Creased Images

I wanted to post a link to something interesting.

This is an illustration made from creasing a sheet of paper.

There are plenty more images at Simon Schubert's site.

Woven Star

In October I met a woman at the Scrap Paper Airplanes event at the library. She gave me a sixteen pointed star made of strips of paper. It was pretty awesome, but there wasn't time to sit down and learn how to make it just then. So last week, we met at the library and made a few so that I now know how to make them!

This is my first attempt at weaving paper together to make origami. I've always focused on using a single sheet of paper without cuts, for the sake of purity. There's a beauty in knowing that you can fold the model anywhere at any time with nearly any single sheet. The universality is nice. So it's cool to find something that makes me question that puritanical streak.

This star model is woven together out of four strips of paper. I cut mine from a 8.5 x 11 inch sheet, making 1cm strips. A good size strip would be about 1 x 28, maybe a little shorter.

The woman who taught me had learned it from her mother years ago. I did a little research and found that they are often called Moravian stars because of their resemblance to the illuminated decorations. They are also known as German stars, Swedish stars and Froebel's star. I found a good site that talks about strip folding and has information about this star in particular.

These pictures probably aren't enough for you to divine the fold pattern, so if you want to try your hand, I recommend these diagrams. 

Good luck!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

When I was folding at the library one student was piecing together a box in which he could hold valentine cards at school If it's like when I was in elementary school, then I assume he's going to get a bunch of those little cardboard things with famous cartoon characters saying nice things. And candy.

Anyway, he asked me if I knew how to make a heart shaped box. At the time I did not, but I had felt bad that I could not help him out, so I sat down and figured out how to make one! It took seven prototypes, but number eight looks great. And number nine is slightly smaller so that the two combined make a box and a lid!

I don't know how original my design is. I am sure that others have made a heart box and probably thought much like I did (we folded a different one at Origami MN, actually). I'm proud of it just the same.

Like I said, there were prototypes, one of which I took pictures of as I folded it so that I might remember what I did! I'd like to draw up some diagrams, but it would be the most complicated thing I've diagrammed yet.

It took a while to figure out the correct dimensions. This rectangle is what I finally settled on: 7x11. I'm not really sure how to get a 7x11 rectangle without a ruler, but it works perfectly for this model.

I really like the shape of this. It reminds me of the traditional heart-with-wings model I'm fond of. Or giant fighting robots.

This is the first one of the perfect shape. Of course, it's got lines all over it...

I hope you're having a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Paper Zerg

I found this picture hiding in a Facebook photo album. It's from years ago. A friend asked me to try and fold a type of zerg from StarCraft. He drew the picture and I folded the origami. If I remember correctly, it is a modification of a skeleton I had found online somewhere.

Also, I have modified the "Where I Fold" section. It is now called Events and it has a Google calendar. Huh. When I changed it I thought it was a good idea, trying to streamline it, make it look good. But now when I write about it, I think it makes me sound like I'm trying to be more professional than I am. 

Meh.

Found Foldings

I work in a school at the moment and happen across lots of paper. Most of it is likely assignments that were never turned in (or competed). They could be random notes passed in class or whatever. 

But, some of it is genuine origami!

I will share with you some pictures:

"Crab Man The Bug"

This was not actually found, but folded by a student. They learned it from a friend back when they were going to a different school.

This is a classic from when I was in school. It is modular, taking eight sheets. This is doughnut mode.

And this is shuriken mode! Betcha didn't know doughnuts were so dangerous.

This was found on a locker along with several notes. Often when it is a student's birthday, their friends will cover their locker with various things.

Okay, so this is not, strictly speaking, origami. It is instead kirigami. And it is not spontaneous, but was an assignment for art class. Whatever, I still want to give praise for paper arts in the school.

[All photos taken by me of miscellaneous sightings folded by anonymous students.]