Terror Pit!

Okay folks!

Once again, I apologise for the really long gap between posts, this year's been hectic... T_T
In this posts and probably subsequent ones, I'll be elaborating more on the techniques used to create the maze and chinese characters. Hope you all will be satisfied by this post even after the long wait! =)

As most of you will probably have realised, there seems to be an extra feature in the Pop-Out Prosperity that hasn't appeared before; a series of holes. In previous posts, I've shown you all how to make Building Blocks that pop out of the paper, and in this post, I'll explain how to make a sinking portion in the paper, which, for want of a better name, will be called a "Negative Building Block". Hahah, I really need suggestions for the name. =)





This model was done on what could be said as a 9 x 9 grid, but with only a few creases from the grid.

The product is the cube-shaped hole in the center. Of course, the paper protrudes out from the other side, looking like this:



At least the extra paper could be neatly packed into 90-degree angles... ^_^

If you've tried making the Building Block before, you'll realise that you can't create a hole by simply reversing all the creases or flipping the paper over, because there are extra bits of paper that stick out and partially cover the hole, which does contribute much to the neatness of the model. In the Building Block, all the extra paper is stashed away into the hollow space inside the block, hiding it from the viewer. However, in the Negative Building Block, that extra paper has to go outside the hollow space as now the hollow space is the one being viewed. This leads to a drastically different crease pattern as shown below:




See the difference?

This time, I stopped being lazy and added in all the creases that ended up in the final product. However, be warned as the creases may get a little confusing; try and figure out which creases are merely two layers folded together to produce reflections!

Just like the Building Block, the dimentions for the Negative Building Block can be modified by changing the length of the sides of the small square in the centre of the CP.

Folders are encouraged to figure out how the 田 part in the Pop-Out Prosperity was created! All you need to know is how Building Blocks and Negative Building Blocks are made.

Have fun!
I'll try very hard to post as often as I can now!


Origami as Pure as Snow
shonen

Pop-out Prosperity

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

As promised, here's my CNY post!

In the last Origami Singapore meet-up, some of us folded Eric Joisel's Rat model and compared them around. Eileen wanted to do a variation on it, and suggested to me (since I could fold a design that "popped out" from the paper) that I fold a rat in a maze, all popping out of the paper.

The first step in trying to make the model was, of course, learning how to fold a maze first.

In the meeting itself Eileen and I experimented around and tried to figure out a method to fold a series of solid walls that could bend around and connect to form a real maze. We found one, but I realised later that it would not work very well. I tried again at home and finally got a method to do the job; I'll be posting about the method in subsequent posts.

Another idea I had during the meet-up was that instead of using the "walls" to form a maze, why shouldn't I use it to form words? Chinese New Year was coming, and I should be trying something big...

I did a lot of planning and after one prototype, ta-daa...



Pop-out prosperity!

As my method currently can only deal with 90-degree angles, the Simplified Chinese character "福" would have been impossible to fold. Hence, I chose the Traditional Chinese character with a "示" radical.

This model was done on a 32 x 32 grid.

To show the three-dimensionality of the model, here's another picture:



It's a little uneven, but nothing's perfect. (:

From here you can see that I've solved the problem of making a maze.

The CP for this model is a little complicated, so it will take a while for me to create it, if I can summon up the energy to do it.

I'm gonna try out more chinese characters in the future! Guess what I'll be posting on Valentine's Day...

Once again, Happy Chinese New Year, and may this year be full of prosperity!


Origami as Pure as Snow
shonen

A Die with 20 Faces?

I'm posting this to ensure that this blog does not become worse than a monthly newsletter... :)

Almost two months ago, I went overseas to Qingdao in Shandong, China for this educational trip in one of Qingdao's top secondary schools. I was supposed to observe classes in Qingdao No.39 Middle School, and I was grouped with a student from the above school to act as a guide. After a few days, when I had to leave, I wanted to give a farewell present to him. I did not want to buy a gift for him (It might seem insincere) so I decided to fold him an origami model.

