I have not been the most active blogger these days, mainly because I am experimenting with paper jewelry and well, that is pretty time-consuming. Though I enjoy making paper jewelry, there is nothing like folding a good solid modular origami to get one back in the blogging game! This modular icosahedron is a fairly easy model to complete and is folded from half a square. So 15 squares, cut into half gives the 30 rectangles required for the icosahedron. The base unit is Lewis Simon's Triangle Edge Module.

Some points to note:

* I worked with coloured copy paper (80 gsm), which resulted in a good, sturdy model.

* If you are working with single sided paper, be sure to start with the coloured paper facing down (as given in the diagram).

* If your model is going to be tossed around (and believe me, this icosahedron very quickly becomes a football!), then be sure to add a dab of glue at the joints.

Model Details:

Model: Icosahedron from Triangle Edge Modules

Creator: Lewis Simon

Book: 3D Geometric Origami

Authors: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein and Rona Gurkewitz

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangle

Paper Size: 3.5 inches * 1.75 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches

Modules: 30

Tutorial: Youtube 

Here is the final cube from the book 'Modular Origami Polyhedra'. The Ninja Star Cube is also made from 12 modules. The one I tried is the second cube. This one is a bit more ornate than the original ninja star cube. It has got a couple more folds which gives a little variety to the folds.

Each face of the cube has the shape of the star in the middle. The star is clearer in the next picture.

Model Details:

Model: Ninja Star Cube 

Creator: Lewis Simon

Book: Modular Origami Polyhedra
 
Author: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: Square cube with approximate side of 2.25 inches

Modules: 12

Before trying the Ninja Star Modular Cube, I tried out one last cube. This is again from the book 'Modular Origami Polyhedra'. As before, this is from the chapter on Decoration Box System. Almost all the cubes have the same heading, namely, 'Modular Cube', so I am also using the same name :) To be more specific, this is the 8th cube in this chapter. The design is by Lewis Simon.

When I looked at this model, I liked the shape which is different from the usual cube shape. This looks a little like the last modular cube I did, but with more pronounced truncated corners. Assembling the model is different from usual for me. An interesting model to fold :)

Model Details:

Model: Modular Cube 

Creator: Lewis Simon

Book: Modular Origami Polyhedra
 
Author: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: Square cube with approximate side of 2.25 inches

Modules: 12

Since making my last cube, I have made a few more cubes from 12 sheets of paper. All are from the book 'Modular Origami Polyhedra' . This one is a Sonobe Cube formed from Decoration Box modules. We start off folding as for the decoration box module and then add a few more folds to get the final module.

I first tried this model from 2-inch squares. Quite a tough job!! Folding these thin creases are quite painful, but not as painful as creasing paper that has already been folded 4-5 times!! My thumb took quite a beating! I would strongly advice a bone-folder for this model. Unfortunately, I don't have one, so had to make do with my poor thumb :(

Model Details:

Model: Sonobe Cube from Decoration Box Modules 

Creator: Lewis Simon

Book: Modular Origami Polyhedra
 
Author: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz
 
Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 2 inches

Model Size: Square cube with approximate side of 1.25 inches

Modules: 12

As I had mentioned in my previous post, I tried out the modular cube variation, this one in orange. The assembly is the same as the modular cube. The only change, in fact, is the way the initial fold is done, so that the reverse of the paper becomes visible. So it is a good idea to use paper coloured on both sides, in contrasting colours. I preferred using single-sided orange coloured paper. I think it has turned out quite well :)

But in reality, folding the modules turned out to be an unexpected challenge! I had used the same paper size as in my previous cube (1.25 by 3.5 inches). Unfortunately, this model had a couple of additional folds, resulting in really thin strips. And folding those thin strips in such a small paper turned out to be painful!! I used a ruler to ensure that I got the folds right. Thankfully the paper was quite strong, I am sure I would have ended up tearing quite a few modules otherwise!

Model Details:

Model: Modular Box Variation 

Creator: Bennett Arnstein

Book: Modular Origami Polyhedra
 
Author: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangle in ratio 1:2

Paper Size: 1.25 by 3.5 inches

Model Size: Square cube with approximate side of 1.25 inches

Modules: 12

The decoration and modular boxes from the book 'Modular Origami Polyhedra' are beautiful and very tempting! The boxes are all cubes made from 12 modular units. They are quite easy to make as well. And I love the little windows in the cubes.

I had previously tried out the original decoration box and was quite pleased with the results. This time, I tried out the first of the modular cubes, which is actually a variation of Lewis Simon's decoration box.

This turns out to be much more economical than the decoration box too, since it is made from 12 rectangles in 1:2 ratio (a square cut in two). The decoration box, on the other hand, is made from squares. So you can make 2 of these modular cubes for each of the decoration boxes :) Naturally, the size of the cube is also smaller than the decoration box.

While folding the cubes, the one issue I faced was that, the backside of the paper (white in my case), can be seen peeking out in quite a few places! No matter how I folded it, the white was visible :( I guess paper coloured the same on both sides would have been better.

Well, I will be folding a few more of these cubes. The next variation of the decoration box is the next on my list, followed probably by the Ninja Star cube.

Model Details:

Model: Modular Box 

Creator: Bennett Arnstein

Book: Modular Origami Polyhedra
 
Author: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangle in ratio 1:2

Paper Size: 1.25 by 3.5 inches

Model Size: Square cube with approximate side of 1.25 inches

Modules: 12

The Decoration Box is from the book 'Modular Origami Polyhedra' and is designed by Lewis Simon. The cube is made from 12 modules. Variations made from half a square and from dollar bills are also found in the book.

Of all the cubes that I have tried in the recent days, this is, by far, my favourite. The alternate dark and light strips add so much beauty to the cube. If the folds are well-creased and accurately done, the final cube is quite firm.

Model Details:

Model: Decoration Box 

Creator: Lewis Simon

Book: Modular Origami Polyhedra
 
Author: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inch squares

Model Size: ~3.5 inches side

Modules: 12

Tutorial: Youtube 

The origami gyroscope, created by Lewis Simon, is actually an octahedron skeleton with a cube-shaped opening in the center. It is an easy modular origami and can be attempted by those new to origami.. It is made up of 6 square bases and 6 waterbomb bases. The square bases are placed over the waterbomb bases and connected together.

And by the way, the square bases are the only ones that are visible in the completed gyroscope. The waterbomb bases are not visible at all. When I had made it for the first time, I thought that both the bases will be visible and had used contrasting paper for them. And after assembling a couple of units, I realised that the waterbombs are not going to be seen at all! So you might want to just use white paper for creating the waterbombs :)

Model Details:

Model: Gyroscope

Creator: Lewis Simon

Book: Modular Origami Polyhedra

Authors: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inches

Number of Modules: 12

Tutorial: Youtube