941: New Year Squeaker (Boar Piglet)

2019 is the Year of the Pig – a fresh page that you are free to form anyway you choose:

blank canvas

There are a pair of pig models in Tanteidan 172 I mean to try, this is the first – a wild boar piglet. Little known fact: boar piglets have stripes (presumably for camouflage) while vulnerably young.

little pig
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Santa/Satan – Ho Ho bloody Ho!

Curious things parents, we present certain things as fact and then later we say that they were little white lies, but truth is a slippery thing indeed:

Easter bunny, collector of kiddies teeth, stranger in a red suit causing toddlers to scream in terror when they are perched on their knee in supermarkets – what an odd tradition.

Lovely “santa” re-fold, faux 3D, designed with some lovely colour changes by Steven Casey – ’tis the season.

920: Koala – A Possible Travel Fold

As I am about to embark on more world travel (see travelblog), I am on the lookout for a fold I can leave in each of the places we stay. Oddly, it is something I do, often hiding little Australiana figures in out of the way places,  to hopefully provide delightful surprises for subsequent guests:

Oddly, the very best Koala designs do not come from Australian designers at all, but from places that do not have them. This lovely design is designed by Mindaugas Cesnavicius, a talented folder from Lithuania. Continue reading

918: Procrastination Panda

Now if we were looking for a mascot for procrastination, I think a panda is the perfect animal because, well, from all accounts, they just couldn’t give a flying f*ck:

It seems they are endangered. My guess is it is due to them losing interest in most things (except eating bamboo) including sex – a real deal breaker genetically speaking I would imagine. Continue reading

911: (361/365) Tiny Teddy

There are many bears out there in the origami design community, and I have folded most of them:

This is Robyn Glynn’s “Teddy”, a charming bi-color fold that looks cuddly and seems quite poseable. Continue reading

909: (359/365) The Real Present is your Presence

Christmas is many things to many people. For me it is another chance to get together with family and catch up over a shared feast:

I hope that wherever you find yourself, you stay safe and look after each other, share some joy, love, hugs and laughter. Merry Christmas, ho ho ho and all that humbug. Continue reading

905: (355/365) Emperor Palpatine

I am sure you remember the good old days, when things were better. In the Star Wars Universe this meant Luke, Leia and Han battling the dark side of the force wearing cheesy costumes, in squeeky clean spaceships, among a rain of pew pew pew:

The truth is there were no “good old days”, they were just days, and at the time they seemed amazing but you know, they were just days. This is Lee Armstrong’s “Emperor Palpatine” – you know that evil prune who bar-b-qued people with lightning by channelling the dark side of the force. Continue reading

902: (352/365) Satan

So apparently a symbol of the festive season is a portly old beardy man in a red suit that gives presents to kids who have been nice (and not naughty):

This is Steven Casey’s “Santa”, a lovely exercise in colour change and layer management. Continue reading

894: (344/365) Baby Harp Seal

Sad but true, baby harp seals up until fairly recently were hunted for their pelts – the fashion industry could not get enough of them:

While seal hunting still continues today for food, oil and pelts, the clubbing of baby harp seals has largely been banned. Continue reading

893: (343/365) Teddy

It has been said that “you are never alone with a rubber duck” – equally true with a teddy bear I suspect:

I must experiment with the posture. designed for bi-colour paper, you cannot see the colour changes for eyes and the rest with this fold, but the arms and legs are charming, cutie ears and general body morphology is pleasing. Continue reading

889: (339/365) Sitting Duck

There has been a lot of talk in the media about people demonstrably doing the wrong thing, over a really long period of time. Interesting that one of the defences offered was that they were a “sitting duck” in the post-weinstein era. Regardless, a backyard should be a safe place to play:

This is Henry Pham’s “Little Duck” – a charming model I watched a video about before folding it. Continue reading

875: (325/365) Cat in Box

It is a well known fact, in households that own a cat, that when there is a box, your cat will, at some time, be in that box:

It has taken me a while to get around to perfecting this fold – it is designed for a larger sheet but I managed to achieve it on a 17.5cm square. Continue reading

855: (305/365) White Rabbits!

As is customary on the first day of a new month, we say “white rabbits!”:

This is an old design, and I am not sure i have the shaping quite right yet. Akira Yoshizawa is credited as founding modern Origami and this is one of his designs. Continue reading

852: (302/365) Magic Carpet Ride

Go on, admit it. Ever since you saw the “Aladdin” movie you have secretly thought how cool it would be to ride on a magic carpet:

This clever model, inexpertly folded, is an exercise in colour management- had I used bi-colour paper, the rider and carpet would be different colours – pretty neat. Continue reading

850: (300/365) …and now the Penguin on your television set will explode.

…how’d he know that then?

Being a fan of Monty Python, I find quotes emerge everywhere. What better to celebrate 300 models than a lovely little penguin:

Designed by Jun Maekawa, I am amazed I have never folded this little cutie before, such a nice shape and, with presentation paper it would be a great display piece. Continue reading