The Best Modular Origami Models of 2018
We're finally coming to the end of the Best Origami of 2018 posts!
This time we're going to look at the best modular models. These are pretty much all geometric shapes created from multiple sheets of paper folded into individual units and assembled together. This also includes kusudamas.
You can vote for your favourite model at the end of this post. Voting will be open for two weeks and close on October 25, 2019.
We'll start off with a mind-blowing model from Byriah Loper. Byriah Loper is pretty much the master of modular origami and it was pretty hard to narrow it down to a few models for this post.
This crazy creation is folded from 270 units!
1) Thirty Interlocking Irregular Equatorially Truncated Triangularly Distorted Dipoles, Designed and Folded by Byriah Loper
Instructions not available
Next we have this beautiful soft looking rose kusudama. It's assembled from 30 individual units. Definitely one of my favourite kusudama models.
2) Roses Kusudama, Designed by Masha Athanasiadi and Folded by Natalia Romanenko
Diagrams available in Kusudama Bouquet 2
Here's another fantastic looking kusudama. I really like the curly shapes here. It's always cool to see models with curls instead of just perfectly straight angles like you see most of the time. This kusudama is also assembled from 30 units.
3) Le Feu, Designed and Folded by Masha Athanasiadi
Diagrams available in Kusudama Bouquet Book 6
Next we have a pretty unique and complex looking kusudama. I really like all those spirals! This is folded from 120 individual units.
4) Arkadia Var. Designed and Folded by Valentina Minayeva
Instructions not available
This next model is titled "Unfathomable" which sums it up pretty good. I have no idea how you could assemble 480 individual units like this!
5) Unfathomable, Designed and Folded by Byriah Loper
Instructions not available
Here we have something a bit simpler but I really like the shapes and colours here plus it's beautifully folded.
6) Tornado, Designed and Folded by Jaime Niño
Instructions not available
Since paper is so thin you can really get some cool looking results when you add a light inside something like a kusudama. The light looks especially great here glowing inside this awesome star.
7) Bascetta Star, Designed by Paolo Bascetta and Folded by Uschi Mitzkat
Video Instructions available from EzOrigami's YouTube channel
I really like how this next model is a combination of a kusudama and tessellation. It's beautifully folded too, especially with the blue and red paper which makes a gorgeous colour combination.
8) Hydrangea, Designed by Shuzo Fujimoto and Folded by Akira Nguyen
Instructions for the units and a modular cube are available from Michał Kosmulski's Flickr
Here's another fantastic model from Byriah Loper this time ti's a bit less complex so you can really see the individual shapes. This one is folded from 270 units.
9) 30 Interlocking Irregular Hyperboloidal Triangular Prisms v7.1, Designed and Folded by Byriah Loper
Instructions not available
This is another fantastic kudusama with really nice shapes and fall colours.
10) Vagaria, Designed and Folded by Masha Athanasiadi
Instructions not available
Tomoaki Yano has a very unique style when it comes to designing kusudamas. This model sums up that style pretty well and looks very different from most kusudamas. It's folded from 90 units.
11) No Name, Designed and Folded by Tommoaki Yano
Instructions not available
This model is called "Incomprehensible" and it's a pretty good companion to that "Unfathomable" model from earlier. This is assembled from 240 individual units. The colour scheme here is really nice and I like the angle of the photo and how you can see into the middle from here.
12) Incomprehensible, Designed and Folded by Byriah Loper
Instructions not available
Uschi Mitzkat has a pretty cool ability to make her kusudamas look like marbles which you can really see here with those extra marbles in the photograph. The blue, green and white colour scheme is absolutely gorgeous with this model.
13) Nautica, Designed by Maria Sinayskaya and Folded by Uschi Mitzkat
Instructions not available
I'm also a big fan of kusudama models that are open in the center like this one. They look much more delicate and harder to fold. This one looks amazing with that tye-dye paper and it's folded fantastically.
14) Ostara Kusudama, Designed by Maria Sinayskaya and Folded by Akira Nguyen
Instructions not available
I really like the choice of paper used in this next kusudama with the combination of grey and that white and gold pattern. You can really change the look and feel of models like this with different colours and patterns on your paper.
15) Taj Mahal, Designed by Valentina Minayeva and Folded by Irina Chisa
Here's another really excellent kusudama that uses curves instead of perfectly straight lines. The star-shaped swirls look excellent here. It's folded from 30 units.
16) Anemonella, Designed and Folded by Masha Athanasiadi
Instructions not available
This final model is really cool. It looks like something's either growing on it or you have a star poking through it. The yellow part looks very organic while the blue part looks more manufactured and together it's a very interesting combination. I also really like how the yellow paper is slightly transparent.
17) Lobivia Flowers, Designed by Valentina Minayeva and Folded by Hongam Zhang
Instructions not available
Which one of these do you think is the best modular origami model of 2018? Vote below!
Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage other people to vote as well. Voting will be open for 2 weeks and close on October 25, 2019.
The Best Origami Insects of 2018
There are a few more categories to wrap up for the Best Origami of 2018. This time we're looking at insects which are always very impressive and there are a lot of great models from 2018.
Like the previous posts voting will be open for 2 weeks until September 23, 2019 so vote for your favourites at the end.
