Owl – Designed by Kyohei Katsuta

when I first saw this model was in a Russian origami magazine, < ІІ ОТКрЫТая Всероссийская Олимпиада По Оригами >, which roughly translate to < Opening of the II All-Russian Olympiad on Origami >, published in 2008.

The design released in this book is a CP with pictorial folding instruction. Apparently , this is a 24×24 grid design.

CP – Owl (24×24) Designed by Kyohei Katsuta

Kyohei Katsuta has released another simpler design in < Origami Tanteidan Convention 17 > published in 2011, using a 20×20 grid.

I got confused when I first started folded the model from the CP (24×24). As the pictorial instructions are highly simplified, I did some cross reference on the folding instruction between the 2 books, not knowing the differences in the grid specification. This resulted me folded and refolded twice before I finally got it right.

The main difference between the 2 designs is on the head. The 24×24 grid design has a much detail and life like head features, including the eyes and beak.

Close up view on the Owl head
(24×24 grid design)

Other than that, the wings and feet are the same.

Close up view of the owl’s wing
(24×24 grid design)

Close up view of the owl’s feet
(24×24 grid design)

After a good shaping and setup for the photo shoot, here’s the final results.

Owl (24×24 grid) – Designed by Kyohei Katsuta

The back of the design is equally spectacular…..

A back view of the spreader wing owl

Here’s a close up static view of the owl landing…

The Owl has landed

An action shot with the sky as the background.

Owl – Designed by Kyohei Katsuta

Skull – Designed by Nguyen Hung Cuong

For those who have actively plough the web for origami design, you will not fail to notice some very good design from the Vietnam origami groups. Many of them do come with diagrams and you will be lucky if you can get hold on the crease pattern (CP) to fold some of their models.

Not a master folding from CP myself, I got started with a ‘simple’ design by Nguyen Hung Cuong, the Skull. What I meant by simple is that it has lesser crease line to fold (good excuse for being lazy… :p). I wish I could produce a copy of the CP here but You can find it easily on the web. (one good source would be from the <Passion Origami> website).

But lesser crease does not necessarily mean easy to fold. For a test fold, I simply printed the CP onto a A3 size paper and folded along the lines. The challenge is how these fold collapsed onto each others. It took me a few trial before I finally got it right.

Last but not least, the model need a good deal of shaping to give a softer look, but I’m too lazy to do it for a test fold, so it ended up like this:

Skull – designed by Nguyen Hung Cuong

Now…. where to get a nice ‘bone’ texture paper to fold it again?

 

SERES DE FICCÍON – EL LADO OSCURO DE LA PAPIRFLEXIA – by J. Anibal Voyer Ineista and Mario Adrados Netto

This book is jointly authored by Jose Anibal Ineista and Mario Adrados Netto. It was published in Spanish in year 2000, and later translated to English in year 2005, under the title as “Dragons, Witches, and Other Fantasy Creatures in Origami“.

The Spanish version of Dragon, Witches, and the other fantasy creatures in Origami

Don’t think there’s any more book shop carries this title any more.

Dama (Lady) – designed by Mario Adrados Netto (1)

Strangely as the name of this model may seems, it would be more appropriate to call it an ‘Angel’ since it has pair of wings. But Mario christianed it as ‘Dama’, meaning  ‘Lady’ in Spanish. Nevertheless, this is a simple model for beginners to practice folding box-pleat design, before engaging the more challenging models like ‘Geistkämpfer‘.

The diagram of this model can be found in Mario’s co-authored origami book “SERES DE FICCÍON – EL LADO OSCURO DE LA PAPIROFLEXIA” (Fictional Beings – the dark side of origami) with Anibal Voyer.  This book was first published in Spanish in yer 2000, and later translated into English in 2005, under the title ” Dragons, Witches, and Other Fantasy Creatures in Origami“. If just want to fold this model, you may want to try the open diagram souce here.

Here I have done a test folding using a plotter paper measured out to 32cm x 32cm, just nice to fold the grid of the 32×32 box grid. But the overall result confirm that a thinner paper is needed for this model, alternatively using a 64cm x 64cm plotter paper would give  better shaping to the final model.

