Buddha (Design by Dang Viet Tan)

This is my second attempt at folding this amazing model as a gift to one of my good friends here in Chicago, this year. My initial attempt was made using tant paper and you can see the outcome of the folding here. However, this time, I thought I would fold the model using Metallic Tissue Foil paper which I purchased on Nicolas Terry’s Pack Tissue-foil Papers – 20 sheets – 30x30cm (11.8″x11.8″)“.

Folding Buddha with this Metallic Foil paper is much better and the overall look and feel post completion is very good, too. I like the texture of the paper and in the right kind of lighting, this model looks really very pretty.

Paper to Use:
You can give this model a try with paper which is easily shaped. I personally found Tissue Foil much better than Tant paper. Regular kami will not give you the desired look and feel once you are done with the folding. Make sure you have few pins or paper clips handy to keep the lotus formation in shape. I found paperclips to be most helpful in this.

You need two sheets of paper – for the model folded by me above, I used two square sheets, each measuring 30 cms. I chose a Gold color for Buddha and a bronze color for the lotus in which he is seated in.

Folding this Model:
The diagrams for this model are available in Vietnam Origami Group’s first published Origami book. It took me around 2.5 hours to fold this model and a little more to shape it properly. This is a terrific design to fold and I am very happy with the way it has come out after completing it.

For those of you who are not aware, Vietnam Origami Group (VOG) has published a second book via Nicolas Terry – #7 VOG 2 Origami.vn. This has great collection of designs to fold, too.