Smart Waterbomb (Design by Philip Chapman-Bell)

I find the models on the blog – The Fitful Flog – really intriguing and pretty. Most of the models are based on tessellations and can be folded with common printer paper or construction / kraft paper. The ideas in this blog are ingenious and the blogger even provides links to PDF downloads of diagrams to most of the models presented on the site.

I have never tried folding any design from here coz I am not good at CPs at all and unfortunately, almost all of the diagrams on the site are CPs with some being accompanied by worded instructions which always get me confused.

However, this time, I found this particular model which is pretty easy to construct but a tad tricky to fold. Oschene as the blogger is known has even gone to the extent of recording an instructional video on this model and posting it on his site. I hope you find it easy to follow.

Instructions to folding the Smart Waterbomb:

All you need is a circular piece of paper. My advice would be to start off with a fairly large circle measuring 8 to 10 inches in diameter. You can use common printer paper or even wrapping paper for this model. However, it should not be flimsy or thin as the model will not “stay” very well. This is the instructional video from the post by Philip Chapman-Bell.

Icosahedron

This is a modular design I came across on the Internet recently which is not really Origami but is nonetheless very pretty. It follows the same principle of putting together units to form a modular model but the similarity with Origami ends here. This model requires the use of scissors and glue and patience, of course.

The blog, Jeweled Platypus, has a post dedicated to this pretty model and I was quite taken with the photographs of the model. It makes use of commonly found printer paper and there is also a ready-made template which is available on this said post.

Instructions to make this model:
The blog post also details out the instructions to fold this model and the number of units (20 units) required. 10 copies of the PDF template are required, with each sheet having cut outs of 2 units. I am pasting an excerpt of the instructions from the said post here for your easy reference:

If you’d like to make your own icosahedron (the more elaborate one of those two), download this template (PDF) and print out ten copies of it. Here is what you do:

1. Cut out one figure along the bold lines.

2. Score all its curved dotted lines with a dead ballpoint pen or the tip of a lead-less mechanical pencil or something like that. Fold the tabs back and forth to make sure they’re flexible. Pinch gently along the scored curves to begin to form the curved module shape, with the dashes on the inside.

3. Apply white glue or a glue stick to one of the module’s small tabs and connect it to its neighboring bit of paper.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the rest of the modules (twenty modules in total).

5. Glue modules together on the large tabs. Be sure to have five modules around each corner, i.e. flowers always have five petals. When you have a few modules together, you can insert a pencil or straightened paperclip through the holes to push tabs with glue together to make sure they stick.

I think this model looks really pretty and will make a wonderful hanging in the home! One can try folding this model in colored paper using the template cut outs as a stencil to make the units.

Sonobe

Hello Everyone!

I am back after a long hiatus… it feels good to get down to some folding after such a long time It was a 2 month roller coaster of my wedding, partying and holidaying, all rolled into one good vacation!!!

I tried my hands at a simple sonobe to get into the groove of folding again. A modular origami design, this time, after quite a long time, too. I normally find modular origami repetitive by nature due to the number of units required. But this time, I am thinking of using modular origami pieces in decorating our new home, and hence my interest in it.

Paper I used:
For this particular model, I used 30 sheets measuring 3 inches in size of Miyabi Chiyogami origami paper which I picked up from Michael’s nearby. You can also use the regular post it notes for this model.

How to fold this model:
I followed the instructions by Nekkoart who has taken a lot of effort in explaining the steps in folding this model in the form of a YouTube Instructional video.

I am not aware of the name of this particular model nor its designer. So if any of you are aware of these details, please feel free to drop in a comment with the information!

Have a great week ahead!!

3D Omega star

I chose this simple modular origami design as a gift one of my colleagues at work. This is different from John Montroll’s Omega star since this particular ones uses 6 sheets (or 3 pairs of different colored paper) whereas John Montroll’s design uses just one sheet of square origami paper.

This model took me about 15 to 20 minutes to fold and I found it pretty simple.

Paper to use:

I used 3 pairs of different colored printed origami paper measuring 8 1/4 inches and double sided. You can also select 6 sheets of paper all of a single color if you wish to do so. The paper you used should be square in shape and you cal also experiment with with using wrapping paper for this model.

How to fold the 3D omega star:

There is a very detailed instructional video on YouTube.com and this is what I have followed in order to fold this model. I hope you too find it easy to follow…

Happy Folding!

Kusudama (Design by Nina Ostrum)

I decided to fold this model at the last minute, today. I had initially planned to fold the origami rat designed by Eric Joisel but was simply not in the mood. So I browsed through and thought I’d fold something simple and quick instead!

I am not aware of the original designer of this model, but nonetheless it requires just 6 sheets of paper, square shaped. You can choose the size you would like to use; I have used an 8 1/4″ duo colored paper to fold the model in the accompanied image.

The design involved a sink which is the only step which might be complicated for beginners. The rest of the steps are really easy otherwise. Folding this model tool me around half an hour so I was really pleased. It requires no glue at all and can be assembled easily too.

How to fold this model:

Barbabellatje, a contributor on YouTube.com has recorded and uploaded a pretty good instructional video on this model which I think you too, will fnd it really easy to follow.

I came across a reference to this particular model as that being the “Ostrum Kusudama” or Nina Ostrum’s Star. However, I am not completely sure. If any of you have more information about this, please feel free to comment and correct me.