One of the privileges of being on the edit team for Origami Shop is that I get to see new designs before they are in the wild:

Part of the edit process, often, is test folding the model. I do not need to do this, usually, because there is also a team of test-folders, but I like to check the instructions and how they work – it can inform better diagrams.

I have a recent stash of hand made (from plant to sheet) Kozo tissue I was itching to try on a fold.

This Koi Carp, designed by Yery J. Astroña, will be part of a forthcoming book – it is a 182 step sequence, so I thought (rather naively) … why not?

I had no idea how the paper would take folds – there are 3 pages of pre-creasing before collapse, but I figure I would fold until I finish or it failed – either outcome I can learn from.

To my delight, my paper (a 28cm square liberated from an A3 deckle-edged sheet) was completely stable – no sign of fatigue at the end. It takes creases pretty well, reverses those creases nice and accurately. It is crisp, thiiiiin, and softer than Kami, but I found it completely foldable. It wet-shapes beautifully – very satisfying experience indeed.

This model needs thiiiin paper (because of feature denseness – particularly the head), and I did not thin out the mouth whiskers as thin as I would like because … there was just too much paper there. That said, I am pretty happy with all other aspects of the model.

The design is not a beginners model, but flows pretty well, is pretty efficient and has lovely morphology – the fins and other details end up in the right place, the model is balanced well and looks good on the table and also elevated.

I am thrilled that my paper withstood the process – I did not feel like i had to compromise the process at all, but folding tissue that has not been externally Methyl Cellulosed, is a bit of an art. The vat the sheet came from DID have some MC, but I would typically plaster the tissue to glass with MC to crisp it up. I must try this next to compare and contrast the fold experience.