The Owls are not What They Seem

February 2013

Created by Davo Vinko

Folded by Michael Sanders

Folded from Crease pattern

Video instructions by jonakashima

Montroll Elephant

4-27-2013

Created by John Montroll

Folded by Michael Sanders

20" x 20" banana paper bonded to American foil

Diagrams in Origami Sculptures

Updating...

Well,

I am finally getting around to updating this 8 yr old blog.  I'm still irked that my old template along with a vast collection of links got wiped.  I don't look forward to this, because unlike 8 years ago, there are so many more sites, videos, and blogs now than there ever were before.  This is going to take weeks (and will be ongoing) to catch up and add in.

Then there's also the matter of organizing the layout to something I actually like; and contemplating a new template and look.

I know some readers do not like it that I use colored fonts (especially white and yellow) that do not show well on mobile phones and other browsers.

Input and suggestions is welcomed and will be listened to.

Folding in anticipation of a certain movie!

4-25-2013 Armor Mask Created by Brian Chan Folded by Michael Sanders

Patriot Armor Mask (3-sided paper for 3rd color change?)

"We need back up!"

Okay, who are we kidding?!  Brian Chan might not be able to say it but I can:  Iron Man and War Machine!!

Folded from 4 1/2 inch squares of commercial double sided, foil-backed paper.  (With War Machine, I bonded gun-metal black tissue to the paper side).

Diagrams appear in Tanteidan Convention Book #15

Previously folded...previously viewed...one more week!

Don't be fooled by imitations!

Rest in Peace, Russell Sutherland

I just learned that Russell Sutherland passed away Wednesday night.  Rob Hudson wrote out the following:

Tonight I am mourning the death of Russell Sutherland, a good friend of
mine since 2003, who died at his computer last night. Russell had struggled
with many, many medical issues, and was in pain and bad shape, limiting the
time he could physically work with his hands to create his origami art.
Russell had a lot against him, from poverty to lost nerves (thoracic), but
always looked forward to a time where he could be an Artist-in-Residence,
doing his origami and sharing the art with others.
Russell was there for me in some very personal struggles, and I helped him
when I could. His conflicts and struggles with others dwarfed mine, but his
were much higher stakes, from fighting for basic finances and living
conditions to struggling to retain his identity as an artist as others
sometimes took credit for the work.
This made Russ exceedingly upset, and, I fear, his outbursts reflected
poorly on him to those who didn't understand the level of his pain and his
convictions and how much he was a part of the work and relationships that
he made.
Regardless, over the past few years, Russell never hesitated to contact me
to see how *I* was doing. In reviewing our conversations and logs, I see so
many times where he was enduring severe pain and life stress, and yet still
produced his art and listened. And despite my own complaining and middling
issues, Russ followed my tiny struggles and always, always opened and
closed our conversations with "remember that you can always call me to
talk."
I'll miss you, Russ - wish I'd picked up the phone more and pissed and
moaned less.

I feel some guilt at this unexpected news- like I didn't do more to reach out to him; or recognize that he might have been reaching out to me for help, some guidance, support, or just a friendly ear.

We hadn't communicated in some time; but on FB in September of 2011, he messaged me through FB chat, out of the blue.  In reflection of our conversation, I believe he was reaching out in need of someone to talk to- downplaying the rough times he was going through; yet needing to share for some moral support from someone who would listen.  I now feel guilt that I did not listen more carefully to all that was going on with him.  I could sense he was troubled even as he tried to "put on a good face" and stay positive in our chat.

I first met Russell at OUSA in NYC.  The following are from OUSA in 2005:

With Lar

Hyperbolic Paraba "Lloyd"
One-of-a-kind piece, Created and Folded by Russell Sutherland
March 2005

Exhibited at OUSA 2005 and given to me as a gift.

 More of his masks/busts from the 2005 OUSA Convention can be viewed here.

More of Russell's fantastic artwork can be found at his site.

Paper Pun

A cowboy walks into a bar and orders a whisky. When the bartender delivers the drink, the cowboy asks, "Where is everybody?"

The bartender replies, "They've gone to the hanging."

"Hanging? Who are they hanging?"

"Brown Paper Pete," the bartender replied.

"What kind of a name is that?" the cowboy asked.

"Well," says the bartender. "He wears a brown paper hat, brown paper shirt, brown paper trousers and brown paper shoes."

"How bizarre," said the cowboy. "What are they hanging him for?"

"Rustling," said the bartender.

