Back to the Horseshoe Crab

I didn't get to fold many things last month, as I had a pile of things to do. Hopefully I'll be able to get more done, especially seeing as I have a project on the mathematics of origami coming up. I finally decided to go back to the old horseshoe crab, because I never did give it any legs like I said that I would. I started out basing my model diagonally on thirds, but that didn't give me enough legs. Then I tried fifths with the same idea, and ended up with nice model that has all ten legs. There are a lot of details left out of the CP. This crease pattern just shows how to make a base with all of the legs, but no distinct head of tail. Either end can make either, and they aren't hard to make. The head has to be shortened up and pleated so that the points on either side can be formed. The abdomen and telson has to be thinner, and the telson (tail) can just be made one third the size of the abdomen. A mouth can also be made with the paper between the legs, by folding four 45 degree angle folds.

Mike Wazowski!

This month on la forum francaphone (which just got a new look, and an new name), the challenge is Film Characters (rough translation). I couldn't think of what to fold this time, and I started off with Lumiere from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. That didn't work out at all, so I tried Mike Wazowski, the short green monster from Monsters Inc. My first ideas didn't work out, and eventually I just stopped with the model that I have now. It doesn't look like Mike, maybe it was him as a child. Here is the CP, based on a blintz fold and windmill base.


The top and left edges are the arms, and the bottom and right ones are legs. All of the corners fold behind to make the color changed eye, except for the bottom right hand corner which makes the iris/pupil. As you can see from the pictures below, its not quite Mike, but I like it nonetheless.

More Mythology: Now With a K

After reading about the Amikiri on a link, I couldn't help but make some proportional changes and such on the CP to add legs and a shorter body to form a Kamikiri. I started off by changing the top portion that makes the claws and beak from and eighth to three sixteenths. I then made simple legs with the bottom corners, and I had myself a kamikiri. There isn't much more to describe it, so here is the CP:


You can tell how the claws are similar to the previous model, and how the legs were made. The two 22.5 degree angle squashes near to the bottom corners are necessary, because otherwise the outside flaps run into that part of the legs. I shouldn't be too hard to make, and the part where the arms connect should be the hardest part,the same as in the Amikiri. Good luck!

A Little Bit of Mythology

For this month on the origami forum (the english one), the challenge is Mythology. There is, as mentioned, very little difference between "fantasy" and "mythology". However, I still think there is a good challenge behind it, because fantasy can simply be made up recently, where mythology is something from stories from long ago. You have to find a mythological creature, but can make up one of fantasy.
Anyway, enough about the differences. Here is the CP that I used. Note the "trianglepleating" used to make the thin arms.


So what does it fold? I forgot to mention. While looking through Wikipedia's list of creatures from mythology, I found something called an "Amikiri", from Japanese mythology. It has a long plated body, a bird-like head and lobster-like claws. Its also known as a net cutter.
If you fold the CP right, you should end up with a base with the beak, arms with claws, and body. Then, with a little detail, you should end up with something like this:

Chess Boxing?

Why not? It turns out that chess boxing has been going on since 2003, and is gaining in popularity. I can't help but wondering whether it would be hard to think of your chess moves after being hit in the head a few times... I decided to go with a somewhat random sport for this months challenge of sports on the english origami forum. Seeing as I hadn't participated in the sports challenge on the french forum, I had a second chance. He is my boxpleated CP, with a 16:16 grid.


It is mostly a simple human form, with some extras. The square in the head forms the cross on the king's head. The bottom point in the center becomes the color changed shorts, and the gloves can be formed by wrapping a layer around the end of the arms. Then only the head remains to be shaped.