Initial collapsing of the box pleat

Allocating paper to the wings, arms and head

Basic fold of model is complete, next will be shaping

Semi finished model of the test folding…. now to get a nicer and large sheet of paper….

Semi Finished Test Folding Model – Dama

Dragons, Witches, and Other Fantasy Creatures in Origami – by J. Anibal Voyer Ineista and Mario Adrados Netto

This book is jointly authored by Jose Anibal Ineista and Mario Adrados Netto. As the title has suggested, its all about mystical creatures and characters.

You can find this book at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/858495.Dragons_Witches_and_Other_Fantasy_Creatures_in_Origami.

Bruja (Witch) – designed by J. Anibal Voyer Iniesta

How can the Wizard do without a Witch. Especially a playful one who flies around on the magic broom.

This Flying Witch model was designed by Jose Anibal Voyer Iniesta, a long time Spanish origami designer. But surprisingly very little information can be found on the web (at least from the English Language sites) on his background. If you can find a Spanish website with information on Anibal Voyer, do drop me note, and thanks.

He has jointly published a origami book ( Dragons, Witches, and Other Fantasy Creatures in Origami ) with  Mario Andrado Netto, where you can find the folding instruction. But if you just want to fold this model alone,  you can also get the folding instruction from this website: http://www.pajarita.org/diagramas/diagramas.php

This is an intermediate level  model model, so using a slightly bigger piece of paper will makes it easier to fold. I have used a 35cm x 35cm brown paper to fold this model and the final size is about 15cm for the length of the broom.

Brown paper use for folding

The folding instructions is clear and easy to follow. In no time, the base model is formed.

Basic form of the flying witch model.

The final shaping takes a bit of pitching and squeezing as the brown paper does not stay in shape very well. Arranging it for photo taking is also a challenge. But with a few ‘cheats’ here and there, the model is finally done.

The left view of the Flying Witch

The Right Front view

Close up on the Head and hand

Wizard – designed by Satoshi Kamiya

Has taken a really long break from folding and now I’m back. So I will take on this  simple model first, the Wizard, designed by Satoshi Kamiya. The instruction can be found in his book, entitled “Work of Satoshi Kamiya“.

This time I have used a near 90 gram art paper for the model. The paper is a bit thick but tough, therefore it is better to fold a bigger size model. So instead of the recommended size of 35 cm x 35 cm, I used a 50 cm x 50 cm.

I have chosen this paper because the final pose of the model is in a slightly lean forward upright fashion, so a tough paper will be able to hold the weight without using wire for reinforcement.

After 42 steps of pre-creasing, this will be the final CP before the actual folding,

CP of Wizard

I mentioned that is a simple model and the folding steps are pretty straight forward. In no time, a rough model of the Wizard is formed.

Folded model before shaping

The only time you might run into problem is during the shaping of the hands and the staff. The thickness of the paper really give a hard time for proper forming. Almost wanted to use the pliers to soften the paper to form the staff.  But the over results is not too bad. The free play for sculpting the face (nose and beard) give individual folder a unique flavor to their models.

View from the top left

Right side view of the Wizard

Front View of the Wizard

Fairy (ver 5.6) – designed by Jason Ku

After I’m done folding with the 2 Ladies (White and Amber), I felt like folding another human form model. Although this Fairy model by Jason Ku is not exactly ‘human’, but the drawing of the good proportion human figure caught my attention and I decided to give it a go.

The folding instruction is published in the Origami Tanteidan 16th Convention (2010). Try to use paper of at least 50cm square or you will have a hard time pulling the paper from tight corners. Use a tough paper to withstand the multiple in-out folds, and of course, the thinner the better.

I have use a 50cm square shimmer art paper (about 100g/cm^2). Not really a thin paper but pretty tough. it has survive my folding nicely until the day I folding it while waiting in my car, with the cool air condition blowing directly at it. Then the unexpected happened, the paper became quite brittle  at a low temperature and started to crack and tear, and both my hand and heart stopped.

When I started to fold it again days later, under normal room temperature, the paper regained its toughness.  Therefore the final model has a ‘battle scar’ across its left chest from the tear.

