Puddling around in an old Tanteidan magazine, I noticed that the first few pages are usually devoted to smaller folding projects – often modular in nature:
This 2-part modular is fascinating and initially I found it baffling as the diagrams were not really clear (the illustrator was trying to represent stages that were 3d in 2d line drawings) and the instructions are all in Japanese. Continue reading
Trolling around in my collection of Tanteidan magazines, as one does, I came across a little 6-piece modular designed by Jun Maekawa:
Oddly named until you notice that each of the modules is a little “house” shape, complete with pitched roof. Continue reading
Most Tanteidan magazines start with a section that deals with modular folding. I was surprised to find a modular cube designed by Jun Maekawa, along with a bunch of variations.
With cursory research, it appears “borromean” relates to interlocking shapes, and this cube has “ribbons” of colour that weave in among each other in an interesting way. Continue reading
This cutie little devil is such a snarly fold, but was a lot of fun because the design was well thought out:
Jun Maekawa models are always well planned but this little beauty started much bigger – folded from a 60cm square, the resultant model is barely 13cm toe to horn and I am so glad I decided to use brown paper instead of regular copy paper – the thicknesses are 17-23 layers in places – wow.
A lovely set of hands, splendid demonic tail, horns, frown and a cutey tongue – this guy is a masterpiece that has taken me an age to fold. I started earlier this afternoon to cheer myself up after attending a funeral, and this evening he is finally finished.
I have seen miniature versions of this (including one folded by Jun himself that is only a couple of cm tall, in a bottle) and I am buggered if I can work out how you could fold it much smaller – it is so fiddly in so many junctures.
I had no idea on this, the first fold, what was what – I will fold this again now I know how it works – it is not a speedy fold, so many layers but I see extra modelling potential in the face – so much more could be made of his expression. Although he is meant to be a little devil, he is rather cute and free-standing also, using feet and tail the tripod is effective to offset the weight of paper folded into the body.
This fold achieved, it means I have only 15 models left in this challenge – bring it on.
Cephalopods are a tricky subject in Origami, this is a figurative squid by Jun Maekawa:
Having eaten and cooked squid on a number of occasions, the basic body morpholoigy is right, the yummy bits are all there.
A nice set of bilaterally symmetrical pleats, a fun collapse and a 3d re-shaping makes an entirely recognisable squiddy.
There are a bunch of Maekawa’s models that I would like to try – he/she (sorry, not sure) has an original approach to the square and the models have a unique character
