Almighty Bean

I’ve been doing a lot of research about different kinds of origami out there.  It’s really mind boggling just thinking about how many kinds of designs there are.  I honestly don’t think I could invent my own design, it’s hard enough trying to follow other people’s instructions.  I thank the magic of Youtube for letting me find all of the generous origami enthusiasts out there, without them, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.  I also recommend going to the Origami Resource Center — I’m still trying out the many many diagrams in this website.

I’ve mentioned Tomoko Fuse a few times already in my previous entries.  Tomoko-san is still my favorite origami creator.  I’m still saving up to buy this master’s book.  Most of the boxes have a similar pattern as far as assembly is concern.  My favorite one right now is this hexagonal box with a nice star like pattern on the lid.

Hexagon box with star patterned lid

I learned to make this beautiful box with the help of a video made by barbabellaatje in Youtube.  A lot of her instructional videos are really easy to follow.  In fact, I already subscribed to her so that I get to try her videos as soon as they come out.  Another thing I love about Tomoko Fuse boxes is that the inside of the box is as intricate as the outside as shown in this picture below:

hexagon box -- inside

Besides getting my designs from the internet, I am also trying to take part in actual workshops here in the US.  I’ve only been to one workshop though, and that was when I went to the Anime Expo 2009 at the Staples Center in Downtown, Los Angeles.  Don’t ask me how long the workshop was, I was having too much fun!  A lot of the people in the workshop were mostly beginners like me, but our instructor, Kazue-sensei was very patient.

Kazue-sensei and I

Those boxes that Kazue-sensei and I were holding were my favorites in the entire workshop.  It’s a model made with 6 pieces of paper connected together to make a closed box (meaning it’s not something you can easily open and close).  Besides that, she taught us how to make a simple flower and a spinner.

6 pc modular box

Another model that I am proud to have accomplished is the Modular Cherry Blossom Ball, a model made by… you guessed it: Tomoko Fuse!  Again I used a video made by barbabellaatje.  You are a genius.  I say this because I know that there’s a big difference between a person who can just do something and a person who can teach something.  And you my friend can teach.

Cherry Blossom Ball

I remember attempting to do this about 4 months ago and FAILING.  I made the pieces and I just couldn’t put them together.  I ended up throwing all of the pieces away.  And how many pieces were used in this project? 30.  Yes you read it correctly.  Three-zero, Thirty.  Back then I didn’t even have premade square pieces of paper.  So, my apologies to nature.  After having made several projects this big, I decided to make it again and voila!  It taught me that if you really want something, you just have to try and try until you get it.  If you fail the first, the second, and a third time, it just means that maybe you’re not meant to make it then.  There’s always a next time.