And like I mentioned in the last post I'll be giving away two copies of Origami Design Secrets to two random people from the email list so sign-up at the bottom of the site.
There's a lot to go through in this post so lets get started with one of Kota Imai's amazing beetles. Kota Imai is one of the best insect designers I've ever seen and all the details, especially the little bits on the legs here are incredible.
1) Caucasus beetle 3.1, Designed and Folded by Kota Imai
Crease pattern available from Kota Imai's Flickr
This cockroach looks fantastic. Kim Ju Hyun did a really good job folding it and the paper used here makes it look extra great.
2) Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, Designed by Brian Chan and Folded by Kim Ju Hyun
Crease pattern available in Tanteidan Magazine #168
Here's a very realistic looking scorpion and I really like all the bends in the legs.
3) Scorpion, Designed and Folded by Maeng Heung Gue
Instructions not available
Here's another incredibly realistic looking insect. If you saw this from a bit of a distance sitting on a tree you'd easily mistake it for a real one. Mariano Zavala B. has also created an excellent YouTube tutorial showing how to fold this model too.
4) Kirkaldyia Deyrolli, Designed by Kota Imai and Folded by Mariano Zavala B.
Video tutorial available from Mariano Zavala B.'s YouTube channel
This leaf insect is a pretty cool looking model and this one also looks very life-like. The brown paper used here is also quite nice and gives it kind of a nice autumn leaf look.
5) Leaf insect (Phyllidae), Designed by Kota Imai and Folded by Carla Godoy
Crease pattern available from Kota Imai's Flickr
This is one of the best mantis designs I've seen and I especially like the action pose it's folded in here. This is all folded from a single 45cm x 45cm square of paper.
6) Flying Mantis, Designed and Folded by Nguyenngoc Thanh
Crease pattern available from Nguyenngoc Thanh's Flickr
Here's another beautiful beetle design. It's a popular model to fold and this is one of the best versions I've seen of it.
7) Cyclommatus Metallifer, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Kim Ju Hyun
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 2, 2002 – 2009
I'm still amazed at how many incredibly amazing and different origami beetle designs are out there. Here's another one and I really love the head and legs on this one.
8) Tiger Beetle, Designed and Folded by Maeng Heung Gue
Instructions not available
This flying beetle is on another entire level because I'm pretty sure it's all one sheet of paper and the colour changes make it so the shell is black but the inside and wings are brown. I have no idea how you can design something like this.
9) Flying Okuwagata, Designed and Folded by Kota Imai
Instructions not available
Here's another incredible example of a colour change in design. This whole model is folded from the same 78cm x 78cm square of paper!
10) Scorpio-Snake, Original Designer Unknown, Modified by Mariano Zavala B. and Folded by Vít Masopust
Video instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.'s YouTube channel
Here's another really excellent beetle design full of fantastic little details and all folded from a single 35cm x 35cm square of paper.
11) Golofa Beetle, Designed and Folded by Nguyenngoc Thanh
Instructions not available
This is another fantastic model that looks absolutely beautiful here.
12) Leaf Katydid, Designed by Brian Chan and Folded by Kim Ju Hyun
Crease pattern available from Brian Chan's website
Michael Lau designed this incredible beetle both walking and flying!
13) Beetles, Designed and Folded by Michael Lau
Instructions not available
This wasp is another fantastic design with colour changes, I especially like those eyes.
14) Wasp, Designed and Folded by Nguyenngoc Thanh
Instructions not available
Cicadas are fairly popular in origami and this one is one of the best. Take a look at all those folds in the wings.
15) Cicada, Designed by Kota Imai and Folded by Kim Ju Hyun
Crease pattern available in Tanteidan Magazine #160
This is another one of my favourite beetle designs and I especially like the colour change on the back. It looks especially awesome when folded with yellow and black paper. The details on the legs here are really great too.
16) Hercules Beetle, Designed by Nguyen Ngoc Thàn and Folded by Carla Godoy
Instructions not available
Here's another absolutely amazing and creative design. The details and folds are perfect and it's all from a single 40cm x 40cm square of paper!
17) Leg Snack, Designed and Folded by Maeng Heung Gue
Instructions not available
This Tarantula would make a perfect Halloween decoration. The use of a tessellation pattern to give the whole thing a 3D shape is a very clever idea too. I know spiders technically aren't insects but I'm still including this model here because it's awesome.
18) Tarantula, Designed and Folded by Kota Imai
Crease pattern available in Tanteidan Magazine #170
Here's another really great and quite aggressive looking scorpion design. The glossy paper used here as a very nice touch too.
19) Emperor Scorpion, Designed and Folded by J.W Park
Instructions not available
This is called a Dead Leaf Mantis and with the paper used here it very much looks like it's name. Another absolutely fantastic design.
20) Dead Leaf Mantis, Designed and Folded by Nguyenngoc Thanh
Instructions not available
Here's another really excellent and almost kind of cute looking tarantula.
21) Tarantula, Designed by Robert J. Lang and Folded by lostbaguetteORIGAMI
Instructions not available
I love how clean this model looks. The colour changes on the wings are very cool and folding here is top-notch.
22) Simple Dragonfly, Designed by Shuki Kato and Folded by Jan Groot
Diagrams available in Origami Nature Study
Kei Watanabe also designed an amazing flying stag beetle. This is some very interesting almost stone-paper here.
