Roman Diaz's book "Origami Essence" is a very cool book with a number of origami animals and birds. The first of them is this panda, an easy, geometrical version.

The diagram is easy to follow. The suggested paper size is 15-20 cms and I used 15 cms square. A smaller square, I thought, would have resulted in a smaller and more appealing panda!

Model Details:

Model: Panda 

Creator: Roman Diaz 

Book: Origami Essence

Author: Roman Diaz

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 6 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches in height

Tutorial: Youtube Part 1 and Part 2

Recently I tried the origami barracuda from John Montroll and Robert Lang's book 'Origami Under the Sea'.

The model is designed by John Montroll and is a complex one to fold. I started with a large square of paper, 14 inches side. I didn't want to get stuck in the middle because the paper was too small! But I think a 12-inch square would have worked well too.

This is the first time I am folding a complex origami animal. I hadn't realised that they would turn out to be quite that thick! I am not too happy with the way the fins turned out. I think they are  a bit displaced. And the eyes aren't too prominent but other than that, I am quite happy with my first effort 😀

The paper I have used is a very crisp and thin banana paper. This is the first time I am using such a paper and it worked out really well for a complex origami.

Model Details:

Model: Barracuda 

Creator: John Montroll

Book: Origami Under the Sea
 
Author: John Montroll & Robert Lang
 
Difficulty Level: Complex

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 14 inch squares

The Origami 4-star box is one of the very few models that I was able to fold from the Origami Tanteidan Vol 17. I was actually quite delighted to find that I could actually fold one of the models, given the complexity of the origami!

The box is a modular pattern, 4 modules for the lid and 4 for the base. The lid and base are folded in the same way except (1) the walls of the base are higher than the lid and (2) the spiral of the base is folded into the model so that it isn't visible at the base.

I found the model interesting to fold in that, usual modular boxes are folded as 2D and in the final step they are converted into 3D. But in this one, the model no longer lies flat from the second step after the precreasing. And of course, the folding the spiral into the base wall was also something new.

Model Details:

Model: Four Star Box

Creator: Toshikazu Kawasaki

Book: Origami Tanteidan, Volume 17

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 5 inches squares

Modules: 4 for base and 4 for lid

I found Roman Diaz's house a unique design to fold and enjoyed folding it! The design is such that the height and width of the house can be changed, so I guess it is possible to make houses in an ascending order of size! Instructions can be found in Volume 17 of the Origami Tanteidan.

The lock that holds the roof in place is quite interesting.

Single sided paper might not give you a very good result, since part of the house would end up in white, with the rest of the house in colour. Solid colours on both sides or print and single colour, like what I have used, would be good.

Altogether, a very good origami to fold :)

Model Details:

Model: House 

Creator: Roman Diaz

Website: Dosis Diaria de Origami
 
Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 6 inches

After trying Yuri Shumakov's vase yesterday, I decided to try out the next vase - or rather, box - by Katrin Shumakov.

The Bonsai Box is a popular origami box, designed by Katrin Shumakov. As boxes go, this is a complex origami, one that I have always been scared of trying, thinking that it will be too complex for me.

Now that I finally tried it out, I realised that it wasn't as complex as I feared! The best part of the box is that, unlike the other boxes/vases from Oriland, this has a good, wide mouth, that makes it a very convenient box to hold little things that are always scattered around my house.

Model Details:

Model: Bonsai Box 

Creator: Katrin Shumakov

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 8 inches

Tutorial: Youtube

Yuri Shumakov's origami vase is folded from a single sheet of paper and has a very realistic look to it. A good amount of pre-creasing is required before the vase is folded into shape. Though it is challenging, it a good origami to do.

I used a 80 gsm A4 sheet cut into a square. So the size was roughly 8.2 inches square. The model works best with thick paper - but not too thick though, since there is a lot of creasing to do. 80 gsm is ideal I thought. Regular 60 gsm origami paper might not be sturdy enough, once completed.

Model Details:

Model: Vase

Creator: Yuri Shumakov

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 8.2 inches

Model Size: 3.75 inches in height and 2.25 inches diameter

Instructions: Oriland

This modular wreath is a great project for beginner origamist who are just starting off with modular origami. It is a traditional design and quite simple.

I love how eye-catching the end result is! I had placed this at my desk in office and everyone who passed by, had a couple of remarks to make on the star :)

Model Details:

Model: Spiky Wreath 

Origin: Traditional

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 2 inch squares

No of Modules: 16

Tutorial: Youtube

Instructions: Tavin's Origami