. Continue reading →

684: (134/365) Wise Owl

| wonko

Cruising Fakebook, as you do, it is often that you stumble across interesting folds (well, in my circle of friends it is):

This is “Owl” by Angel Jacobo Figueroa Arriola. I spotted it as a photodiagram sequence in one of his galleries. Continue reading →

“Beyond The Folded Edge” – by Jonathan Baxter

| wonko

It is rare, in Brisbane, to get to see Origami displayed at all, let alone an exhibition by an accomplished folder such as Jonathan Baxter:

His display at the Richard Randall Art Studio, Mt Coo-tha Botanical gardens was a rare treat.

His folding displays showcased numerous forms of origami including delicate unit work  like intricate spheres and torus from “Phiz” units, garlands of interlocking cubes and many variations. Continue reading →

683: (133/365) Pet Gripe

| wonko

Last weekend I mowed the lawn – that is not so much a revelation as a statement of fact – I enjoy mowing, always have. I do not, however, enjoy the “presents” that dog owners allow their pets to leave on my lawn:

I recognise that part of the pleasure of owning a dog is that you have to take it for walks to empty it. It does however infuriate me when owners do not clean up after their newly emptied pet. Continue reading →

682: (132/365) Sy Chen’s Hangman

| wonko

Struggling to make it through Friday, I stumbled across Sy Chen’s Hangman:

This paper puzzle allows you to gradually reveal parts of a hangman, suitable for a table top game. Continue reading →

681: (131/365) Tim Rickman’s Xenomorph

| wonko

I am so excited that there is a new Alien Movie out today – Alien Covenant. Although I would dearly love to see it right now, I will have to wait until I am less busy and tired:

Having already folded both Kade Chan‘s Xenomorph, Fernando Gilgado‘s Alien and Face-Hugger I was struggling to find something Geiger-related.

I was browsing google imaged and came across Tim Rickman’s “comic” alien and knew I needed to try it. Continue reading →

680: (130/365) Kade Chan’s Butterfly

| wonko

Continuing my exploration of the butterfly form, I was browsing Kade Chan’s amazing website and came across his design for a butterfly:

A relatively simple fold that is really economic in its use of paper.  Continue reading →