23) Miyama Stag Beetle, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Instructions not available
Our final model for this post is this beautiful looking beetle with an amazing color change in the design. The black and yellow paper here looks fantastic and the details on this model are awesome. This model is folded from an uncut 40cm x 40cm square of paper.
24) Odontolabis Mouhoti Elegans, Designed and Folded by Maeng Heung Gue
Instructions not available
Which one of these do you think is the best origami insect of 2018? Vote Below!
Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage other people to vote as well. Voting will be open for 2 weeks and close on September 23, 2019.
Voting is now closed.
The Best Origami Fish and Sea Creatures from 2018
We're back! I've been super busy over the past several months with work and family stuff which is why I haven't done any work on the site in a while. I've got a bit of time again so I'm going to try to finish up this Best Origami of 2018 feature hopefully before the end of 2019...
I've got the winners of the past categories all saved and will be announcing the winners once all the categories are done and voted for.
Also, to make up for the lack of activity I'm going to be giving away two copies of Origami Design Secrets by Robert J. Lang to the people signed up for my newsletter. You can find the link to sign up for that at the bottom of the site. I'll be sending out an email soon with instructions on how to increase your odds of winning.
So with that out of the way let's get started and check out the best fish and sea creatures that I saw during 2018. You can vote for your favourite at the end of the post and voting will be open for 2 weeks until September 4th just like the other categories.
Kei Watanabe designed a ton of fantastic fish in 2018 and we'll start things off with amazing life-like chum salmon.
1) Chum Salmon, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Instructions not available
Winston is another amazing designer who's a master at creating fish designs. Here is a fantastic Humphead Parrotfish and if you look up pictures of the actual animal you'll see how perfect this paper version is.
2) Humphead Parrotfish, Designed and Folded by Winston
Instructions not available
Next we have this excellent octopus that's all folded from a single square of paper. I'm quite impressed how you can get 8 legs out of that and this model is folded beautifully.
3) Octopus, Designed by Yojiro Sakai and folded by Hiroaki Kobayashi
Instructions not available
Here's another incredibly life-like fish design from Kei Watnabe. He did design quite a few fish in 2018 and I had to pick a bunch of them for this post. I'll let you all vote on which one you think is the best.
4) Japanese Sea Bass, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Instructions not available
I also had to featured several amazing fish designs from Winston as well. It was too difficult narrowing it down to just one or two. Here's a Threadfin Butterflyfish that looks exactly like the real thing even down to the colour changes in the design.
5) Threadfin Butterfly Fish, Designed and Folded by Winston
Instructions not available
This is an absolutely beautiful photo of a beautifully folded clown fish.
6) Clown Fish, Designed by Yoo Tae Yong and Folded by Adriano Davanzo
Diagrams available in Origami Pro #4 - World Ocean Origami
A not so exciting fish in real life but this paper version is incredible and so life-like.
7) Pacific Bluefin Tuna, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Instructions not available
This is a pretty cool and a little bit ominous looking Hatchetfish. The photo here definitely captures the deep-sea nature of this fish and I really like the slightly 3-dimensional mouth.
8) Hatchetfish, Designed by 涂开明 and Folded by CaptainMoon
Instructions not avaialable
Another incredibly life-like design from Kei Watanabe. I really love how soft this fish looks and the rock in the photo is a really nice touch.
9) Japanese Fluvial Sculpin, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Instructions not available
And here's another super realistic looking design from Winston of an Atlantic Cod.
10) Atlantic Cod, Designed and Folded by Winston
Instructions not available
This goldfish might not be as complicated as some of the other designs here but it's definitely one of the prettiest fish I saw in 2018.
11) Goldfish, Designed by Ta Trung Dong and Folded by Agnieska (Agne) Mackonyte
Diagrams available in the 22nd Tanteidan Convention book
This is kind of an uglier looking fish but the amount of detail that went into this paper version is very impressive.
12) Inimicus Japonicus, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Instructions not available
Nguyễn Ngọc Vũ's shark design is probably the best shark design I've seen. This version looks amazing. It's expertly folded, especially all those individual teeth and I really love the wave and how it adds a touch of bright colour to the overall photo.
13) White Shark, Designed by Nguyễn Ngọc Vũ and Folded by Nguyen Nam Son
Diagrams available in VOG 2: Origami.vn
Here's another gorgeous goldfish design that, like the previous model, is also from Vietnam.
14) Goldfish, Designed and Folded by Phạm Hoàng Tuấn
Diagrams available from Phạm Hoàng Tuấn's Etsy Shop
I've got one more awesome design from Winston for this post, this time of something a bit different, a stingray. I really like how organic and "floaty" this looks.
15) Stingray, Designed and Folded by Winston
Instructions not available
Here's another fantastic butterfly fish design, kind of different this time but again with a really great colour change.
16) Butterfly Fish, Designed by Red Paper and Folded by Nicolas Terry
Diagrams available in Pure Origami by Red Paper
Next is this cute little pair of orcas. The design is excellent and I really like how each one is folded slightly differently so they look like they have slightly different personalities and are in different positions of swimming.
17) Orcas, Designed and Folded by J.W Park
Instructions not available
Satoshi Kamiya probably has the most famous octopus design and this version looks fantastic.