I learned that he was very interested in and talented in Mathematics, so I decided to fold him a geometrical figure, the more complicated the better. The one I thought appropriate was a regular Icosahedron, so I had to create one as fast as possible.

I managed one without much difficulty (heheh):



Not bad!
I made this model from the leftovers from the paper used to make the House shown in the exhibition at Clementi.

If you see the following diagrams, you will see that the model is mainly a tube with two closed ends. Take note that I've decided to go step by step in showing the folding method, so each of the following diagrams will be accompanied by a short explanation.



This CP lies on a 60-degree grid.

The grey area is a portion of the paper that overlaps, sealing up the gap in the "tube" formed by wrapping the paper around. Note that all the creases in the grey area are identical to those on the extreme left. The grey area can be extended or even shortened, but bear in mind the difficulties that may occur.

After finishing the above CP, the model will look something like this:



This figure has 30 sides, which is cool, but not so much as the Icosahedron.

You'll realise that the ends (far left and far right in the photo) of the figure are not very effeciently closed (in fact, the model I gave to my "buddy" had this problem and it needed two fingers to hold the ends shut, the sealing method came recently), and they open up by themselves easily. Later on in the explanation I'll be showing how to seal up the ends completely.

Now open the model up and fold the following CP:



Brace youself for the twist!
Do take note that the long horizontal crease in the middle has changed from black to red.

By doing the twist, you eliminate the 10 extra sides by compressing them into a "cap" structure, also giving the model its proper shape. The twist also serves to lock the overlapping areas together. This is the hardest step in the model, the rest is all easy!

The flaps that protrude inwards do not lie flat; According to the CP, you will have to bend them slightly upwards.

Now, the model will look like this:



As you can see, the shape of the Icosahedron is coming out.
Now for a zoom-in on the "cap":



The ends of the model here seem to be pretty well sealed, don't they? That's one of the functions of the cap; it bends upwards and flattens the paper in between the ends, making them inseparable.

With a heavy heart, unfold the model again and fold the following CP:



The horizontal crease has changed back to black.

The main step here is to lock the flaps in the lower end shut. Important: The locking of the overlapped areas happen as if there was only 1 layer.

This is what the locking of 1 flap will look like:



And this is what the lower end looks like from the inside after the locking of all 5 flaps (the overlapping area is counted as 1 flap).



The upper-right corner of the photo shows the overlapping area of the model.

You do not have to unfold the model again.

The last step is to do the twist and close the end of the tube. The flaps from the upper ends are carefully slotted in so they are locked by the upward-bending flaps of the twist.



All that's left now is to fold the upper half of the CP. The horizontal crease has turned back to red.

The end result:



An Icosahedron with neatly-closed ends!

This is the third creation of mine involving a 60-degreee grid, I'll be posting one of them sometime soon.

Oh, and keep an eye out for my Chinese New Year Post, it's gonna be great!


Origami as Pure as Snow
shonen

Timcanpy v.1.0

Merry Christmas guys!

Recently, I've started watching the anime D.Gray-man, a supernatural anime which is still being released from Japan. Of course, I've been longing to fold something from the anime, so I set my eyes on the golem Timcampy, which looks something like this. However, it turned out to be a little hard, so I aimed at something easier, a little golden ball with wings.

Well, most of the trouble came with the ball shape. Perfect spheres are never found in origami, but there are models that come close to one, like the waterbomb. As a result, Timcampy v.1.0 is simply a waterbomb with wings:



If you followed the last link, you'd realize that the above model is missing a tail. In future versions, I'll try to make a tail using grafting. I'd need a really long one...

This model is too simple to make a CP for, I'll try to make some diagrams instead. ^_^

At the very least I can put on a good face to a bad result and call this model the Golden Snitch!


Origami as Pure as Snow
shonen

Honeycomb

Hi guys

Here's the CP for one of my creations mentioned yesterday: the Honeycomb.



Haha... You guys should know why I chose to post an extra-large picture.

Don't be intimidated! The technique is much simpler than it looks! Once you've figured out how to fold the first cell, the rest are a piece of cake.

Good luck! I'm still trying to design a simple bee to go with my honeycomb... I can't just borrow one from a nearby exhibit next time, can I?

