Tsuru Wrist Watch

Sarah Northshield on the O-List links to this wrist watch, using a paper crane for the hands:

On sale from $100 to $64 at Fab.com:

Nowadays, it seems people are relying less on wristwatches to tell time and more and more on their smartphones.

Paper Gun Plot Thwarted!

I know I should probably avoid political and controversial subject matter on this blog; but hey!  We Origami enthusiasts sometimes live on the edge; and what's life without a bit of controversy?

From a school in Massachusetts:

Origami Zealots not So Zen? Or Above the Fold?

Sarah Morris, Installation view, Black Beetle, Fondation Beyeler, 2008, Riehan/Basel, photo: Todd Eberle”

 Back in March, the lawsuit against Sarah Morris had arrived at a settlement.  Thus spake Dr. Lang:

Entertainment at the Hampton Hotel in Houston

I folded quite a bit during my wedding trip.  This morning while waiting around in the hotel lobby, I entertained people with origami; including my paper gilder:


Other people were trying it out, as well.

Paper on a Plane

Bride and Groom created by Tadashi Mori
Folded by Michael Sanders
6" x 6" squares of tissue foil

Who's getting married in the evening?

My friend Tony Pineda is getting married Saturday, so I'm off to Houston!

Classic Bride and Groom from "Origami Made Easy" by Kunihiko KASAHARA; also with "Lover's Knot" by Francis Ow

 You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep
because reality is finally better than your dreams.~ Dr. Seuss~

Thanks to Tadashi Mori for his tutorials, the groom of which was posted just in the nick of time, today (looks like I'll be folding it on the plane):

Good Grief! Peanuts Origami!

Photo taken by the late Erica Knopper of an Origami Snoopy I folded for OUSA 2002 Convention exhibit:

It's a bobblehead two-piece model by Mr. Toshio GAHARA (Diagrams were in issue #265 of NOA).







For some more complex Peanuts models....

By Sunburst:

 

Woodstock:

Snoopy Red Baron gachepapier:

POP this Sunday: Temporary new location!

The Roxbury Community Center where POP typically meets every 4th Sunday of the month is closed down for construction.  So POP will temporarily be meeting at a new location.  Message from fearless folding leader, Joel Stern:

Noodles by Gwen Muranaka

Source

Source

Hat tip:  Mark Kennedy on the Origami-L

Around the Folding World in 60 Seconds

Janessa Munt on the Money Folders Unite Yahoo group posted diagrams to her delightful money squirrel.  Check out her website.

Eric Gjerde is promoting a new book:  Origami for All, by Iona Stoian.

Posting on the O-List, Diana Lee links to the following research article Cell Origami: Self-Folding of Three-Dimensional Cell-Laden Microstructures Driven by Cell Traction Force and links to this video:



Dr. Robert Lang on the O-List linked this stop-motion video about an origami solar array
developed by Shannon Zirbel:

"Mystery and Magic of Mathematics: Martin Gardner and Friends"

This video isn't really about origami (although it does talk about the flexigon); but because a number of non-paperfolders regard origami as a kind of magic, and a number of origamists I know are into magic and puzzles, and mathematics, I think this program is very much related to the entertainment and magic aspect of paperfolding:

Unidentified Folded Object

This folding today was inspired by seeing my friend Andrew Hans' posting on FB.  Alien grey looked too cute and quick to pass up.


To identify the greys and their creator, click here.  The spinning UFO in the background?  Click (first learned at OUSA years ago; does anyone know who the creator is?  I want to claim Akiko YAMANASHI...but I just don't remember.  It's all over the place, but no one seems to know who to credit for its design). 

I had to do about 14 takes spinning the darn...um....-UFO- before I finally got a decent, unblurry photo.

 If I weren't so lazy, I'd tackle John Szinger's flying saucer to add into the background.  That would have been too perfect!  We can't have that, now, can we?

Inside-Out Logic

Reminiscent of David Brill's Double Star Flexicube (Something Joe Hamamoto is always making and showing off).

This definitely needs to be origamified:




 George W. Hart:

A fold-up, slice-and-dice dodecahedron and its complement.

With a 3D printer, you can make your own using the files here

Description:

This is an awesome folding dodecahedron and its complement. Together they form a cube. Each is made of eight parts hinged together with white adhesive tape.  To get a sense of it, see the video Inside-Out Logic on my YouTube channel.  The stl files are here and here.  You need to make four copies of each file and also four copies of the mirror image of each file.  From the video, you can figure out how they get assembled.

Any geometric origami wiz up for the challenge?


Hat tip:  Scott Cramer on the O-List

"The Paper Airplane Guy" John Collins Interview Pt. 1 05/08/13

John Collins ("The Paper Airplane Guy") broke the Guinness world record last year for longest distance paper plane (along with his thrower, Joe Ayoob).  Here he is on Conan O'Brien:






Hat tip:  O-List

My boomerang cicada glider requires the right angle and consistent feel for the throw in order to make it come back to you.  John Collins' boomerang glider seems to be naturally easier to boomerang back, no matter how it's thrown.  I'll have to try one.

Scratch First, Itch Later...

 There is Buddha for those who don't know what he is, really. There is no Buddha for those who know what he is, really.

