Searching for impressive mid-complex dragon

[tschobigami]

Even better thanks for posting the link and good luck trying

[David]

Some time ago Edwin Corrie gave me permission to post the diagrams for his unpublished dragon 2, from a fish base, on the forum, one of my favourite models of all time and unlike many suggested, not too hard to fold

I've reposted the diagrams again as the original link seems to have broken,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43670905@N ... otostream/


This is one of my modified variants


This is the link to the original forum posting
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6836&p=71729&hilit= ... rie#p71729

[Joanna]

Really interesting simple model, but probably it's not what I'm searching for.

[Baltorigamist]

Finally started the photodiagrams, been really busy with other stuff IRL. But they should be up within a couple days. :3

[ETMOrigami]

If you know how to read crease patterns, you could try to fold Satoshi Kamiya's Ryujin 2.1. Its time consuming but the crease pattern itself isn't too hard. You would need at least 120 cm of rice paper (that is mc treated). You will also need to practice folding different parts of it like the head and scales. If its too hard now, I would put that on my list of things to fold someday.

here is what the tail and scales look like:
and the cp:
The cp is kind of small so you might want to look at another one.

Here is a tutorial on how to make the scales:

[Baltorigamist]

Speaking of crease patterns, it would be a lot easier for me to just send you the CP for my dragon. It's fairly busy but not very complex.

[maddoghoek100]

kade chans dragon is nice and there are video tutorials which are helpful if you have difficulty with the diagrams. This is a high intermediate dragon i designed that might be along the difficulty lines you are looking for as well. You can try the head (the hardest part) using the diagrams for the dragon slayer that are freely available on my site http://www.wetfold.com/diagrams.html

[Swapnil Das]

Well. you could try out brian chan's water dragon, it's really nice and mid-complex, though it's from a CP the references are pretty easy to find. it's from a fresh 32x32 grid and collapsing it is also pretty simple! I've Folded it myself and had a lot of fun! you should try it out! Here it is ->
oh. and..er.. the cp is a bit delayed onto the right but the top is full waterbomb-bases and the bottom is inside reverse-folds in and out.

[maddoghoek100]

by the way you mentioned using wrapping paper, if this is still in your mind as an option....THIS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA.

if you have the time invest it in creating a high quality sheet of paper. Depending on where you are the apporach may differ, but it is worth the time. If you invest 10 to 50 hours in some of the model folks are suggesting and fold it from wrapping paper of craft paper, at the end you are unlikely to have a display quality result. The color will crack, it will show significant wear. you can not cook a gourmet meal with canned goods. You have to invest time and energy in preparing the ingredients before you can cook.

If you have an art or stationary store of any kind around ask about hand made papers. they will all have some. This paper will not be suitable for folding at first. you will need to treat it to make it suit your needs for color, texture, stiffness, etc.
- you can backcoat (glue two differnet colored sheets together) using any wather soluable glue (wheat paste, MC)
- you can paint it with acylic paint
- you can dye it with acrylic ink
- you can texture the paper using acylic crackle finishes or other products

Investing as much time in the paper as you do in the model is not abnormal and will always yeild superior results. you cna turn a simple model into something truly remarkable with the right paper and paper treatment.

[Raptorex55]

As far as paper goes, worst comes to worst go for some large tracing paper you can find at any local craft store.

[bethnor]

by the way you mentioned using wrapping paper, if this is still in your mind as an option....THIS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA.

that depends. for instance, eyalr folds many of his models with wrapping paper.

part of the problem is that "wrapping paper" is just a very heterogeneous term. for instance, for a long time, what many people now call VOG paper was occasionally called chinese wrapping paper. i will agree that stateside, the ordinary wrapping paper you find in any local target's, hallmark, etc., are no good--not only are they thick, they are not strong, and they usually do not hold their shape well.

the other problem is that many of these gorgeous models you see on flickr are quite adultered; glue, wire, MC, painting, etc., etc. having used VOG paper, i know there is no way you can just fold it and have it look like it does in these photostreams. and the fact of the matter is, if you're going to glue, wire, paint, etc., etc. your model at the finish, there's no point in plopping down big bucks on expensive hand made papers, as you could probably make kami very exhibit worthy with lots of manipulation. in fact, the VOG folks were very explicit that they used VOG paper because it was cheap and came in a wide variety of colors, not because there was something uber special about it.

i actually have no problem with people using glue, wire, painting (particularly painting, eric madrigal's work is stunning as a result), as long as people say so. the gorgeous results you see on flickr have made people go out in droves to pay ridiculous coin for the VOG paper, which its users were explicit in saying it was only okay, under a false impression that they could achieve such beautiful results just with folding.

[maddoghoek100]

probably a fair bit of discussion could be had in the paper section of the forum, no need to muck up your model search Joanna. Hopefully you have been able to find a model worthy of your time and efforts from the ones folks have put forward or elsewhere. The one thing i would suggest is that the results you get will always be roughly equivalent to the effort you put forward. So practice the model, choose your paper with care to match the design and level of complexity of your model, and use whatever tools you need to create a permanent and lasting gift for your friend (wire, acrylic sealant, paint, dye, MC, and the list goes on).

To bethnors point, museum quality display models are almost never just a folded piece of paper. Special care has been taken to create the final model and to make sure that the color and shape will last through heat, humidity, travel, and so on. there is no magic, just time, effort, and attention to detail.