18) Octopus, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Kim Ju Hyun
VIdeo instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.'s YouTube Channel
Closing things out for this post we have one more pair of super life-like fish from Kei Watanabe.
19) Opsariichthys Platypus, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Instructions not available
Which one of these do you think is the best origami fish or sea creature of 2018? Vote Below!
Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage other people to vote as well. Voting will be open for 2 weeks and close on September 4th.
Voting is now closed.
The Best Mythological Origami Creations of 2018
We're back with the next installment of the best origami of 2018 this time featuring mythological creatures, beings, etc. All of these images were uploaded to the Internet during 2018 which was pretty much the major criteria for their selection.
I picked my favourite creations and you can vote for which one you think is the best at the end of this post. Voting will be open for two weeks until Monday March 11, 2019.
Let's get started!
1) Yebisu, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Yebisu is one of the Seven Lucky Gods from Japanese mythology and this super expressive model is folded from a single sheet of paper! I love the facial expression as well as that fishing rod.
Instructions not available
2) Yatagarasu, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Ji Woo Han
Yatagarasu is a 3-legged crow also from Japanese mythology. This design by Satoshi Kamiya is pretty popular but this is easily the cleanest and best looking fold of this model I've ever seen. The three feet and claws look fantastic and I love the pose here as well.
Diagrams available in Tanteidan Magazine #157
3) Unicorn, Designed and Folded by Daniel Chang
Here we have a fantastic unicorn by Daniel Chang. It's all folded from a single square of paper, the overall shapes of this model as well as the post are excellent.
Instructions not available
4) Scaled Winged Kirin, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya, Folded and Modified by Nguyen Nam Son
This model is absolutely incredible. It's folded from a single 80cm x 80cm square of paper and must have taken forever to fold all the individual scales which aren't part of the original design. The head is probably my favourite part about this model but the wings, tail, legs, body and whole thing looks incredible.
Instructions not available
5) Kyubi (Nine-Tailed Fox), Designed and Folded by Quentin Trollip
Quentin Trollip used his fantastic animal designing skills to design this great little nine-tailed fox, another creature from Japanese mythology. It's folded from a single square of paper and I really love the colour changes in the design, especially on the head.
Instructions not available
6) Ghost, Designed by Oriol Esteve and Folded by Terry Nicolas
With this model Terry Nicolas took Oriol Esteve's kind of cute looking ghost and tried to make it look a bit more scary. He added a nose since cute ghosts don't have noses, this led to freeing some hidden flaps of paper which became a vampire cape. Then he added claws, reversed the 3D belly which put it into a more frightening pose and finished it up by giving it a more snake-like tail.
Diagrams for the original design can be found in Stop Thinking - Start Folding!
7) God of Thunder, Designed by Hojyo Takashi and Folded by Vít Masopust
I've always loved this model of the thunder god Raijin from Japanese mythology and it's folded absolutely beautifully here. It's all from one 60cm x 60cm square of paper and I have no idea how you can make a ring around the head like that.
Video instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.'s YouTube channel
8) Cerberus, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Maxi Purewal
This is a fantastic, beautiful and clean fold of Satoshi Kamiya's excellent design of Cerberus, the 3-headed dog creature from Greek mythology that guards the gates to Hades.
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 2, 2002 – 2009
9) Yatagarasu, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Kei Watanabe also designed an amazing and super complicated Yatagarasu model. Everything about this is super impressive.
Instructions not available
10) Hell Hound, Designed and Folded by Choi Ju Young
I really like this Hell Hound design, especially the head. The paper used here is great and I also quite like how it almost looks like there are flames on the back.
Instructions not available
11) Winged Kirin, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Kim Ju Hyun
Here's Satoshi Kamiya's original Winged Kirin design. It's folded absolutely beautifully and looks super majestic the way it's posed here.
Instructions not available
12) Kirins, Designed by Li Changqi and Satoshi Kamiya and both Folded by Icarus Zhao
There are two more incredible kirin designs, this time without wings but with scales. The yellow one is a redesign of Satoshi Kamiya's crazy Ryujin and the red one is designed by Li Chanqi. Absolutely beautiful work here, they both look incredible.
Instructions not available
13) The Divine Boar Inoshishigami, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Reaper
There are a lot of Japanese mythology themed models in this post. This is the Divine Boar Inoshishigami and this is probably the best fold I've ever seen of this model. The head looks really awesome, especially the eye.
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 1995-2003
14) Pegasus b3.0, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Jan Groot
Here's an absolutely beautiful origami Pegasus. I love how it looks like it's about to start running.
Crease pattern available from folders.jp
15) Little Devil/Devil Fork, Designed and Folded by Hiroaki Kobayashi
Hiroaki Kobayashi designed this fantastic group of little paper devils. Each one of them is made from a single square of paper and the fork itself though is a separate square of paper. He also made excellent video tutorials so you can fold these yourself.
Video instructions for the Little Devil are available from Hiroaki Kobayashi's YouTube channel
Video instructions for the Devil Fork are available from Hiroaki Kobayashi's YouTube channel
16) Basilisk, Designed by Bodo Haag and Folded by Boice Wong
This is an absolutely beautiful basilisk. The design is fantastic, it's expertly folded and the paper used here looks absolutely beautiful, almost like it's carved from some kind of turquoise stone.
