I have been thinking of trying out an origami composition which is an assembly of various origami, around a common theme.

The composition that I worked on was a beach with boats and houses along the beach and here is what I finally managed to come up with :) I hadn't realized that making a composition could be quite this time-consuming! Finalizing what I wanted to make was the simplest part of the process. I then had to decide on the size, then try out quite a few times to get the proportions right. Finally I set everything in place to complete the arrangement. So given the pains I took to get it done, I must say I am quite proud of it! I think it has come out very well :)

If you want to give the composition a try, I have posted on most of the individual origami earlier. So do take a look :) The composition is made up of


I love folding spirals and I think the queen of origami spirals would be Tomoko Fuse! So since it has been a long time since I folded boxes with spirals, I tried out this little 4-sided box, from her book 'Let's Fold Spirals'. This box is the second of the 2 square boxes and is a pleasure to fold. It took me about 15 minutes to complete the full box, pretty fast I think.

I had used fairly sturdy paper (4*4 memo paper) to fold it, so the end box was also quite sturdy. I like the shape - the height is greater than the usual origami boxes. The spiral also gives the impression of an even taller box. And the slanting lines add a great touch.

Altogether a delightful box to fold :)


Model Details:

Model: Square Spiral Box

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Let's Fold Spirals

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Language: Japanese

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inches

Model Size: ~2.5 inches tall (the spiral adds half an inch) and 2 inches wide

Number of Modules: 4
The origami sun was one of the designs I started folding in the beginning of the month, but was pleasantly side-tracked into folding a Compass Rose, which to me, looked kinda like the sun!

But I finally got around to folding the sun, designed by Jo Nakashima. It wasn't exactly a piece of cake and I still don't think I have got it quite right. There were a lot of pre-creasings and I think I might have missed out a couple, cos the shape isn't as nice as what Jo Nakashima demonstrates in his video.

The paper I had used was a 4-inch square and the resulting sun was about 3 inches in size.

Model Details:

Model: Sun

Creator: Jo Nakashima

Creator Online: Youtube, Facebook
 
Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches

Tutorial: Youtube
This duck origami is a traditional design and it can be folded in a variety of sizes. I folded mine in 2 sizes - 3 and 2 inches. It resulted in ducks that were around 1 inch in height. Since they can be folded into such a small size, they make great additions to cards. A mamma duck and a row of her little ducklings would make a great Mother's Day card, I think :)

Model Details:

Model: Duck 

Origin: Traditional

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: ~1 inch in height

Tutorial: Youtube
Beach chairs are, I am sure, great to use on a summer day and beach chairs are equally great to fold on a very hot summer day! These beach chairs are courtesy of Yoshihide Momotani, from his amazing book 'Doll Houses with Origami'. Every time I open this book, I am tempted to make one of those beautiful doll house rooms! And this time, I was able to complete these chairs, from the garden scene.

The folding is pretty straight forward. The instructions are in Japanese, but the pictures by themselves are pretty clear. There is also a slight variation to this chair, which results in a chair with a tall back.

Model Details:

Model: Beach Chair 

Creator: Yoshihide Momotani

Book: Doll’s House with Origami
 
Author: Yoshihide Momotani
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 7 inches

Model Size: ~6 inches long and 1.5 inches wide
A catamaran is a boat with two structures that are joined together by a frame. It is a stable boat and quite fast as well, and is a common sight on seas and beaches, especially during summer.

The origami catamaran is a great design to fold on a hot summer day. The design is by Maarten van Gelder. The sail is in a different colour than the rest of the boat, so paper with a solid colour on one side and print on the other is great.

I had some trouble when I folded this initially, at Step 7 of the diagram, where the model is collapsed into shape. I had thought that the creases from Steps 3 to 6 were only for the top layer. I discovered, after fighting with Step 7, that the creases for the layer below as well!

Model Details:

Model: Catamaran 

Creator: Maarten van Gelder

Website: Maarten van Gelder
 
Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 7 inches

Model Size: ~5 inches * ~4 inches

Instructions: Diagrammed Models
Summer is a hot, hot time here, with temperatures touching 100 F (~ 38 C). So I am hardly in a position to go out. The next option for me is of course, to fold something. And what is the most appropriate origami to fold, than the sun?

The first origami sun that popped up was Jo  Nakashima's sun. But before I started working on this one, I chanced upon an Origami Compass Rose (Wind Rose), made from 8 squares of paper, designed by Paolo Bascetta. When I tried it out, I thought it looked more like the sun than a compass rose, with the rays of the sun in alternating colours of yellow and orange. :)

So here is my origami sun/compass rose. I used thick paper, similar to printer paper, essential to hold the sun/rose in shape. It isn't very stable, because the fold that holds the units, is small. That is not to say that you need glue, the shape holds together without glue, but it is wise to use some if you plan on hanging it up.

Model Details:

Model: Compass Rose

Creator: Paolo Bascetta

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 2 inches

Model Size: ~4 inches

Modules: 8

Instructions: Origami CZ