I folded the opening model from Works of Satoshi Kamiya 4 yesterday. After grinding through some intensely complex grids recently, this felt incredibly refreshing.
It’s a beautifully elegant design with those signature clean Kamiya proportions. I used a simple yellow/white duo-color paper, which creates a really nice natural color change for the belly and inner legs without making the folding process overly tedious.
Folded from a 35cm square of pink/white KOMA paper.
Just finished this absolute beast of a model after two weeks of on-and-off folding sessions.
The creator, Yoo Tae Yong, specifically noted in the diagram that this design has the most steps among his works. He highly recommended using paper larger than 90cm to handle the crazy thickness and the micro-shaping required for the fingers and hooves.
I decided to test the limits and went with a 50cm x 50cm sheet of brown eco-paper.
The most satisfying part was shaping the muscular definition on the torso—getting that organic, dynamic rearing pose to balance perfectly on the desk without sagging was a huge relief.
Definitely a marathon of a fold, but seeing it finally stand makes every hour worth it. Let me know what you guys think!
Hey everyone, I had an old iPhone sitting in a drawer doing nothing. Instead of buying a cheap IP camera with sketchy cloud apps and privacy concerns, I decided to turn it into a dedicated HomeKit camera to keep an eye on my cat, Latte.
I wanted it to be 100% local, low-latency, and fully integrated with Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV). Here is how I built it and the GitHub template if you want to try it yourself.
👉 GitHub Repo Template: https://github.com/HuangRunHua/LatteCam
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!
(And yes, it works perfectly for watching Latte sleep all day).
Model: Doberman
Designer: Park Jong Woo
Book/Source: Potential Origami Collection
Paper: 35cm x 35cm Red/Black double-sided paper
Just finished folding this amazing Doberman.
I was originally debating between using black/white or black/red paper for this run, and I’m so glad I went with the black/red.
I recently got my hands on the Potential Origami Collection book, and this Horse immediately caught my eye. I’ve been folding it on and off for about a week, and I am absolutely in love with the dynamic, muscular tension of the final posture.
Some notes on the process:
- Paper Size: The author strongly recommends using 70cm paper (around 60gsm) due to the complex grafting and difficult baseline shifts. However, I decided to take a risk and downsize to 50cm ecological paper.
- The Result: It definitely got incredibly thick around the belly and the legs, requiring some forceful shaping. But 50cm is absolutely doable! The thicker layers actually gave the model a very solid, sculptural feel, making it incredibly satisfying and substantial to hold.
(Also, Latte is currently stuck in the "cone of shame," which means my origami is temporarily safe from her usual destructive physical stress tests. 😂)
Just finished folding this classic 2005 design by Satoshi Kamiya.
Overall, the base of the model is surprisingly straightforward to collapse, but the tail is where the real test of patience begins. As Kamiya mentioned in his notes, the tail incorporates the concept of the Miura fold. Getting those display feathers to stand up requires a very tedious and repetitive series of sink folds. It almost felt like manually executing a long geometric for loop! But once that array locks into place and the feathers fan out, the structural satisfaction is absolutely worth it.
I used 35cm ecological paper (kraft-like texture), and it turned out to be a great choice. It has just the right amount of crispness to hold the rigid skeleton of the tail feathers without getting too bulky in the dense layers.
(See the last photo: Latte is conducting a very intense quality control check. I had to snap the pictures quickly before she decided to test its structural integrity with her teeth.)
Hey everyone! I just finished folding this Koi fish (designed by Hidehisa Inayoshi) and wanted to share a little bit of Chinese culture behind why I made it today.
My younger cousin is taking the "Gaokao" (the Chinese National College Entrance Examination) tomorrow. It's incredibly competitive and pretty much determines your university placement, so it's a massive milestone for millions of students here.
In Chinese culture, we have an ancient legend about "A carp leaping over the Dragon Gate" (鲤鱼跃龙门). The story goes that if a carp can swim against the strong current and leap over the high waterfall at the Dragon Gate, it transforms into a powerful dragon. Because of this, the Koi has become a traditional symbol of overcoming immense challenges, passing crucial exams, and achieving greatness. (Plus, on the modern Chinese internet, the Koi is just the universal symbol for ultimate good luck!)
For this model, I spent a lot of time on the shaping process. I carefully locked the inner layers with a bit of glue to give it that plump, dynamic "leaping" energy, so it really looks like it's ready to jump the gate.
Wish my cousin luck tomorrow!
I spent hours on this, aiming for a majestic, fluffy creature. But looking at the final shaping... I'm pretty sure I accidentally invented a new mythical beast. I feel like I've deeply offended its entire species with this attempt lol. Let me know what you see!
--------- Spoiler alert ------------
It was supposed to be a Persian Cat.
My actual cat, Latte, gave it one look and walked away in pure disgust. I think she knows.
It’s a composite model that requires folding different parts from different sheets and joining them. I used 12cm KOMA paper (brown for the hat and coat, white/grey shades for the rest). Looking at the final size against my hand, 12cm was definitely too large for a functional bookmark—I'll try 7.5cm paper next time!