Nursing the Battle Scar

The design of this model may be very complex but the folding skill required is only intermediate. Although there are many in-out open sink (about 18 times if I’m not mistaken) but it is still manageable if the paper is large and thin enough. When you folded until step 71, you will get a result similar to a model fighter plane.

Fairy (designed by Jason Ku) – Step 71

When you are done collapsing all the 18 in-out sinks by step 123, you will get a fully compact model with the whole sheet of 50cm square paper reduced to a 25cm x 5cm stack of paper. I did a count of the number of layers for the stack and the maximum number of layer is 84!

The thickest stack of paper of the Fairy Model

The remaining folds for the head and the arms are quite straight forward by just forming back the pre-crease. When folding of the 2 pairs of wing, just need to be caution with the symmetry of the model. As usual, the toughest but the most enjoyable part is the shaping. And here is my model of the Fairy.

The Fairy under hostage….

Back view of the Fairy

The Descending Fairy

Lady White (Mother of Lady Amber) – designed by Tran Trung Hieu (2)

After the disaster on folding Lady Amber, I decided to refold the model, this time with a larger and tougher paper… polyester sheet. This is the paper (strictly speaking is should be considered as plastic) is the one where you normally use it for drawing blue print.

The paper measured 59cm x 59cm, almost 70% larger than the paper used for Lady Amber.

59cm x 59cm polyester sheet

After going throught the same folding ritual one more time, the final result is…. the face didn’t cracked. But this polyester sheet is ready hard (literally) to shape.

Close up on head

Close up on back of head

Close up on hand

My Lady White

Lady White and her darling daugther – Lady Amber

Lady Amber (aka Lady Rose – Virgo Doll) – designed by Tran Trung Hieu (1)

Tran Trung Hieu, one of the complex origami model designer from Vietnam. He has couple of interesting model to offer to the world of complex origami which includes dinosaurs, fantasy creatures and flowers.

His line of human form origami is also very intriguing and his notable work includes “St. Micheal – The Archangel”, “The Elf Archer”, “Krista Lanscelot”, “Shima Yi” and a long list of dinosaur models. Most of his work are unpublished but you may find his creation in his personal Flickr website.

This model “Lady Rose” is also one of the classic designed by Tran. I happened to chances upon a Russian publication which gives some pointers on folding this model starting from the CP.

The Russian magazine which contain the Lady Rose CP folding tips

It provides quite an accurate instruction on the collapsing of the CP. The design is based on a 32×32 grid box pleating method and the CP is quite easy to prepare.

Symmetrical CP of Lady Rose

As I find this model is has a nice head dress and trimming on the skirts, I pick a gold foil paper to attempt this model…. which proved to be a grave mistake! 😦

As usual, the first 1 to 2 hrs is just folding the box girds and pre-crease all the lines indicated on the CP.

Finished pre-creasing the CP on the gold foil paper (size = 32cm x 32cm)

Then start with collapsing the head from the top…

Collapsing to form the head of the model

In progress…

Collapsing half way…

After flattening the folds, you should be able to see the hair of the model.

Head of model folded

Then followed by the tricky part, you have to open up the model slightly to reveal the pre-crease. Fold along the pre-crease as follows:

Pictorial guide on collapsing to form the hair of the model

The final result should like like this:

Folding the hair of the model

Now then we fold the triangle with a spread fold like this:

Spread fold to form the triangle

After you have done this for both the left and right side of the model, next to collapse the hands and the long skirt. This is quite straight forward:

Collapsing the hand and long skirt

The Final base folded before shaping would look something like this:

Base of Lady Rose

The Shaping of this model demanded a great deal of shaping skills. Actually using gold foil paper gives a great advantage to do the shaping as it stays in shape easily. But the gold foil paper proved to be to0 delicate for this model. Before I got to the final shape for the photo shot, the face torn into half! : (

My heart ache as the paper at the face torn…

With much effort put the model into one piece, my Lady Rose (or Lady Amber for the gold color hair) is born.

My Lady Amber (aka Lady Rose – Virgo Doll)

I was really upset on the torn face model… so I decided to fold another one, with a larger and tougher paper.