This is my original designs gallery, which contains pictures of some of the models I have designed and folded, as well as some information about my paper selection and other tools I used.
Vinegaroon/Whip Scorpion, 2017
Image ©2020 JC Nolan / Lapin Publishing
I have always been fascinated with invertebrates, but had little knowledge or understanding of arachnids at the time. Seeing how so many insect subjects have already been depicted in origami, I felt that arachnid subjects were open to exploration. I was drawn to the vinegaroon in particular because of its unique features – antenniform legs, crab-like spiked pincers, segmented abdomen, and thin tail.
Design
Using box-pleating and a fine grid, I packed not only the limbs, but also spiked ridges and armor segment boundaries. I used color changes to depict joints and the lighter-colored regions of the animal.
Paper and Folding Technique
I folded this model using kraft paper, painted with black acrylic paint on one side and tan on the other. Kraft paper is very thin and durable, and ideal for folding complex models. Since the paint adds thickness to the paper, which makes it more difficult to fold and retain shape, it is better to fold first and then paint the visible sections later.
Kraft paper: Pack: Alios Kraft – 15 sheets – 50×50 cm (20″x20″)
Apocalypse, 2001
Image ©2020 JC Nolan / Lapin Publishing
This origami model is inspired by the apocalypse mammoth tank unit in the real-time strategy computer game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, which depicted a futuristic war between allied nations led by America against the Soviet Union.
Design
The tank in the game was represented as a voxel, a 3D image composed of small cubes known as volume pixels. That simplification made it easier to focus on certain key structures in the design of an origami sculpture. The mechanical look of this subject made box-pleating the logical choice. I also designed it to display the colored side of the paper for the areas on the tank that display player ownership colors. I used two sheets of paper, one for the chassis and the other for the turret, to allow for full rotation.
Paper and Folding Technique
I used two sheets of American foil duo colored gold and white for this model. In order to make it look closer to the in-game appearance, I would refold it with red and gold paper.
Alien Raptor, 2015
Image ©2020 JC Nolan / Lapin Publishing
This model was inspired by the zergling creature in the computer game Starcraft 2, a science fiction real-time strategy game depicting a war in space involving humans and aliens. Most zergling origami models are based on the creature from the original Starcraft game, so I decided to create a new origami model that incorporated the body parts that the Starcraft 2 version has: teeth, claws, horns, and insect wings. I then used a bit more creative license to add more features: a nose horn, multiple eyes, and a spiked tail with a stinger tip.
Design
This model uses 22.5 design with strip grafting. To make it easier to align the creases under the 22.5 framework, I kept the flaps the same length in general and relied more on shaping folds to set the proper lengths and develop the features. With some leftover space, I created more flaps and used them in creative ways. I also used color changes to add more features like the nose horn, eyes, wing spots, and tail spikes. For future versions of this design, I would focus on improving the thickness of the limbs and the management of the strip grafts in the interior of the model.
Paper and Folding Technique
I folded this model from duo colored tissue foil paper. Folding from thin and durable paper is important to insure that some of the interior layers don’t rip. The hand-made look to the tissue foil paper works well to display this model as an organic animal subject.
Hydralisk, 2016
Image ©2020 JC Nolan / Lapin Publishing
This model is inspired by the hydralisk creature from the computer game Starcraft 2. Rather than using the 3D in-game model as reference, I used the cinematic model instead to challenge myself to create something that not only has the most noteworthy features of the subject, but also has organic skin and bones look and feel of it.
Design
I used box pleating with a fine grid because that made it easier to add the limbs and rows of spiked ridges along the back and sides. Box pleating also made it easier to extrude sections color-changed sections such as the arm plates, the torso plates, and the central line down the middle.
Paper and Folding Technique
I folded this model from unryu, duo colored brown and tan. Unryu is very thin and is also mulberry-based, so its longer fibers make it more durable for super complex models such as this. I used methyl cellulose to attach the individual single-colored sheets together into one duo-colored piece. After putting all of the folds in place, I used more methyl cellulose to shape the model and keep it in pose.
Ogre-Faced Spider, 2018
Image ©2020 JC Nolan / Lapin Publishing
Spiders and other arachnids are an unexplored field within the origami arts. I was drawn to this particular spider due to its distinct face: One pair of eyes is much bigger than the others, giving it an ogre-like appearance. In the wild, it catches prey by spinning a web net and wrapping it around passing insects. The enormous eyes help it coordinate its attacks in the middle of the night when there is very little light available. It’s also known as a stick spider since its body and limbs are long and thin, and it tends to sit still and pretend it is a stick when threatened.
Design
I made this model a single-color design since the animal itself is mostly single-color. I used box pleating to create its long and thin limbs. I used the edges to create the legs to minimize the number of layers used. I used interior flaps to create the big eyes and other facial features so that they would be fuller and I could shape them better.
Paper and Folding Technique
I folded this model from ogami paper. After putting the main folds in place, I shaped the model using methyl cellulose.
Poecilotheria Metallica, 2019
Image ©2020 JC Nolan / Lapin Publishing
This is arguably one of the most colorful tarantulas in the world. It lives in a rainforest in India and is critically endangered. When I saw its colorful patterns, I knew I had to recreate them in origami. In particular, I thought the female of this species had well-defined colored regions that lent themselves well to a color-changed design.
Design
I mainly used box pleating. I found it best to have the most visible sections of the model come from the edges of the paper. That also meant that I risked having a significant amount of unused space in the interior of the paper if I stuck to using a square. Using a rectangle decreased the amount of unused space.
Paper and Folding Technique
I folded this model from kraft paper due to its durability and thinness. The crease pattern is intended to use duo colored blue and white paper with a little bit of yellow in key places, but since the acrylic paint adds thickness, I painted this model after folding it.
Other places where photos of my works can be found:
Instagram: @jahorigami