The tutorial is from the recent British Origami Society (BOS) Convention 2024 Autumn book. Happy folding!
Recently managed to finish the Pig designed by Kamo Hiroo, published in Tanteidan Magazine #217. Really a great intermediate model.
Model: Minotaur
Designer: Satoshi Kamiya
Paper: 50cm x 50cm Biotope (Dark Brown)
For those curious about the inspiration, the Minotaur is a terrifying figure from Greek mythology—a creature with the head of a bull and the muscular body of a man. It was confined to the center of the inescapable Cretan Labyrinth, waiting in the dark until it was eventually slain by the hero Theseus. I absolutely love how Kamiya’s bare-handed design captures that raw, primal power and the tragic, imposing aura of a monster trapped in a maze.
Finally finished this beast after working on it little by little over a week! A few thoughts for anyone planning to fold this:
• It's a massive paper eater: I started with a 50cm square, and the final model is only about 10cm tall! Honestly, using 50cm was a lifesaver—it made shaping the head and horns so much easier.
• The arm thickness is no joke: The layers in the arms get ridiculously thick. I had to rely on wet-folding to shape them properly and keep the paper from exploding.
• Shaping takes forever: The tiny hooves on the legs were tricky to manage, and getting the chest and back to look proportionally bulky took a ton of micro-adjustments.
Overall, the Biotope paper was a great choice. It's thick, but it gives the final model an incredible, almost wood-carved texture that holds its shape beautifully.
Model: Black Kite
Designer: Satoshi Kamiya
Source: Origami Tanteidan Convention Book Vol. 24
Paper: 35cm x 35cm Biotope (Brown)
Finally managed to grind this one out! Biotope paper is absolutely perfect for this model. Overall, the folding process isn't incredibly difficult, but it definitely requires a ton of patience.
The biggest struggle for me was the feet—they end up being so tiny and require some serious effort to shape cleanly. 35cm feels like the exact right sweet spot for this design; the paper doesn't get too thick, and the final wingspan is still decently large and thin.
(For a size reference, swipe to the end to see the comparison photos with my cat, Latte!)
Model: Almiraj
Designer: Kyohei Katsuta
Source: Origami Tanteidan Convention Book Vol.29
Folding Experience:
Taking a break from the "thickness hell" of my recent multi-legged models to fold something elegant. Kyohei Katsuta's designs never disappoint—the geometric lines are so crisp, and the sequence flows beautifully without any forced, stressful steps. The color change for the pink horn, eyes, and inner ears is just pure genius.
Lore / Background:
For those unfamiliar with the model's subject, the "Almiraj" is a mythical beast from medieval Islamic and Arabic poetry. Legend says it lived on a mysterious island in the Indian Ocean and was presented as a gift to Alexander the Great. Despite looking like a cute, fluffy bunny, it was actually a fierce beast capable of piercing giant predators with its single horn! Love the contrast between its adorable look and fierce lore.
Folded this over the course of a few days. The design is incredible, but dealing with the legs is a real workout for your hands!
Designer: Satoshi Kamiya
Paper: 35cm x 35cm Biotope (Dark Brown)
Folding Thoughts & Tips:
The book suggests using 25cm paper for this model, which honestly feels like a trap for first-timers! (That is actually a challenge) 😂 Even with 35cm Biotope, the thickness buildup in those 8 legs was intense and literally made my fingers ache by the end.
However, there is a huge silver lining: that exact thickness gives the final model an incredible, sturdy weight. It doesn't need any MC or wire to stand—it just stands perfectly like a solid statue.
If you are planning to attempt this for the first time, I highly recommend going with 40cm+ or even 50cm+ paper. It will make managing the hooves and head details so much more enjoyable.
I originally only planned to fold the Fox Bride, but she looked way too lonely standing on my desk by herself, so I just had to fold the Groom to keep her company! 🦊🌸
Designer: Kyohei Katsuta
Paper: 35cm x 35cm KOMA double-sided paper (My first time trying this paper!)
Folding Thoughts & Process:
For the Fox Bride, I experimented with a bit of wet-folding on her kimono. It worked wonderfully to help the middle layers stick together and gave the dress a much fuller, more voluminous shape.
To be completely honest, I didn't enjoy the folding process of the Fox Groom quite as much. It might just be my own mood swing because I didn't have the exact paper color I wanted for him on hand, which kind of threw off my vibe! 😅
Still, I love how they look together. Balancing them to stand up straight without the umbrellas took some patience, but it was absolutely worth it. Let me know what you guys think!
Finally folded Satoshi Kamiya's iconic Shark! The design is so elegant, especially how it handles the color change for the belly. Achieving that clean, streamlined 3D body shape was definitely the highlight of the fold for me. The last photo features my cat, who was very curious about the new "fish" on the desk! 🐱
Let me know what you guys think of this fold!
Designer: Satoshi Kamiya
Paper: KOMA
Size: 35cm x 35cm