D Brill

360: Masu

| wonko

It is Boxing Day, and I thought it appropriate to try a box I have had in my “must try” pile – David Brill’s Masu:

A Masu is a traditional Japanese timber box that used to be used to measure rice or beans, these days it is used for sipping sake out of.

This ingenious construction is fully 3d – outer and inner edges kept apart via a nifty corner trick (must remember that sort of pleat) and the bases are sprung using a brilliant twist.

An exercise in fifths, the pre-creasing makes all the points necessary for a wonderful collapse – this is a keeper, as it’s proportions and technique have other applications – particularly like the corner collapse that I thought was initially impossible.

Folded from an A3 rectangle, I then tried an A4 (just to prove to myself it was not just a fluke) and it is even cuter – nice.

359: Santa Claus is Coming to Town

| wonko

You better watch out. You better not cry
Better not pout, I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He’s making a list. And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who’s naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town

This is a David Brill tableau, scaled down to teeny weeny because … well, because … because I could? I have a packet of shiny small origami paper so used that for the micro-reindeer – they sort of determined the scale for the remainder of the figures.

There is much to like about this festive scene – The sleigh is full of water bombs (the perfect summer gift), Santa sits, the reindeer seem animated and Rudolph has a lovely red nose, courtesy of a suggestion from “she who must be obeyed” to use a glass headed pin – good call.

I hope this post finds you enjoying family, fun and festive cheer. Our Christmas Origami display is as you see it here – most of these models are available for you in the auction house for a limited time only.

345: Blank Expression

| wonko

Complicated folds are one thing, simple folds that have precise proportions are another:

This is a face modelled after an idea by David Brill – 7 folds total, all gentle, with great restraint and the most curious thing happens, the paper begins to look back at you with the most curious eyes.

With subtle folds, light finger pressure only, variations of dent, bulge and shifting crease line all manner of facial expressions are possible – this is my fav so far, but will fold this again.

Had intended something waaaay more complicated for today, but it is not yet done so it will wait for another day.

This is folded from an A4-cut square, a lifesize face would be achieved with an A3 – cut square, nice one to add to my “by heart” collection.

342: Elephantine

| wonko

Knowing elephants are my daughter’s favourite animal, I thought I would try David Brill’s model:

As you can see, it is only vaguely elephantine – not because the model is flawed, just my execution, first fold, is.

This is a difficult model as there are few folding landmarks – you use your eye to place most of the body/head folds – errors compound and before you know it the model only vaguely resembles the desired shape.

I will fold this again – it was late, I was tired (and a little pickled after an evening out), you get that. They cannot all be gems.

305: Melbourne Cup

| wonko

I have had the privilege to fold many beautifully designed models over the course of this project – David Brill’s “Horse” is right up there with the best:

Wonderful proportions, amazing use of material, lovely face and ears, fantastic body, legs and tail – everything that is needed to look horsey infact.

Today apparently a horse race stops a nation – not sure why. I guess the nation is used to being stopped given the recent airline strike but no one celebrated that so -go figure.

Unusually, this model starts with an equilateral triangle – yeah, weird, right? Somehow from that shaped paper the designer manages to tease the right number of stickey outy bits and I, frankly, feel honoured to fold this one. I cut the largest equilateral triangle I could our of an A2 sheet, but bigger would have been better.

There are lots of places where variations in pose are possible, had I the time (and a HUGE selection of paper) I think a group of these would look beautiful. So glad, as a first fold, this model turned out so nice, given the heavy head cold I am currently drowning in.