The Origami Forum

Hey!

This maybe a useless topic, but couldn't really find any help on other topics.

I have been folding insects at the moment, mostly from origami insects 2, and almost every model requires a pleat or several pleats towards the end of the model, in order to give the insect the right shape, with head, abdomen etc... Example: Acrocinus longimanus, Pill bug, Longhorn beattle, Tarantula. Know what I mean?

Everytime, either the paper breaks, because there are so many layers, or it's just impossible to keep a clean pleat... Usually ruins my model lol

Have you got any tips that could help me, I see very nice models on this website of insects with perfect pleats!!!

Maybe the paper I use sucks (tissue foil, kami, kraft...), too thick maybe. Would a simple sheet of tissue be good?

Anyway, cheers, and thanks for reading.

Peace

The best would be double tissue MC paper (two layers of tissue paper glued together with Methyl Cellulose). To make this shaping steps moisten the paper a bit or apply a little bit of MC. Play until it has the right shape and fix the paper to place with strings, rubber bands, wire or whatever you have at hand. Let it dry completely before you remove those tools. The model will remain in this form, even if you smash it on the floor.

I a newbie here and have been folding the insects from the same book. i also was having loads of troubles with the paper being too small to thick and for the same reasons i just couldnt get a good result.

I tryed making the Acrocinus longimanus out of just one sheet of tissue it was a very fidely job being so thing and the end resulted in a very floppy bug that just wont hold its shape very well so i geuss a sheet of just tissure isnt very good.

I then read on and descoverd about tissue foil and made some up and I have found it to work quite well. I have been making them all from 11 inch squares as thats the size i been cutting them and they havent faired to bad. But as you say it it is still hard to make nice pleates though all the layers. I have managed to get though them so far I Have been using a thick pice of thin wood to bend the models around it to form the pleates and so far so good. I also found that with the tissue foil you can squish it much flater and thiner than normal paper or origami paper. I havent tryed just tissue stuck together yet but for now im happy with the tissue foil.

All I can say is a Big thankyou to this forum and everyone on it for pointing me in the right directions and helping out with sticky situations etc. Good luck and hope you manage to sort ypur pleating out.

Kind regards
Steve.

Thanks alot for your replies, they are very helpful, I will try tissue foil and maybe double tissue MC when I feel brave enough. Thanks again. This forum has truely helped me progress in origami and enjoy it even more than I used to! I learn something new everyday!

Peace

I read somewhere that one option is to try and make the pleat only on the top layer, as this is the one that will be visible. This way you only have a single thickness of paper to pleat. Then you can fold the other layers underneath in whatever way works best and even if they tear/split, you won't see it.

Of course if you can't get inside to separate out the layers it might be difficult. I haven't folded anything from OI2 so wouldn't know.