Ed's Buckerfly Model
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Actually, it turns out that I never finished the artwork to make those buckerfly diagrams. It's a fairly easy model, so let me see if I can do this with words. Start with an old art US$1. (Works with any bill, but it'll make descriptions easier.) Note black ink is on the face side, green is on the back side. I'll refer to black and green as the sides of the paper. A "mountain fold" is a fold where the crease comes towards you. A "valley fold" is a fold where the crease moves away from you. |
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Put the dollar bill in front of you, face up. George smiles at you. Valley fold in half. Crease George inside. Unfold again. You should see a valley crease right down George's nose. Valley fold diagonally, so the upper right corner comes down past the black letter O of DOLLAR. What was the top edge is now along that first crease. Valley fold diagonally, so the lower left corner comes up past the black word STATES. What was the bottom edge is now along that first crease. Turn everything over. The green word ONE faces you. We want to hide the black-inked areas inside. First, dog-ear (valley fold) the upper right black corner to parallel the top horizontal edge. Then, valley fold the rest of the black flap along the green edge. Crease. Unfold and refold, tucking it inside the green triangle. Repeat this process to hide the lower left black flap. All you see now is a trapezoid of green, ONE on one side, and seals on the other side. Mountain fold along the first crease, through the green word ONE. Rotate the model so the two points are up, and the first crease is down. Flip the model so the green letter O is still visible, and the green letter E is on the back away from you. Mountain fold the middle of the green O. You should start the fold with a thumbnail at the loose edge to ensure a sharp even crease, and take care to make the sharp wingtips even. Crease well and unfold. We now form the thorax. A diagonal edge goes from the head to the lower right wing tip. We need to valley fold between that edge and the mountain fold we just made. A judgement is optional here: the default is to make this valley fold exactly halfway between the edge and the mountain fold. If this valley fold is made slightly closer to the mountain fold, the thorax is less prominent but the model will stand on a tabletop easier. An undone valley fold (the recent mountain fold's backside) is in the middle of the green E. Redo this valley fold. Flip the model. Another diagonal guide flows from head to lower right corner. Make a mountain fold, following the newer fold that's already done. This will fold the right wing under the model to match the left wing. Keep your wingtips sharp and matched evenly. Crease very well, pinching all layers hard. Flip the model so that there is a diagonal edge visible from head to lower wingtip. (The other side won't have this edge.) Valley fold along the diagonal edge. Crease well. Fold the back wing similarly on the other side. Crease well, minding the even wingtips, then unfold both wings. The top wings are divided from the bottom wings by a mountain-valley fold on each wing. The mountain divides each wing in half, and the valley is just a small distance below the mountain fold. Shape the model attractively, with a slight loose fold along each of the unfolded creases. It should stand on the table if you are careful, or balance the thorax along the lip of a glass. |