Crease pattern available from Bodo Haag's Flickr
17) Devil, Designed and Folded by Ju Hyeong Kim
This model looks pretty amazing and it's full of details from individually folded abs to a very detailed face. This is an absolutely amazing design!
Instructions not available
Which one of these do you think is the best mythological origami creation of 2018? Vote below!
Voting will be open until Monday March 11, 2019. Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage other people to vote for it as well!
Voting is now closed.
The Best Origami Dragons of 2018
I've said several times before that dragons are some of my favourite things I've ever seen folded out of paper which is why I'm excited to bring you this selection of the best origami dragons of 2018!
These were the best dragon models I saw uploaded to the Internet during 2018 and you can vote for your favourite from now until Wednesday February 27, 2019.
Let's get started!
1) Ancient Dragon, Designd by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Francisco José González Alcázar
This has always been one of my favourite models and this is easily one of the most impressive renditions I've seen. I absolutely love the pose here and how ferocious it looks.
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 1995-2003
2) Western Dragon, Designed by Wonseon Seo and Folded by Terry Nicolas
This model isn't super complex but it looks great, is super expressive and has a lot of charm.
Instructions not available
3) Ryujin 3.5, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Lê Huỳnh Đức
This model blows my mind every time I see it. It's folded from a single 156cm x 156cm square of paper and I can't imagine how long it must take to fold all those scales. It's expertly folded and looks amazing here, especially the head.
Diagrams available in World of Super Complex Origami
4) Luster Dragon, Designed by Lee In Seop
Here we have another amazing dragon design that's folded incredibly well. The details and shapes on the head are fantastic and I love how the front legs look ready to grab something. This took 14 hours to fold from a single square of paper!
Diagrams available in the 23rd Tanteidan Convention book
5) Wyvern, Designed and Folded by Hiroaki Kobayashi
This is an absolutely fantastic new design from Hiroaki Kobayashi. It's folded from one square of paper and looks amazing, especially the head. I also really love the choice of paper used here. It's a really beautiful looking pattern and colour and perfect for some kind of sky dragon.
Instructions not available
6) Chinese Dragon, Designed by MiKiller and Folded by Alex Mironenko
Here's another incredible looking eastern dragon design. It's kind of similar to the Ryujin but is certainly unique with a completely different head and other details. It's folded absolutely beautifully here and you can really see all the excellent little details.
This is a modular model that uses 2 squares for the head, 8 for the body, 1 for the tail and 4 for the legs.
Instructions not available
7) Eastern Dragon, Designed by Jun Maekawa and Folded by Andrea Borsa
Another somewhat simpler design but nonetheless fantastic looking. Expertly folded and I love how it kind of feels playful.
Diagrams available in Genuine Origami: 43 Mathematically-Based Models, From Simple to Complex
8) Spiky Dragon, Designed and Folded by Gregor Müller
A fantastic and kind of cute design from Gregor Müller. I love how it's posed and almost feels like a pet looking for a treat or something.
Instructions not available
9) Chinese Dragon, Designed by MiKiller and Folded by Arnolds Kuciks
Here's another amazing take on MiKiller's Chinese dragon. The paint job on the paper here looks incredible and the whole thing has a metal statue feel which I absolutely love.
Instructions not available. Note: I can't seem to find instructions for this model anywhere but I've seen several people now fold it. If anyone know where the instructions are please let me know.
10) Western Dragon V3, Designed by Shuki Kato and Folded by Francisco José González Alcázar
An absolutely beautiful take on this model that looks super life-like and fantastic, especially the way it's posed here.
Video instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.'s YouTube channel
11) Dragon, Designed by Zhangyifan and Folded by Terry Nicolas
This is Terry Nicolas' excellent interpretation of this fantastic design. It's a bit modified with what looks light a slightly more complex head and overall the shaping feels very organic making the model feel quite life-like.
Diagrams available in Chinese New Year 2017
12) Dragon, Designed by Lam Nhat Phat and Folded by Lê Huỳnh Đức
I don't think I've ever seen this dragon design before and I really like it. It has a very different shape and feel from other designs I've seen, probably because of that really thick neck. It's a beautiful design and it's beautifully folded.
Instructions not available
13) Elder Dragon, Designed by Tsuruta Yoshimasa and Folded by Pan Hang
This dragon really does feel like an older, weightier dragon. It's beautifully folded and the paper used here is absolutely gorgeous!
Diagrams available in JOAS issue 28
14) Dragon, Designed and Folded by Sebastien Limet
Here's something very unique and awesome looking. This whole thing is folded from a single A size sheet of paper using a special crumpling technique! I really love how the dragon looks wrapped around that box.
Instructions not available
Which one of these models do you think was the best origami dragon of 2018? Vote below!
Voting will be open for 2 weeks until Wednesday February 27, 2019. Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage everyone you know to vote for it as well!
Voting is now closed
The Best Origami Animals of 2018
In this post we're looking at the best origami animals I saw uploaded to the Internet during 2018. Voting is still open for the best origami people, birds and reptiles so if you haven't cast a vote for your favourites over there be sure to check them out first.
Voting for your favourite animal themed model will be open from now until Monday February 25, 2019. Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage everyone you know to vote as well.
And with that let's get started!
1) Hippopotamus, Designed and Folded by J.W Park
This model perfectly captures the weight and overall essence of a hippo perfectly. I also love the wide open mouth, over all 3D-ness and the pose it's in here.