See ya!


Origami as Pure as Snow
shonen

Origami Exhibition in Clementi Community Day

Yo folks... once again I post after a reaaaly long break. It seems like my blog is only active during School Holidays! Well, today is an exception cos' yesterday was my very first Origami Exhibiton!!

Last week the members of the Origami Singapore group were gathered around some tables at the Clementi Students' Service Center. We were smoothing out the final details of the plan for our exhibition on 21 October. We decided on the table format and model categories and distribution. Much to my delight, I was going to have a whole section to myself as a Singaporean Designer for my creations. Of course, I have to fold them first, so for the next few days I was rushing origami models an hour a day... I also had to buy all sorts of paper for my models... On Sunday and Monday I was rushing to Bras Basah just to buy Elephant hide paper, Canson paper and Meta-cellulose paper which I didn't use at all in the end.

On the big day, I walked in to the room only to see tables and tables of Origami models from local and international folders. There were birds, insects, mammals, aquatic creatures, modular origami, miscellaneous objects,fantasy creatures, simple to intermediate origami and finally models from international folders and original designs from Singapore.


Kawasaki Rose, Simple to Intermediate Origami



Centipede, Insects



Yoda, International Folders



Cigarettes, Matchbox and Pentagonal Ashtray, International Folders



Ancient Dragon, Fantasy Creatures



American Lobster, Local Designers



Cuckoo Clock, Miscellaneous Objects



Five Interlocking Tetrahedra, Modular Origami

Of course, there are many more models in the exhibition, but this post is starting to get a little long. Wanna see more models? Just come to the real thing and see! ^^

Now for my models:

I had set up 5 of my own creations, namely:

The Dragon-Rider



Most visitors to this blog will have been familiar with this model, as this is just an up-grade of my Dragon. One of the spikes on the dragon's back has been converted into a hooded rider on the dragon.

The Knight on Horseback



Ah well... Use better paper!

A House



A 4 x 2 x 3 building block with a 4 x 6 platform perched on top as a roof and a set of doors.

Dragon-Skin



A sort of square tessellation, but in reality it looks really like dragon-skin. As seen from the top and bottom of the model, the scales actually stand out.

A Honeycomb



This is basically a hexagonal tessellation, with walls in between to make it a honey-comb. Actually it's sort of a brick-like rectangular tessellation, but if you let it curve in and lengthen the rectangles will transform into hexagons.

Heheh... I borrowed the bee from the insects section next door!

Within the few hours we had for our exhibition, Eileen Tan set up a small workshop to teach visitors some simple origami models. Some of the models taught were the magazine box, traditional crane, a stand-up heart and a pair of "talking lips" which would open and shut by moving flaps on both sides.


Eileen teaching some guys from SP how to fold the traditional crane


Some of the models taught in the workshop

But the star of the show has yet to come...

In every workshop there simple has to have a difficult model right?
Well, here goes!


Santa Claus

If you need any more clues to fold this model, here's a CP:



Two folds... heheh.
There can only be one model easier than this, and that's here.


Haiz... Wasn't this exhibition fun? Looking at all those models almost made me drool... :) I just feel like folding all of them!

I really hope I can take part in another Origami Exhibition with this fantastic origami group!



Origami as Pure as Snow
shonen

A Grand Entrance

Yo folks!

Here's the new sub-model i promised in the last post!



The doors are actually made from the "extended flaps" in the picture below:



It's actually very simple to make; just create a raised platform with dimensions 2 x 4, and x = 1.

To include these doors onto a building, you must create the door right in the space where you are going to create a building block. You will have to plan out the position of the door, and if the building block is big enough, you can actually move the door higher up to make a window.

Just as the dimensions of the platform can be changed, the size of the doors can also be varied, so you can make a set of tall, narrow doors or short, wide ones.

This is only one example of the many possible functions of the raised platform sub-model. Curious folders are free to explore and come up with new ways to use the platform in their models.

This a short post, cos' I'll be meeting Wolf and gang in the afternoon. See ya!


Origami as Pure as Snow
shonen