Amabie v1

(A mythical Japanese spirit believed to help ward off plagues)

DesignedApr 2020
Crease PatternYes
DiagramsNo
InspirationReference - Amabie v1

This model is my contribution to the extensive collection of amabie artwork created during the 2020 pandemic. "If disease spreads, show a picture of me to those who fall ill and they will be cured."

I tried other tessellation methods for the scales, but the least complicated way was the easiest to fold and looked the best. After deciding on the scale design, allocating enough paper to depict the three legs, long hair, diamond eyes, and a pointy mouth was simple. I am the happiest with the design of the mouth - it is three-dimensional, is formed from a simple waterbomb base shape, and collapses easily for flat storage. The eye design could be improved as the shaping process is improvised. The crease pattern is based on dividing the paper into 26ths diagonally.