Oveja / Sheep (Design by Roman Diaz)

This is a real cute model designed by none other than Román Díaz which he has kindly shared in an online Origami Journal – 4 Esquinas (4 Corners).

The design is pretty much simple and the diagram very easy to follow. There are 21 steps in all and the model itself can be categorized as simple. This publication is planned on a quarterly format and an online version will be made available only, for now. It invites contributions from all its viewers and followers and is a Spanish language publication. All articles and diagrams if contributed in English or non-Spanish, will be translated into Spanish language and published, if chosen.

This is the first Publication which has been published and is available for a download on their blog. It contains crease patterns, articles, reports and diagrams. I am sure you will like to follow this blog!

Paper to use for this model – Oveja / Sheep:
For my model, I have chosen tissue fur which I purchased from Origami-Shop. Its a duo-colored black paper which I am trying out for the first time.

If you do not have this kind of paper, you can also use kraft paper, kami / common origami paper which is single side colored so as to give the look of a white sheep with pink ears. I decided to make mine the black sheep

How to fold this model:
Román Díaz has generously shared the diagrams to this model in this quarter’s publication of 4 Esquinas, which you will be able to download here.

I hope you enjoy folding this model.

Vixen (Roman Diaz)

This is yet another model from the book – Origami Essence, by Román Díaz; the finished model is absolutely great, and the expression on the Vixen’s face is priceless. Very few Origami designs have such an outcome. This book has a lot of interesting models to choose from and with the right kind of paper will make a great result.

'Vixen' from the book - Origami Essence

This model is categorized as Level 3 in the book, with Level 1 being the least complicated and Level 5, highly complex. The suggested paper to use for this model is Tant paper, painted red on a side and white on the other to take advantage of the color changing involved. You can also use Kami paper of as in my case, tissue foil for this model. As per the book, the size of the final model is around 0.4 of the size of the paper you have started with.

This model makes used of the duo-colored paper to form the color changing face, chest and tail.

Paper to use:
I made use of a 20 cm square sheet of tissue foil paper which I bought from the Origami-Shop.com site. The book suggests a paper size of 25 cm to start off with.

How to fold this model:
Sara Adams has recorded a great instructional video on folding this particular model. For your easy reference, I am also embedding the video below:

If you do like this model and enjoy Román Díaz’s work, please do buy the book – Origami Essence – I am sure you will like it a lot and will enjoy folding the models in it. This has certainly become one of my favorite books now and am looking forward to folding more models from it.

Wild Boar (Design by Roman Diaz)

This is the second model I have chosen to fold from Roman Diaz’s Origami Essence. This is my first fold from Tant paper. I like the overall ‘feel’ the model has due to the inherent texture of this paper. I have actually gone ahead and ordered a larger pack of this type of paper as I really liked it.

Paper used:
I have used a 6 inch square sheet of Tant paper, in this case. You can also give it a try with traditional Kami or kraft paper, too. In the book, it has been suggested that a paper size of 22 cm be used for this model. Also, the finished model will end up being 0.33 the size of the paper size you started out with. This is designated as a Level 3 model in the scale of complexity in this book with Level 5 being the most complex. Ideally, the paper used should be colored white on one side in order to give the ‘tusks’ of the boar a color change (white). However, I did not have this paper available, so I have a uniform colored model.

How to fold this model:
There is no instructional video available for this model, as I write this post. However, the instructions are available in the book Origami Essence, by Roman Diaz. There are 57 steps involved in folding this model, and this includes the touch up for shaping.

Donkey (Design by Roman Diaz)

This is my second fold from Kraft paper lined with tissue paper on one side to take advantage of the color change. This is my first model from the book – Origami Essence, by Roman Diaz – which I bought from Nicholas Terry’s shop.

Donkey 2(Design by Roman Diaz)

My first fold was from a 6 inch square sheet of Kami and this turned out to be very small. My second fold (pictured above) is from a much larger sheet of paper measuring 10 inches in size. Its a green color paper I used, as thats what I had readily available with me. I am yet to receive my Tant paper package from Origami-shop. So I had to make do with what I had at home.

This model is categorized as level 3 (out of a total of 5 levels, 5 being the most complex) in the book and has a suggested paper size of 35 cm. One can either dry or wet fold this model and the author – Roman Diaz – has suggested Tant paper, painted white on one side for the color change. The final size would be 0.27 of the paper size used.

The model has 50 steps involved and these include the steps for the final shaping. The only steps which are slightly complicated at the 2 open sink folds in the middle of the folding process. Once you are past this sinks, every other step is quite a breeze to get by. The steps are explained clearly and color changes are clearly depicted. Almost every fold has a reference point, so it becomes really easy to follow and figure out.

Squirrel (Design by Michael LaFosse)

This weekend, I went back to browsing through designs in Michael LaFosse’s book – Advanced Origami: An Artist’s Guide to Performances in Paper – and thought I’d give this squirrel a try. I loved the final shaping given to this design in the book and wondered if I could get mine to look half as good.

I’d suggest a larger sized paper measuring 9 inches to 12 inches, really, I did my first fold with a 6 inch square sheet of paper, and it turned out miniature. I couldn’t get to finish most of the shaping and finer folds required at the end, too.

Paper to Use:
I used traditional Kami or the common origami paper to fold this model. I started out with a square sheet of paper measuring 6 inches in size and hence the miniature size of my completed model. My next fold will proably be in tissue foil, duo colored, that is; in order to take advantage of the color change technique in this design.

How to fold the Squirrel:
Tadashimori as recorded a great 2 part video on folding this model. If you do not have the book, you can attempt folding this model by following the instructions in these videos.