365: Turn a New Leaf

Our lives are a lot like a blank sheet of paper – WE decide when to put creases, who adds folds, how permanent they are and we are constantly given a fresh sheet to start over:

This is my interpretation of Eric Joisel’s “Self-Made Man”, a little origami man that is folding himself and I am stoked that this worked, given how little information I had to go on and the scale of the materials.

I started with a 78x130cm rectangle (3:5 for those trying to do the maths) and then transferred a crease pattern (the only clue I had as to how to actually achieve this model) on to the sheet.

The “collapse” was an exercise in self control really as the paper was really brittle and there were some complicated accordion pleats that seemed to turn in on themselves. The aim was to leave a square of paper (26x26cm) unfolded and build the little man (arms, legs, head) to seemingly appear from behind this sheet.

In the end, the layers were thick, it weighs a ton but more importantly he has loads of personality and is a fitting end to my 365 Origami Challenge.

In retrospect, this is an amazing fold and with some careful planning, patience and ample cups of tea I am so very proud to have folded it. Hope you like him too.

This little fellow has a special purpose, so will not be auctioned, sorry.

4 thoughts on “365: Turn a New Leaf

  1. What a delight!!!!! Wisdom and art…beautiful… the face…exquisite. What a wonderful year it has been following the bend and folds of life with you and the many other fans of Wonko the Paper Bender. Thank YOU for a bright spot in every day of 2011, my friend. May 2012 hold pleasures in every crease.

  2. Hello I’m hoping You can Help Me and I’m hoping You still use this website so You can reply back to Me. Anyway I’m wanting to Make this Amazing Origami Model I have a 50CM by 50CM Square so I follow a Small Diagram I found online to make it into a 30CM by 50CM Rectangle Now the Question I want to ask You is how did You get the CP onto the paper of Yours to look so Perfect I mean how did You work out where every line goes and how to get the lines where they are mean’t to be please help me make one of these. Please show me how to get the picture of the CP on to MY Rectangle it’d be so very much Appreciated.

    Thanks in Advance.

    1. Hi,

      Apart from measuring the proportions of the sheet, I used the CP to work out landmarks – 1/5ths, 1/4 and so on – it all obeys fairly easy to derive geometry and so it was all geometric construction to get the creases in place

      There are a few hints/strategies here (http://www.wonko.info/365origami/wp-content/uploads/Joisel-Self-Made-Manx.pdf) but I printed out the CP, folded it to discover key landmark positions then used them on the full-sized sheet

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