In this blog inspired by Wolf, I showcase models that I design and post information of interest to the origami folder. I also have a photostream in Flickr (the link is down there). Do enjoy your visit here and don't forget to tag or leave a few comments on my work! If you have folded any of my models, please send their pictures to me, and I will be delighted to publish them in this blog. By the way, please check out the "Important Links" below the archives; they are that important :) The "Origami Singapore" page has links to other folders from Singapore. Have fun!

Friday, May 25, 2007

Knight on Horseback

I created this quite a few years ago, with a clear goal in mind and nothing to start on. So, I just played with the paper a little and I got something that looked like this:





Cool dude on a horse with a sword and board.
One big disadvantage of this model is that the front legs are rather shorter than the back ones... It keeps falling face-down.

Unlike the majority of the origami blogs I have seen so far, I do not plan out the Crease Pattern and collapse from it. Instead, I usually just play around with a base until I get what I want. That needs a lot of luck.

I used a few usual "algorithms" in making the model, like the spread-squashing of a point to form the face, double-rabbiting the legs of the horse and a good method for forming the tail and head of a horse. These algorithms are very useful in creating your own models, and they can only be found from experience, folding lots of other models.

I did not record any diagrams for this model, and I kind of forgot how to fold it and had to take apart one of my earlier models and analyse the folding method and refold it again.
However, thanks to Wolf and her advice on crease pattern software, I learnt how to use Inkscape and drew a CP for the Knight on Horseback.
Behold, my first-ever CP!



Hope it looks good... At least it looks less daunting than some CPs from other websites.
Black lines indicate mountain folds, while red lines indicate valleys.

It's mainly a weird version of the Blintzed Frog Base with one of its flaps stretched, except for one special part. Look at the top-left section carefully. You will see that creases that were mountain folds in other sections are valleys in there. This is no coincidence! In fact, in the early stages of folding this model, the paper is folded into a preliminary base and two adjacent flaps are folded together as one! Those flaps turn out as the top-left section and half of both the top-right section and bottom-left section. All clear?

It's less simple than it looks, so try it and see!
Please leave comments regarding the CP and any difficulties you may have encountered folding this model. If you really have folded it, please send me a copy. I may even publish it as a post!

Wolf has kindly folded the model for me to try out the CP, and she sent a picture of it to me. Here it is...





Wasn't really what I expected, but it looked cool anyway.

Special thanks again to Wolf for her advice!


Origami as Pure as Snow
shonen

3 comments:

Wolf said...

Most of us started out that way, just messing around with bases until it vaguely resembled what we wanted. It's not a bad way to come up with models too; otherwise you end up just reinventing the wheel over and over again.

BTW we're having a local meetup next Sunday - interested? Email me if you are!

Shonen said...

sheesh, wolf...
I don't know your email...

I'm sorry, but I can't go because of a competition on Sunday.
Thanks for the offer anyway!

Anonymous said...

Well written article.