Folding Paper for Pokémon

Besides my Pokémon figure friends as exhibitors, over the course of the previous two-day event, another exhibitor next to them showed off the art of origami or paper-folding. They suggested that it could conceivably be applied to Pokémon, and I agree. It would be fascinating indeed to be able create Pokémon things out of just folding paper, which is what became the incentive for me to write up this post.

Origami is a different kind of artistry with paper. I've discussed about another kind of paper artistry called papercraft, for which Pokémon also has some connections to, in a different post. The difference is that origami purely involves the folding of paper and some variations upon this process, while papercraft may involve some folding but is more directed to the assembly of paper parts by cutting, gluing, and so on. That's not to say things can't get complex; there are plenty of examples of simple and complex for either, and especially the former, for which this post is concerned with.

The origami exhibitors had all kinds of origami art exhibited, but not Pokémon. The slightly jocular reason for that is perhaps they didn't want to "infringe on the other territory", so to speak. The practical reason is because something as specific as Pokémon may have complex realizations in origami, and I can already see that with a quick online search. While video tutorials seem to be abound for Pokémon models, they probably exist in order to tone down that complexity. As well, some models seem to exist with no instructions or at the bare minimum a "crease pattern" that a folder would have to figure out.

My personal origami skills are not very advanced. I can handle simple models just fine and I've memorized to heart one of the more complex popular models, but that is about it. To take on something as complex as some Pokémon models would be an undertaking that I'm not quite prepared for just yet. I'd have to take some time to perfect my skills with less complex models before I have the confidence to take on the more complex ones.

I still find origami to be something neat that has many possibilities. And among those many possibilities, Pokémon seems to fit in real nicely. Even if they're not among the simplest models, I may find them something that I'd eventually take up. At that point, maybe it would be good enough for display along the ones that the origami exhibitors have displayed, only appealing slightly more to what I like.

One year ago: Pokémon in Poké Balls Stickers
Two years ago: Cosplay: J-COSHOKAI 2 - Utsukushii Hana