As a member of Origami USA, I get access to publications, diagrams and a community of folders world wide. It and JOAS are important communities for folders from Oz as we are so far (physically) from everywhere:
Every year, OUSA decorate a Christmas Tree at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. members are asked to contribute models to hang. Continue reading
Modular stars are a thing, there are many beautiful ones including multi-sheet omega stars (8 pointers), but this little beauty is crafted from a single uncut square:
From a sunken waterbomb base we tease xyz planes then fashion points from their intersections – genius. Continue reading
It is a little recognised fact that the animal that has killed the most people in Africa is in fact the Hippopotamus:
I stumbled across this delightful model while leafing through “African Animals in Origami” – a much worn volume when looking for something to try from my invalid chair.
I had a gold (more correctly bronze) foil square and was wanting to fold something “yoshizawa style” – free form hand-held rather than on table or other flat surface – the challenges with this style are accuracy and precision, the payoffs are often more fluid, softer curves and lively asymmetrical poses.
I like this model, although he reflective paper makes discerning details difficult – she has a wry grin, 2 lovely tusks on her bottom jaw, lovely ears and a fine rump after some 3d modelling.
Those of you who were guessers for the WTF (What’s That Fold?) #4 will be interested to know that this model was actually a Spider Conch designed by Robert Lang:
I once taught on Palm Island – which is seaward from Townsville, North Queensland. Whilst there I loved to snorkel the reef nearby. Whilst doing so, I managed to find a pair of “spider shells” that I still have today.
You know when you get a song stuck in your head, and it will not go away? Usually the song is totally daggy but so solidly lodged in your psyche that it effects your judgement:
“Baby Elephant Walk” is stuck in my head at the moment – I will excorcise it with some Rammstein later but for now my mind turns to folding elephants. This is my first fold of John Montroll’s Elephant (taken from his book “Origami Sculptures”).
Not really happy with it – an early inaccuracy compounded through the model making the legs asymmetrical and the shoulders gape – you get that sometimes. I quite like the head/ears/trunk and the rear has modelling potential. I will fold this again, when I have more time, if I remember (unlike an elephant, I forget things all the time).
On review, I have not folded many camels – I have no idea why this is:
This is John Montroll’s “Dromedary”, a one-humped Arabian camel and there is much to like about the model, if not my first fold of it.
Lovely ears and face, curious sunken hump, legs more or less in the right place.
I might fold this one again, I learned much on the first time through, and it was a mashup of his “camel” instructions to a modified base, so I did not really know what was going to be what until fairly late in the piece (hence the disoriented development pictures).
Busy times, lots to do, spent waaaay too much time on this, you get that.
Ever since my first disastrous encounter with a centaur, I have been looking for a worthy replacement:
This model comes close, the proportions work a little better (although, truth be told it looks more like a man standing with a donkey wedged up his bottom, but you get that).
A mch easier fold with plenty of modelling potential, I think the quadrupedal hindquarters are a little out of scale. I did fold it to the directions, but might, next time I fold this re-position some of the features a little. I like the arms and the upper body, although figurative, are well proportioned.
Happy with this as a first fold. taken from “Mythological Creatures and Chinese Zodiac”, worth exploring further.
I have been exploring the work of John Montroll, and came across this little beauty:
A lovely Rhino, dual horns, lovely ears and a splendid tail, I am impressed with the rhinocerosness of this design, you get a sense of the armor-plating, power and posture of the beast.
Some clever pre-folding and some interesting sink folds to tease stickey-outey bits from flat edges, and the collapse for the head is interesting indeed.
Happy with this as a first fold, my pick of the rhinos folded so far.
John Montroll is a design genius:
In his book “A Plethora of Polyhedra” he explores the complexities of single sheet 3d-shapes, and this rather splendid prism caught my eye as something I wanted to try.
I like how the pre-folding teases of open edges up and inside the finished shape which locks itself – very clever Mr Montroll
There are some eye-poppingly complex polyhedra in this book, I shall be trying some more I think.
Awoke with a banging headache, have laid low for most of the day, decided I needed something simple:
Little did I realise how un-simple this model was. Not hard, just lots of steps really and the end result is a lovely “sausage dog”.
John Montroll is a design genius, and this model uses his “dog base” to sculpt a rather nice dachshund from a square – lots of modelability, plenty of character.
Taken from his book “Origami Sculptures”, this is a keeper, hope you like him too. It uses a stretched variation of his dog base. Try it: sausage
Nice to see readers having a go. Here is Everett’s fold:
