Posts

Showing posts from June, 2020

Roadmaps Origami Tessellation

Image
I had the idea for this one pretty easily, but for some reason, tessellating it properly gave me a lot of grief. I just kept doing it wrong. I messed up the first attempt and also the second as well. On the third try it finally clicked.  It's been crazy lately, for everyone. I'm no exception.  It's comforting to keep doing some of the things that you've always done.  I keep wondering when, if ever, life will return to normal. And what that new normal will ultimately turn out to be.  It feels like we need to reconsider our priorities in the face of all this adversity. We keep trying to stop the changes. But the changes aren't stopping. We keep trying to beat the virus, but it's still winning.   The intentions are good, but it's time to consider a different approach.  Humans, Americans especially, like to think that we're at the top of Earth's hierarchy. We prefer to win at any cost. Perhaps, that's no longer an option. 

Platelets Origami Tessellation

Image
I fiddled with this one a lot. I had the single shape quickly and how to repeat it was pretty obvious. However, execution wa a bit tricky.  I've been having family issues that make really enjoying origami difficult.  At the same time, it's a refuge of sorts. A way to shut off my thoughts and just concentrate on a singular, benign idea.  The pattern kinda feels familiar and different at the same time.  I don't think I've folded this exact tessellation before now. I've certainly done similar ones.So many tessellations are just reimagining similar structures.   Whether or not someone else has folded/designed it, I don't know. Although, I seem to have cornered the market on very densely crowded tesses.  Reverse side view follows.

Origami Tessellation: Traffic Plan

Image
This is just a random idea that I had for a square grid tessellation. It's building off of several common shapes and techniques.  There are some octagons, some squares and some two way arrows. This kind of tess has a lot of flexibility though. You can fold the overlaps in any number of different variations.  Corners/points are also easy to switch between. You can have them stick out or you can tuck them in. How you choose to arrange these variables determines your finished pattern.  I find square grid patterns, for the most part, much easier to fold, than triangle grid based designs. The results though, are no less impressive. .  Reverse side is below. 

Origami Butterflies Tessellation

Image
This tessellation reminds me of Lydia Diard's style. She may have folded something similar or the same. It also has shades of Robin Scholz as well. It may be an accidental rehash of someone else's work or it could be new. It's just a pattern that came to me quite quickly.  It's building upon other tesses I've done using the same basic techniques, but it's a different pattern. My first attempt to tessellate it, I misinterpreted the negative space. But that error led me to the correct solution and my second attempt was successful.  You can fold the wings of the modules in one direction for more of a floral design. But I went with a trine type pattern that to me looks a lot like butterflies.  Rear view and crease pattern pics are below. 

Suns Tessellation

Image
I once folded a tessellation called Ryan's Tess by Christiane Bettens. I first saw a picture of it at the back of Eric Gjerde's awe inspiring origami tessellations book. I didn't figure it out on my own.  I googled it and there was a tutorial. I was much too much of a novice back then to decode it on my own.  It was so different from other tesses that I'd done up to that point in the past.  I can't find that tutorial anymore, but I still remember the basic techniques. I use them sometimes to recreate the works of others and to come up with my own designs.  Now that way of folding is one of my favorite methods, even though it can be quite difficult and fussy. This is a minor variation on that tess. It uses rhombuses instead of triangles.  The inner corners of my rhombuses are a little bent. The folds are so small and delicate. Bigger and/or sturdier paper would be required to really get those points to pop. But I am still pleased with the end result.  The crease patt