Instructions not available
2) Jaguar, Designed and Folded by Jaeil Jeong
This jaguar is easily one of my favourite cat designs. It really looks like a jaguar with the perfect pose and I really like the heavy cat-like feet with individual claws. An absolutely fantastic design.
Instructions not available
3) Lion, Designed by Andrey Ermakov and Folded by Chrisophe Michel
This is a fantastic looking lion and I love how playful and cat-like it looks and feels even though it's folded out of paper.
Diagrams available in Olympiad 2018
4) Basset Hound, Designed by Lee Jae Gu and Folded by Rui Roda
Here's an absolutely fantastic little origami dog with a ton of character. The colour changes in the design are really great, I love the big ears and everything is perfectly folded and shaped.
Diagrams available in the 2016 Origami Collection
5) Squeaker, Designed by Kohei Kamei and Folded by Hiroaki Kobayashi
This is totally one of the cutest models I've ever seen. The design is awesome with the colour changes and how it's folded from a single square of paper and Hiroaki Kobayashi did a fantastic job folding here.
Diagrams available in Tanteidan Magazine #172
6) Deer, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Ivan Danny
Here we have a beautifully folded deer photographed out in the wild. Fantastic folding work and equally fantastic photography.
Video instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.'s YouTube channel
7) White Rhinoceros, Designed and Folded by J.W Park
This is one of the best rhino designs I think I've seen. It looks super life-like and full of energy despite being folded out of paper.
Instructions not available
8) Labrador Retriver, Designed by Gen Hagiwara and Folded by Adriano Davanzo
Here we have an adorable Labrador Retriever. I love how happy Adriano Davanzo made it look and the photography here is fantastic as well.
Diagrams available in Spirits of Origami
9) Bucardo, Designed by Richard Galindo and Folded by Jhordan Arauzo
Absolutely fantastic work here. I believe it's been modified a bit from the original design to make the horns look a loot better.
Instructions not available
10) Pangolin, Designed by Eric Joisel and Folded by Blue Dandelion the Creator
This looks awesome and must have taken forever to fold all those individual scales!
Instructions not available
11) Gorilla, Designed by Nguyen Hung Cuong and Folded by Nguyen Nam Son
Nguyen Nam Son did a fantastic job folding this somewhat famous gorilla model. The facial expression here is probably the best part.
Crease pattren available from NGUYỄN Hùng Cường’s Flickr
12) Horse, Designed and Folded by Jaeil Jeong
Here we have an absolutely beautiful and elegant horse design. Everything from how the legs are shaped to the head and mane is perfect.
Instructions not available
13) Wolf, Designed by Shuki Kato and Folded by Maeng Heung Gue
Easily one of the best origami wolves I've ever seen. The folding is super crisp and well done and the face has the perfect expression. The over all shaping and pose also deserve a mention.
Diagrams available in Origami Nature Study
14) Rhinoceros, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Tkak Sakai
I love how aggressive this rhino looks. It's folded using wet folding and looks amazing.
Instructions not available
15) Horse, Designed and Folded by J.W. Park
Another really fantastic horse design some some awesome colour changes and shaping.
Instructions not available
Which one of these models do you think was the best origami animal of 2018? Vote below!
Voting will be open for 2 weeks until Monday February 25, 2019. Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage everyone you know to vote for it as well!
Voting is Now Closed
The Best Origami Reptiles and Amphibians of 2018
In today's post we're going to take a look at the best origami reptiles and amphibians. This includes any sort of lizard, reptile or dinosaur as well as amphibians like frogs.
Voting is still open for the Best Origami Person of 2018 and the Best Origami Bird of 2018 so check those out if you haven't already.
You can vote for what you think is the best origami reptile or amphibian here until Friday February 22, 2019.
Let's begin!
1) Tree Frog, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Ji Woo Han
This is easily one of the best frogs I've seen and probably the best version of Satoshi Kamiya's tree frog design I've seen. I love the face and also quite like the paper used here.
It took 5 hours to fold this frog.
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 2 - 2002-2009
2) Gecko, Designed and Folded by Chris Heynen
This gecko is definitely one of the best lizard designs I've seen out there. The shaping here makes it look super realistic as well.
Instructions not available
3) Green Turtle, Designed by Jang Yong Ik and Folded by CaptainMoon
Easily one of the most beautiful looking turtles out there. The folding work is fantastic and the paper used here makes it look extra gorgeous.
Diagrams available in Origami Pro #4
4) Spinosaurus, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Mariano Zavala B.
An absolutely fantastic rendition of Satoshi Kamiya's Spinosaurus. I love the claws on the feet (of course) the fin along the back and I really like the paper here too.
As an added bonus Mariano Zavala B. made a fantastic YouTube tutorial for this model as well.
Video instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.'s YouTube channel
5) Barosaurus, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Maxi Purewal
Here we have an awesome pair of Barosaurs (I think that's how you pluralize that...). One is folded from a 32 x 32cm square of paper and the other from a 24 x 24cm square. The smaller one uses thicker paper and was harder to fold but they both look fantastic.
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 1995-2003
6) Japanese Giant Salamander, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
I don't think I've ever seen an origami salamander before and this one is quite excellent.