-Zen saying

Classic Takashi HOJYO:

I've seen precious few able to sculpt in the details on this model very well.

Looking at that model makes me want to try folding it again.  Here's my rendition from a decade ago:

Folded circa 2003?

I definitely want to figure out how to shape the chest and neck area.  As for the head and face...

To know and not do is not yet to know.

-Zen saying

Perhaps the most well-sculpted facial rendition on this model, by Mariano Zavala B.  :

 Just stunning!  You can tell he looked at actual sculptures for detailing, instead of merely imitating HOJYO's rendition.  I like the valley-mountain creases in the head adornment; and the shape of the ears is very reminiscent of Buddha sculptures (and also reminds me of Seiji NISHIKAWA's Buddha mask).


More beautiful photos on his blog.

To follow the path, look to the master, follow the master, walk with the master, see through the master, become the master.

-Zen saying

Of course, Hojyo has since outdone himself by producing this Tathāgata Buddha:

See more photos

 
So much inspiration, so little time....

Home Decor with Origami

I got this about 6 or 7 years ago from Bed, Bath, & Beyond:

It's a collapsible photo holder.  I thought it'd be a nice way to carry and showcase some flat dollar folds.

And one extra photo, with one extra dwarf:

5-17-2013

I tried to get frilled sleeves, but it just looks like layers of paper (on the new Joisel dwarf).

Joisel Dwarf

5-15-2013 My first Joisel dwarf

 This has been on my "to fold" list for some time; well, I finally quit procrastinating and tackled it.  12" x 12" square of wyndstone paper.  Not a bad turn out for my first attempt.  At least I'm okay with it.

I look forward to playing around with different faces and hats (yes, I plan on folding and practicing some more on this model).  Hmmm....he looks a bit lonely without any musical instrument...


A bit of my process:

5-15-2013 Shaping in progress

MCed/wetted and tied up

hollow

bottom view

Not happy with the face; I think I'll tinker on this one a bit more

Posted by Eric Joisel on French forum

A couple of comments at the Origami Forum by Adam and Ysou offers a translation of the French text (Also appears and translated into English in Tanteidan Convention book 13):

1) In Box pleating, people often try to use grids that can be divided by 8, because it’s easy to create them. The grid I used before was 24x24 ( first: 3, then:8 ). However, the arms were a bit short and the corners that created the facial details ( A-B-C-D ) – only three of them – were not sufficient. In order to solve these problems, this model uses a 28x28 grid. It is easier to create this grid by measuring than by folding…

2) After having folded EVERY crease as indicated in step 1, the collapsing process begins: Fold along the creases in the gray-shaded part.

3) The collapsing process continues: Collapse along the rest of the creases in order to get to the shape as shown in step 4. Using clamps might make things easier…

4) When you are this far, partially unfold the model in order to free the small rhombus ( **diamond shaped part ** ) as shown in step 5.

5) Once these diamond shaped parts have been freed, one can fully flatten the model, in order to get the result as shown in step 6.

6) Fold the arms and the facial details as far away as possible. Crimp ( or inside reverse fold ) to fold the feet ( as shown on the right leg ), after having folded the white triangle inside ( as indicated on the left leg ).

7) Hat: Inside reverse folds. Garment: Pleat the large corner. Hands: First, pre crease along AB. Then, create 3 inside reverse folds to form each finger.

8 ) The result:

9) Wrists: Use crimp folds ( or double inside reverse folds ). The garment: Do the same.

10) Here’s the result. Unfold the flaps at ABC and DEF, so that you can close the back. Feet: Swivel fold.

11) Closing the back: The flaps DEF have been put into the pocket formed by flaps ABC.  Take advantage to do a lapel. (correct ?)
Ankle: Swivel fold.

12) The finished model. The corners A-B-C-D can be used to form the eyes, nose, mouth and beard. Alternatively, you could make a nose, mustache, and beard if you pull at corners C and D.

Further help:
Dwarf help at Origami Forum
Origami Dwarf Reference Point (video)
O Gnomo de Eric Joisel Passo a Passo
Dwarf folding sequence (photo-steps)
Dwarf base photo-steps (companion video tutorial)
Detail shaping (video)
CP for Joisel Instruments 
A number of CP variations and instruments 
Thorin Oakenstaff 
Joisel’s Bandonéon
masterwork of musician and jazz orchestra

Origami Aslan!

This is the most amazing origami lion I've come across, so far:

See more photos here.

 Some other notable lions:

Kamiya Lion folded by Nankyo Sensei

Lion King by Won Seon Seo

Origami Bar Tricks

It seems like a number of origami enthusiasts are into magic tricks and puzzles.  Mark Kennedy is always entertaining folks; I recall Andrew Hans at an OUSA dinner doing napkin tricks; and Won Park folding his dinner napkin into things inappropriate.  (Also, Won folds a great paper napkin rose).

Here's another napkin "origami" bar trick to entertain people with:

Happy Mother's Day!

Yeah, yeah....a little late.  So get an advance start for Valentine's Day next year:




This is a nice design and a lot of fun to play with paper printing and combinations.

I first saw it in an issue of NOA a couple of years ago, designed by Akiko YAMANASHI.  I'm too lazy to track down which issue...