Did you know that the Platonic Solids were named after the Greek philosopher Plato? He believed that these were the fundamental components of nature and associated fire to the tetrahedron, earth to the cube, air to the octahedron, water to the icosahedron and the element cosmos to the dodecahedron.

As the name suggests, the Octahedron has got 8 sides, each of them equilateral triangles. I had thought that folding it would be more difficult than the Cube, but surprisingly, I found it easier to fold this! It is completely folded as a 2-dimensional model, till the last step where it is inflated to form the 3-dimensional Octahedron. The dual of the Octahedron is the Cube.

Model Details:

Model: Octahedron 

Creator: John Montroll

Book: A Plethora of Polyhedra in Origami
 
Author: John Montroll
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 5 inch squares

The Rose Brooch designed by Sy Chen, is a modification of Toshie Takahama's Rose Brooch. It looks best when folded in a dual coloured paper, one side green and the other, possibly red.

The rose isn't very difficult to fold as there are clear instructions available for download, both from Sy Chen's website and from other sites. There is also a video on how to make the brooch.

Model Details:

Model: Rose Brooch 

Creator: Sy Chen

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 7 inches

Diagram: Sy's Paper Folding Page

Tutorial: Youtube

I have been trying out one of Tomoko Fuse's designs from her book, 'Floral Origami Globes'. And it has taken me quite some time to complete it, five days to be precise! Not something that should be attempted if you wish to complete your origami quickly.

The model is made from 60 rectangles, 30 for making the pyramid units and 30 for the bows that are seen in between those little pyramids. After making these, the bows are placed inside the pyramid units so that only the bows are seen. Then they are assembled as one unit. It looks best when the pyramid units and the bows are in different colours, so that the bows are more clearly seen.

The model isn't really difficult to make. Making the units is quite easy though it takes some time. Assemling has to be done carefully. Care should be taken that there are 5 pyramids at each meeting point.

6 of these units can also be assembled into a model, which is what I plan on doing next. I intend to convert this into a hanging ornament; you can see the thread that I had added before completing the assembly. So I will be combing this with the 6 unit model and making it into an ornament.

Model Details:

Model: Floral Origami Kusudama with Covered Bows 

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Floral Origami Globes

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square and Rectangle in ratio 1:2

Paper Size: 5 inches by 2.5 inches and 5 inch squares

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 60

The WXYZ, created by Tung Ken Lam, had set in motion the creation a series of planar models by various origamists including Francis Ow, David Petty, Satoshi Kamiya and Meenakshi Mukerji. The WXYZ is among the simplest of the planar models and is made up of 4 intersecting triangles.

It is quite simple to fold though the assembly will take up some time. I am glad I finally managed to do a planar model though the colour combination isn't the greatest! The red and orange together don't stand out quite that well.

These models have a unique naming convention, which is based on geometric principles. The number of letters used is the same as the number of planes in the model. Thus WXYZ would mean it has 4 planes.

Model Details:

Model: WXYZ Planar Model 

Creator: Tung Ken Lam

Book: Origami A-B-C

Author: David Petty

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inch squares

Model Size: ~5 inches from tip to tip

Modules: 12

Diagram: British Origami

The Congratulations Crane or the Kotobukizuru is a variation of the traditional crane and is also a traditional design. It is a Japan custom to fold these cranes when congratulations are in order, such as a wedding.

It isn't exactly easy to make but it isn't too complicated either. And though it is a traditional design, it isn't a very common one that we see in origami books. So it is a different design to try out and is bound to garner more interest than the traditional peace crane.

The Congratulations Crane is described in the book 'Essential Origami' by Steve and Megumi Biddle. The same crane is also described in the blog 'Origami Weekly', although there it is described as 'Hiroshima Crane'.

The only difference between the 2 cranes is in the way you arrive at Step 16 of the crane described in 'Origami Weekly' (Step 11 in 'Essential Origami'). Whereas 'Origami Weekly' describes steps including a sink and a couple of inside-out turns, the steps described in 'Essential Origami' are simpler to do. From then onwards, both the instructions are the same.

As for the paper to be used, origami washi paper is the best fit for this model since the squashes require paper that does not tear easily.

Model Details:

Model: Congratulations Crane 

Origin: Traditional

Book: Essential Origami

Authors: Steve and Megumi Biddle

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 6 inch squares

Tutorial: Youtube

Diagram: Origami Weekly 

This Cherry Blossom dish is made from 5 squares and includes glueing. It is quick to make and comes out looking really good. I didn't really like the choice of paper I had used but I did manage to make it.

There is a kusudama, made from these units as well. It is a dodecahedron (a 12 pentagon ball) and is made up of 12 flowers, each with 10 petals. So it is made of 120 modules! A bit too much for me right now :)

Model Details:

Model: Cherry Blossom Dish 

Origin: Traditional

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inches

Modules: 5

Instructions: Origami-Instructions

Tutorial (for making the Cherry Blossom Kusudama): Youtube

As kusudamas go, this is an easy kusudama, in the sense that, instead of folding 20 to 30 units, this origami needs only 6 units per kusudama. So the time spent on each of these modulars is much lesser.

That said, each module is a little more complex than the usual kusudama modules. The unit starts with a water-bomb base and involves a squash fold at the tip. Finally, after completing the folds, the module is opened up, with extra care, as it is very easy to rip up the squash fold.

Assembly is just a matter of sliding one module under the adjoining one. Not to worry, it holds firm without any glue.

Finally, a word on the paper used. Regular printer paper works best for the model. With regular 60 gsm origami paper, the problem I faced was during assembly. Sliding one module under the other needed a lot of care since 60 gsm paper gets crushed very easily. But with 80 gsm printer paper, this was not much of an issue. Naturally, the printer paper kusudama was more sturdy than the origami paper one.

Model Details:

Model: Quick Kusudama 

Creator: Nina Ostrun

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.4 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches in diameter

Modules: 6

Diagram: Kusudamas.narod.ru

Tutorial: Youtube