Instructions not available
7) Yum, Designed and Folded by Kevin Hutson
This is a really cool design. Kevin Hutson started out trying to design a frog catching a fly but had too much paper over after the first attempt which gave him the idea of adding the lily pad. That means that this whole model is folded from a single 22 x 22 inch square of paper!
While shaping the model he accidentally dropped it into a bowl of methycellulose but fortunately managed to salvage it.
Instructions not available
8) Glass Frog, Designed and Folded by Travis Nolan
Travis Nolan designed a pretty amazing frog fro the IOIO 2018 contest. Looking at the first image it looks like a fairly normal frog but if you look at the next one and see how it looks from underneath you'll definitely be impressed!
It's folded from a 23 x 23 inch of paper with no cuts or glue. The frog itself is green and the organs are white which is pretty awesome.
And believe it or not this is an actual real animal found in South America. It really does have transparent skin underneath so you can see its organs.
Instructions not available
9) Gigantosaurus, Designed by Shuki Kato and Folded by Ji Woo Han
This is a fantastic model and Ji Woo Han did an amazing job here. I really love all the individually folded teeth and the wavy tongue.
Crease pattern available from Shuki Kato's Flickr
10) Through the Ages, Designed and Folded by Sebastien Limet
Sebastien Limet always has such interesting ideas for his designs. This one was designed after he watched Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom.
Instructions not available
11) T-Rex Skeleton, Designed by Issei Yoshino and Folded by Travis Nolan
A absolutely love dinosaur skeleton designs and this one is one of the best I've seen. This is a fairly popular modular design that a lot of people have folded before but I don't think I've ever seen it so crisp and clear where you can really make out all the details.
Diagrams available in Origami Skeleton of Tyrannosaurus Rex
Which one of these models do you think is the best origami reptile or amphibian of 2018? Vote below!
Voting will be open for 2 weeks until Friday February 22, 2019. Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage everyone you know to vote for it as well!
Voting is Now Closed
The Best Origami Birds of 2018
In this post we're going to take a look at some of the best origami birds of 2018. If you missed our "Best Origami People of 2018" post you can check it out here. Voting is still open over there.
This time we're looking at origami birds and there are some pretty amazing models here.
I've selected a bunch of what I think are the best origami birds that I saw uploaded to the Internet during 2018 and you can vote for which one you think is the best at the end of this post.
Voting will be open until Wednesday February 20, 2018.
Let's get started!
1) Great Cormorant, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Kei Watanabe is probably my favourite artist and he folded some absolutely incredible models in 2018 including several birds. The details in this model are incredible and it looks so life-like!
Instructions not available
2) Black Kite, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Ji Woo Han
A lot of people folded Satoshi Kamiya's black kite model in 2018 but this is probably the best version I've seen. I really love the pose and the angle of the photo here.
Diagrams available in the 24th Tanteidan Convention book
3) Turkey in Full Display, Designed by Katsuta Kyohei and Folded by Mariano Zavala B.
This is easily one of the best paper turkeys I've ever seen. There are tons of excellent details like the individually folded feathers. Plus Mariano Zavala B. made an absolutely fantastic video tutorial showing how to fold this masterpiece.
Video instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.'s YouTube channel
4) Rooster 1, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Next we have another incredible model from Kei Watanabe, this time of a rooster. I love everything from the feathers to the claws, the head, the tail everything here is fantastic.
Instructions not available
5) Eagle, Designed by Nguyen Hung Cuong and Folded by Vít Masopust
Here we have one the best eagle's I've ever seen. The wings and feathers are really great but I especially love the details and shaping on the head, especially with the eye and beak. The individually folded claws on the feet are awesome too.
Diagrams available in Licence to Fold
6) Eagle, Designed and Folded by Jaeil Jeong
This is a fantastic Eagle design. It's not super complex but it looks great and still has some awesome details. I especially love the colour changes.
Instructions not available
7) Rooster 2, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
Kei Watanabe also designed this other amazing looking rooster. The face is probably my favourite part of this but the whole thing is amazing and full of detail.
Instructions not available
8) Lugia, Designed by Hashimoto Haruka and Folded by Jaran Darra
Even though this is technically a Pokemon and not an actual real life bird it's still a bird and it still looks amazing so here it is. This is a fantastic design that uses a single square of paper and it's expertly folded here.
I really love the colour changes on this model and how it looks just like it does in the game.
Crease pattern available from Haruka Hashimoto's Flickr
9) Rooster, Designed by Mineo Shotaro and Folded by Giang Nam
Here we have another excellent rooster design with some lovely details and colour changes for the face and legs. Absolutely fantastic work here.
Crease pattern available in Tanteidan Magazine #161
10) Crested Kingfisher, Designed by Morisue Kei and Folded by Reaper
This may be the best version of this model I've seen and I really like the paper used here. My favourite part though is definitely the claws although the face is pretty awesome too.
Video instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.'s YouTube channel
11) White-Tailed Eagle, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe
I don't have much to say about this model other than Wow! I love the details, the face, the pose, everything. It's an incredible work of art.
Instructions not available
12) Roadrunner, Designed by Ryan Charpentier and Folded by Carla Godoy
I really love the pose and how expressive this model looks as it runs along.
