Making Origami Fish

by Michael LaFosse

Making Origami Fish by Michael LaFosse is an easy origami book dedicated to sea life. Of the 12 books in this “Kid’s Guide to Origami” series, this one is my least favorite. Why is that? It is hard to explain:

• some of the models don’t look like the creatures they represent,
• the commentaries from the author are not entirely correct (not exactly incorrect; however, not exactly correct either),
• my edition of Making Origami Fish has has some errors (textual instructions that do not match with the diagrammatic instructions; missing figures). These are not terribly bad, but they do make the folding experience less pleasurable.

Perhaps it is because the other books in the series are so good that this one doesn’t seem to compare. Read below for more details:

The first model in this book is a Sea Star. Right away, something is wrong: sea stars are not fish. This model takes 3 sheets of paper to make and the author suggests that if you are careful, you will not need tape. I disagree. This model does not have any inter locking mechanism so if you wish to pick it up or hold it in any way at all, you need tape to keep the sheets together. In the edition that I have, there is an error in the instructions in step 5.

The next model is a Sea Horse. Interestingly, a sea horse is a fish! This model can be made in only 6 steps; however, many of the folds are imprecise resulting in sea horses that may or may not actually look like a sea horse. I had to make 3 before I got one that looked like the photo in the book.

The Stingray is absolutely wonderful. It is made with one sheet of paper, done in 6 steps and looks like a stingray too. Bravo!

The Swordfish is another good model. It is made with one sheet of paper (which needs to be cut once) and can be accomplished in 5 steps. The resulting model does look like a swordfish.

The Fish model uses two sheets of paper and is relatively easy to make. In the edition that I have there is missing information in step 4. A beginner folder would not be able to make the fins on this fish without the instructions of step 4.

The Angel fish uses 2 sheets of paper and is quite easy to fold. However, I feel that the final product does not really look like an angelfish. I guess you have to be 5 years old to see the similarity.

The Carp is generally a good model: it uses one sheet of paper; can be completed in 7 steps; and requires one cut (to split the tail). The diagrams are for Tancho Kohaku (white koi with a red spot on its head) but the photographed model shows the opposite coloration: red fish with white head. This was confusing.

The last model in Making Origami Fish: the Shark is a good model. The body of the shark is made with the same instructions as the carp. A second sheet of paper is folded to become the upper lip and the pectoral fins. The author suggest that you can jiggle the tail and it will cause the shark’s moth to open and close. Though this is true, jiggling the model also cause it to fall apart.
Thus, tape is advise – but if you use tape, the model will not jiggle properly.

Summary of Making Origami Fish
In summary, I would say that I do enjoy Making Origami Fish, but this particular volume seems to be a little less polished compared to the other volumes. There are small things that don’t run smoothly. Still,… a good book to keep in your collection. Noteworthy are the stingray and sword fish.

 

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