Nick Robinson's Blog, page 21

Bavarian Folding

I have a folding job next week in the Bavarian town of Sonthofen (near Munich), check out the view from the Hotel! I hope to maybe hook up with some folders in Munich afterwards…

Ancient footage of Paul Jackson unearthed

My young apprentice in France, M. M. Grand, has unearthed some rare footage showing the origins of Paul Jackson’s “cube” design. As can clearly be seen, his original design wasn’t quite as pure, being held together with melted-down horse, combined with chip-shop lard.

Photos wanted please…

I’m working on my first self-published book, tentatively titled “Starting Origami”.

I’d like to include some colour photos of origami in action. So if you have any photos of one or more younger people folding paper and you own the copyright for the image, please get in touch privately. They should be high resolution and pin-sharp!

You will get full credit and a PDF of the book in return.

Many thanks…

 

I’ve been outed, at last ;)

Doing a quick google and I was led to this page where someone has posted a question about my sexual orientation, to which someone has replied outing me (although it could conceivably be an American actor). Whilst I have no problems whatsoever with people being gay, I’m sorry to inform you that it ain’t true. My wife agrees, my children are less certain. For the record, I’m 6ft 1″, 57 and have three brothers and a sister. I’m delighted that 6 people found the answer useful ;)

Christmas Gift Box

Here’s a model I designed for a recent geometric book project. It didn’t make the cut, but I thought it worth sharing. Originally made from A4, the narrowing at step 5 is partially used to replicate that geometry, so it’s not quite as pure as the original concept, but I’m happy to accept that and it folds smoothly.

The shape itself is a bisected tetrahedron, so if you make two, you can use it as a puzzle, although not a hugely difficult one!

Origami, Anywhere

I’ve now seen the cover of a book called Origami Anywhere, that I completed during the summer, which mysteriously, won’t be published until next May! More details here.

A Festive Gem Flower

As a gesture of seasonal good-will, I’ve made a video for my Gem Flower – I hope you like it!

Those old modular blues

Coming to the end of my current (as yet untitled) geometric origami project. I’ve been taking photos for the book (samples below) and the illustration work has been wrist-punishing – showing 3D assembly of a succession of modular designs is no easy task. Should be complete by Christmas, all being well.

So today’s theme is “Nick Robinson”

World Origami Days is a wonderful concept, but for me, slightly flawed in execution because the various origami societies around the world couldn’t agree on a day. Thus, it’s celebrated over a period. Read more. However, this hasn’t stopped folders around the world from celebrating it in a variety of ways.

I’ve just spotted that Isa Klein (my fellow guest at the OUSA convention this year) has set a challenge on her blog for people to visit my list of diagrams and fold one of them in celebration of the day. The model is then to be photographed on a special background that you can print off from the site, all very clever! Here are some images I’ve swiped from facebook.

Thanks for this great tribute Isa and to those who took the time to fold and share something of mine, it’s humbling   ;)

Blossom

For over 25 years years I have gazed lovingly at a variation of the bird base (where the 22.5 degree creases are extended right across the paper) that looks like a gemstone. I stare at it, hoping that divine intervention will show me a way to lock the loose flaps together at the bottom with minimal extra work. The current book project on geometry has unearthed the same puzzle, since it’s highly geometric and I have found at least one alternative solution.

The decorations created by Rae Cooker have often used two identical units where opposite flaps interlock simply by sliding into each other. Following this logic, I tried to “invert” the gemstone creases so the angles at the corners instead began from the centre. Lo and behold, the following model delicately came into being, sliding flaps from the outer sheet into pockets on the inner. Not a sturdy “lock”, but sufficient for my needs. As with all elegant designs, it may not be original, but it’s new to me and that’s all I worry about ;)

To give you plenty of clues, here are the two constituent parts…