Video instructions available from hafs wahbi's YouTube channel
13) Blakiston's Fish Owl, Designed by Katsuta Kyohei and Folded by Boice Wong
This is a fantastic model and it's folded very well here. The way it's posed you can see all the fantastic details and it's all folded from a 40cm x 40cm square of paper too.
14) Crane with Bad Eyes, Designed and Folded by Hiroaki Kobayashi
This is a fantastic take on the traditional origami crane. It's not super complex when compared to some of the other entries here but it's a cute idea and I really love those eyes.
Instructions not available
Which one of these models do you think is the best origami bird of 2018? Vote below!
Voting will be open for 2 weeks until Wednesday February 20, 2019. Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage everyone you know to vote for it as well!
Voting is now closed
The Best Origami People of 2018
I had a super busy last few weeks but I'm finally here with the first post of the Best Origami of 2018 Extravaganza!
We're starting things off with the best origami people of 2018. These are anything from an entire person folded out of paper to just a face, a mask or something person-related.
I wasn't really going to do a people category but when I was looking for origami for the contest I found enough of these type models to create this category.
All of these were uploaded to the Internet during 2018. It's entirely possible they were folded or designed earlier but I'm going by the date these images were uploaded to the Internet to just keep things simple.
At the end of the post you'll find the opportunity to vote for whichever model you think is the best and voting will close in 2 weeks on Monday February 18, 2019.
1) Charrui Designed and Folded by Rui Roda
This mask was designed after Rui Roda attended a class taught by João Charrua and it kind of incorporates a bit of his style. There's a lot of expression in this simple folded piece of paper.
Instructions not available
2) Mahoraga Designed by Hojyo Takashi and Folded by Rydos
This incredible looking model is folded from a single 90cm x 180cm piece of paper and it took 50 hours to fold! I love all the details here from the design of the belt to the weapon it's holding in its hand.
Diagrams available in the 2011 Special JOAS Issue
3) Thetis Designed and Folded by Joel Cooper
Joel Cooper has designed some amazing masks using tessellation patterns. This one is folded from a single sheet of black elephant hide paper that's been bleached to give it the brown colour and pattern.
Instructions not available
4) In the Rain, Designed by Chen Xiao and Folded by Ivan Danny
This is definitely one of the my favourite "people" models. It's folded from a single square of paper and that includes the umbrella. Ivan Danny did a fantastic job folding this model.
Instructions not available
5) TI(E)RED_HERO Designed and Folded by João Charrua
This is a very unique design created for a "Paper Heroes" exhibition and the Jaffa Museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. The idea of this model is that the hero is an ordinary person but the cape (traditionally a symbol of a super hero) is wrapped around the person like a tie and is dragging him back. If you look closely you'll see a little hand on the back of the cape.
The model is a metaphor for daily life where anyone can be a hero and despite things that might drag you back you should always stand and fight.
A very cool idea and an awesome design.
Instructions not available
6) Acantha, Designed and Folded by Joel Cooper
Joel Cooper has so many fantastic mask designs that I couldn't just pick one. This mask is also folded using a tessellation pattern but the design is unique, super expressive and the whole thing is absolutely beautiful.
Instructions not available
7) Kannon, Designed by Chen Xiao and Folded by Rydos
Another absolutely fantastic person design by Chen Xiao. The whole thing is folded from a 90cm x 90cm square of paper and it took Rydos 20 hours to create this masterpiece. The model is full of amazing details no matter where you look.
Instructions not available
8) Walking in the Rain, Designed by Chen Xiao and Folded by Ivan Svatko
Another fantastic take on this model. This version looks soft, delicate and beautiful, especially the way the hair is shaped.
Instructions not available
9) Iron Man, Designed by Yoo Tae Yong and Folded by J.W Park
Yoo Tae Yong designed an absolutely fantastic origami version of the Marvel super hero Iron Man. It's all folded from one sheet of paper and the colour changes in the design are absolutely fantastic.
Here J.W Park did an amazing folding job and this is easily the best version of this model I've ever seen.
Instructions not available
10) Worn Out Trooper Designed and Folded by Никита Васильев
When I saw this model I thought to myself, "Yeah, we need a people category." It's based on the Nicholas D. Wolfwood design from Brian Chan but if you go look that model up you'll see this one looks nothing like it.
Overall this model looks incredible and it's full of tiny details like the book. Adding a bit of fire and smoke is a super cool touch as well.
I almost included this model in the "Most Unique Idea" category but there already might be something else there from Никита Васильев, you'll just have to wait and see.
Instructions not available
11) Kendo, Designed and Folded by Matthew (Paperforger)
Here's another very cool looking person design. I love the colour changes and especially how that hood and mask look.
Instructions not available
12) Khan by Joel Cooper
I had to include just one more awesome mask by Joel Cooper here. I love how Asian this design feels and it totally captures the essence of a Great Khan.
Instructions not available
13) Golem Eater, Designed and Folded by Sebastien Limet
Here's a very interesting model. The design is a bit simpler but it's super expressive. It's wet-folded from a single piece of paper and then sprayed with spray paint and cement to give it a very unique look, especially since the teeth are still just regular paper.
Instructions not available
Which one of these models do you think is the best origami person of 2018? Vote Below!
Voting will be open for 2 weeks until Monday February 18, 2019. Feel free to vote for your own model and encourage other people to vote for yours as well!