Paper Love Story

I saw this at the movie theaters last month, as a movie short to "Wreck it Ralph":


Blurb:

Introducing a groundbreaking technique that seamlessly merges computer-generated and hand-drawn animation techniques, first-time director John Kahrs takes the art of animation in a bold new direction with the Oscar®-nominated short, "Paperman." Using a minimalist black-and-white style, the short follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office. With only his heart, imagination and a stack of papers to get her attention, his efforts are no match for what the fates have in store for him. Created by a small, innovative team working at Walt Disney Animation Studios, "Paperman" pushes the animation medium in an exciting new direction.

Classic Model

Baby Grand Piano
Designed by Patricia Crawford
Folded by Michael Sanders
10" x 10" square of tissue foil

I believe I first learned this from Deg Ferrelly, teaching a class at my first OUSA, back in 2002.  Diagrams are in Harbin 4.

Hat tip:  Mark Kennedy

 

Hat tip:  Kathy Knapp on the Origami List

Letterman's Crab Challenge

What is your favorite "comfort" model?

I have many models I like to leisurely fold; but my favorite is the Montroll horse:

2003 or 2004?

Hat tip:  Kathy Knapp on the Origami List

Happy Belated New Year!

Robert Lang Baby, Folded December 31, 2012

Santa, baby!

Santa Claus ("Christmas Present") by Seiji Nishikawa Folded from 6" square.  Diagrams originally found in Origami Tanteidan magazine #64

 .
This has long been a favorite of mine.  A good part of its charm (aside from the ease of folding) is that you can open the flap at the top of the sack and put some hidden goodie inside.

I've folded over 50 of these so far to pass out to the kids at the gym (Japanese caramel and yogurt candy inside Santa's sack):

Only takes about 3 minutes to fold.

 According to Anne LaVin, diagrams are available for purchase download at the OUSA website.

Also blogging:

Anne's Origami Bits

Which side will fold?

Potential Bad News for Moneyfolders

Folded December 25, 2009 by Michael Sanders

 I've worried that the printing on the single dollar bill might one day be changed and updated (which means certain models like the Won Park koi that relies on the printing on the bill for added effect will lose some of its charm); but ending the dollar bill altogether would be disastrous for moneyfolders.  But that's of no practical consideration and consequence to lawmakers:

 Congress is taking a new look at killing bill — the dollar bill — as lawmakers search for creative ways to slash spending.

A new report by congressional auditors claims that replacing dollar bills with dollar coins could save taxpayers $4.4 billion over 30 years.

The coins last for decades, but the bills wear out and must be replaced every four or five years, the auditors found.

It’s the seventh time that the Government Accountability Office has documented the savings that dooming the dollar could generate.

Now a coalition of mining companies, vending machine operators and other interested parties is trying to rally Americans behind the idea, framing it as an easy way to attack the deficit without hiking taxes.

On Thursday, a House Financial Services subcommittee held a hearing to explore phasing out the dollar.

Some lawmakers are making arguments against such a changeover:

Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) said men don’t like carrying coins in their pockets or their suits.

And Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) said the $1 coins have proved too hard to distinguish from quarters. “If the people don’t want it and they don’t want to use it, why in the world are we even talking about changing it?” she said.

Polls show that most Americans oppose the idea.

Indeed, an official at the U.S. Mint testified at the hearing that most of the 2.4 billion $1 coins made in the past five years sit in Federal Reserve vaults. The coins are so unloved, production was halted last year.

NPR:

There's yet another hearing today in Congress on getting rid of the dollar bill and forcing everyone to use dollar coins.
A number of news reports, citing GAO testimony prepared for the hearing, have said that switching to dollar coins would "save the government money." This is wrong. As the GAO testimony itself says the benefits of switching to coins come from:

a transfer from the public, and not a cost-saving change in production. ... these are benefits to the government and not necessarily to the public at large.

In other words, it's not more efficient for the government to produce dollar coins than dollar bills. Saying it would "save the government money" to force everyone to use dollar coins is like saying raising taxes would save the government money. It wouldn't.

Well, origamists could put forth one more argument against the extinction of the $1 bill.  Maybe Won Park should testify to Congress?

Re-Upload: Hexagonal $ Box

Someone wrote me that MetaCafe's video wasn't always working (original post); so after finding the video file in my computer, I've decided to upload this one to BlipTV:

 It was made in 2006, in part at a WCOG meeting; and is crude by today's standards of origami video teaching (Sara Adams, Jeremy Shafer, Jo Nakashima, Tadashi Mori, Mari Michaelis, etc.).  But this one was never meant to be a professional production attempt.  More like notes.

Since that video, it seems folders have come up with a wide variety of variations.

"What do magicians pull out of a magic hat?"

A common reaction to Robert Neale's bunny bill.  Van Nuys, Japanese Gardens October 14, 2012