#tutorial available

I would just like you to know that this model is much nicer than I made it look. It’s hardly the worst thing I’ve ever made, but there’s still something about how I folded it that does not at all show off this model in its best light. I think I should have maybe started with slightly bigger paper for a first fold. I pass this wisdom on to anyone who might wish to try it themselves (and please do try it, because it’s a very nice model).

A beautiful little rosebud for my mamma. This is definitely simpler than many roses out there, but it still has that realistic quality that you want for flowers to give to other people.

I don’t care that the leaves are changing and there is a chill in the air; in my world, it is always adorable baby duck season. Look at that wee beak!

This was also intended as a ‘try-and-see’ version, but it worked out okay. Sometimes I have to tamp down my perfectionist tendencies and be happy with good enough.

Frankly, even if there were more quill pen models, they would be hard-pressed to top this one. The shape of the nib portion is fantastic; doesn’t it look like you could actually write with it? And then the feather portion is a chance for me to practice my shaping. *bites nails* Step one, of course, would be to use a paper that I could actually attempt wet folding with, but this was just a test fold to see if I could do all the internal folds. Since it turned out even better than I had hoped, I will definitely be folding this again.

I mined paperkawaii‘s youtube channel for boxes for this project, and while I only ended up using 4 models, I probably could have made 11 different boxes from just her tutorials. This one’s a little less flashy than some of the other boxes I made, but, as is so often the case, the apparently simplicity belies the complexities within the model. Notice how the handle is integrated into the lid; that’s some beautiful construction. Also, look at how there are no floaty bits (a highly technical term) inside the boxes like you often find with a masu-style box. I like how the edges are all tucked in and clean. This is definitely a box that will show up again, probably holding a gift of some sort.

I really like how Jo Nakashima does his animals. They’re neither too technical nor too abstract; they fit in that sweet spot of geometric representation that uses simple shapes to create an instantly-recognizable figure. You would think this would be easy, but it’s really not, so I applaud his style.

This is a deceptively simple looking model. It’s not that it’s all that hard to make, but there are a surprising amount of steps to make it look so effortlessly minimalist. Stay tuned, because I’m planning on putting up another model later today that rests on this stand. And I’m sure it will pop up again in other pictures; it’s always nice to have different ways to display my origami.