Beasts and Creatures

Medieval Dragon III

1986 - 2004
A dragon in the Western (European) tradition rather then the Eastern (Oriental) style, this is the kind of dragon that breathes fire and has wings to fly on. This model features detailed body stance, head, tail, wings, claws, and exploits the possibilities of two-colored paper. I designed the original (Classic) version in the 1980's and it was one of my first successful designs. It's an old style design that uses a variation on the blintzed frog base.

A few years ago I redesigned the model, concentrating on improving the head and wings. I added a jaw with fangs and eyes on the head and three-fingered claws on the wings. This is accomplished by dividing the paper in the 9ths rather than 8ths at the first step, and folding over an extra layer on 2 edges. Then proceed as per the diagrams until the end, when you pull out the extra paper and make the new features.

The diagrams presented here are hand-drawn from the early 1990's. I submitted them to the Origami Society and apparently they were published in the annual collection in the mid-90's. I have looked for that year's collection but it is out of print. If anyone out there has a copy they'd like to sell me I'd be grateful.

Diagrams for the Classic (Mark II) Version of the Dragon

Adirondack Moose

2008
Sometimes there's a fair bit of trial and error in creating a new model and sometimes the first idea turns out to be on the right track. This was the last model I developed for my Adirondack project, and the design came together very quickly. I pretty much nailed the model on the first try with very little experimentation and some lucky guesses on the proportions. The moose uses a variation on the stretched bird base. It's strong and the legs can support the weight of the antlers, which are the key to the whole design and are very large.

Asian Elephant II

2008
An evolution of my previous elephant, this one uses a variation on my Bear Base. It is more efficient in its use of the paper than my old elephant and has a simpler, more elegant folding sequence.

Asian Elephant

2004
After reading Robert J. Lang's Origami Design Secrets, I was inspired to design my own elephant. Here it is.

Crease pattern for Asian Elephant
Diagrams for Asian Elephant

War Elephant (Oliphaunt)

2009
A fantastic elephant with a castle on its back, ready to march into battle. It essentially combines two different models into on sheet of paper. Once I had the basic approach to the tower worked out, I folded quite a number of prototypes to work thru the placement and proportion of the tower with respect to the elephant body. The design of the tower creates pleats that run to the edge of the sheet where I use them to form a fearsome array of tusks.

Baluchitherium

2008
This ice-age relative of the rhinoceros was the largest mammal ever to walk the earth. Originally designed for an annual challenge, the model synthesizes of elements of my Elephant and my Moose.

Black Bear

2008
This was another Adirondack commission and the first model I developed using my Bear Base (hence the name). For an animal like the bear, which basically has a head, ears, four legs and a tail, there's not much to distinguish it in terms of anatomy. Instead it's all about proportions and stance. Mine features a realistic, sculptural body and stylized claws.

Birds and Critters

Common Loon

2008
The loon is a remarkable animal in many ways. You should get to know it if you live in the northern half of North America. This was part of my Adirondack project, and I did a fair amount of research into the bird before undertaking this design. It was one of the most rewarding challenges to date.

I considered a few possibilities, including versions with wings and/or feet, but finally decided to concentrate on the classic pose of gliding on the water. It uses a variation on the fish base, but its apparent simplicity belies a deeper subtlety and sophistication. Color-change models are always challenging because it means exposing the opposite side of the paper. I had to consider how to abstract and simplify the loon's complicated plumage and then how to do it by folding. The stripe on the neck turned out to be key. Then once I got going on the body, I found getting the curve of the neck right was another essential feature.

Frog

2008
I have considered making a frog from the time I developed my hex base. However, unlike the lizard and turtle, the frog is an animal whose back legs are much longer than the front -- indeed half the length of the whole body -- so it was not clear if this approach would work. Indeed it required some substantial changes, but in a fit of experimentation last spring I developed a satisfactory version. It is fully 3-D and in particular emphasizes the hind legs and the head and brow ridges that fuse into the back.

Snapping Turtle

2004
Made from the same hexagon base as its cousin the Lizard, my Snapping Turtle features a detailed head and claws, and a segmented domed shell. This has proven to be a very popular model, always in demand for teaching and exhibition.

Diagrams for Snapping Turtle
Crease pattern for Snapping Turtle

Lizard

2003
Features detailed head and claws, and a nice, posable body stance. This model is was the origin of my hexagon base, which inscribes a regular hexagon into the paper's square to create a six-pointed base and uses the leftover wedges of paper to form the claws.

Crease pattern for Lizard
Diagrams for the Lizard

Armadillo

2007
Another addition to my hex base family, this model was inspired by a trip to Florida where a family of these cute critters were living in the yard of the place we were staying, under the hot tub. I tried a couple designs based on 45 degree symmetry before I realized that my hex base is good for almost any animal with 4 equal length legs, and a head and a tail. The shell is formed thru basic pleating. The hardest part of this model was making the ears essentially without developing any new points, and without sacrificing the closed back. In the end it worked out quite well, and I've since generalized this approach to use in other models such as my Brown Bear.

Fox

1989 - 2008
One of my earliest successful designs, but a nice one that has stood the test of time. Takes advantage of two-colored paper and 3-D effects to produce a fluffy white tail and ears. Recently revisited with modifications to the head and stance.

Insects, Invertebrates and Flowers

Butterflies

2006
A butterfly captured at the moment of spreading its wings and taking flight. I generally don't do a lot of insects but a butterfly seemed like a good subject because it's more lyrical than your average bug, and I had an idea for an approach. I've seen some really beautiful butterfly designs that have great wings but no legs and can't stand. I've seen others that have legs but are a highly technical to fold, given the subject. I wanted to something simple and sculptural, but just complex enough to have legs. My model uses a waterbomb base, with two of the flaps forming the wings and the other two forming the legs. It's easily doable from a 6 inch square, and only the only hard part is 2 closed sinks in a row.

Diagrams for the Butterfly
Crease Pattern for the Butterfly

Love Bug

2009
This whimsical insect is a variations on my butterfly where the wings form the shape of a heart. Perfect for Valentine's day.

Octopi

2001
Spontaneously invented in response to a challenge at a party, this model is an early forerunner of the whole Origami From Space approach, with its use of rotational symmetry.

Crease Pattern for Octopus Base

Fivefold Rose

2002
Inspired by the classic Kawasaki Rose, this model features fivefold rotational symmetry to better emulate the natural symmetry of the rose blossom. The golden ratio is replete in many natural plat forms and the rose is no exception.

Diagrams for the Fivefold Rose