Paper: 1,000 Origami Crane Challenge (30 down 970 to go)

Wish me luck! I have taken it upon myself the task of folding 1,000 origami cranes. 

Background: 

Iwasaki Mineko in her memoir Geisha, A Life mentions a memory of her and her classmates making a 1,000 origami cranes for an ill teacher and delivering them to him at the hospital. Japanese legends exist, promising a person who folds 1,000 cranes will be granted a wish by the Gods. Other stories suggest that the owner of a set will be promised eternal good luck such as with health or luck instead of a signal wish. I tried looking into this further to find an actual story but the best I could do was find vague references to the legends through wikipedia and various blogs. I am not one to believe of superstitions and legends but i appreciate the stories (fun or with significance) from varying cultural backgrounds.

Ground rules:

- The set must be created within 1 year.

- The set must be created by 1 person alone.

- The set must be kept together by the same person. 

I take that to mean the cranes can be given away and still "work" but they cannot be parceled out. 

They have to stay together with one person.

Freshman year at college.

 Quick throw back: Freshman year I was paired to room with a girl studying abroad from Japan, Haruka. I was painfully shy then and she was always on the go so we did not talk much.  Even though we kept to ourselves during that time, we got along well. One of the gifts she gave me while we roomed together was a beautiful pack of origami paper. On the back of the packet were instructions for making cranes. The text was in Japanese but it was easy enough to figure out from the pictures. Whenever I felt stressed out I would fold origami cranes on my dorm floor. Over and over and over. Eventually I lost the habit up until recently when I decided to start the 1,000 origami cranes project.
But this time it is for fun rather than alieving stress.

Paper: Cinderella

A dream is a wish your heart makes.

Paper: The Little Paper Mermaid.

Disney's Ariel the Little Mermaid. Made from cut and layered paper.

Paper: Meg from Disney's movie "Hercules".

Today I've been fiddling around with the idea and imagery of stained glass combined with paper cutting.  For this test run I made Meg from "Hercules". I choose to simplify and skip facial detailing and  put focus on the hair and dress instead.  It was fun making sure the character was recognizable despite the lack of eyes, a nose, mouth and cheeks and other discerning features.

Paper: Cherry from Studio Killers.

Paper cutting of Cherry from Studio Killers in "Ode to the Bouncer".

Paper: Honeybee take two

Buzz Buzz!  Another version of the cut paper honeybee inspired by the song "Honeybee" written and performed by Steam Powered Giraffe. It is an awesome song.

Check it out!

Paper: Black-Capped Chickadee

Black-Capped Chickadee - Rebecca Lehner

Paper: Little Lion Paper Cut

Little Lion Paper Cut - Rebecca Lehner

Paper: Honey Bee

Recently my mom requested something to put up in the spare bedroom. This is what I came up with and it is cut entirely out of paper.

I also listened to “Honeybee” by Steam Powered Giraffe again and again while I worked. It felt like an appropriate song to have on while sketching.

Paper: Oliver Owl

This illustration is a kick back to something I did a few years ago. It is made entirely out of scrap book paper, which I then photographed and edited on the computer. I re-purposed him later on in a fundraiser book sale advertisement poster for my local library. Question: Did you know that  several owls species have "ear" tufts on their heads but they aren't ears at all? Answer: These tufts of feathers may indicate the bird's mood, help keep it camouflaged or be used to show aggression.

Bonus: The terrible initial sketch.

"Why yes I did study illustration in school. Why do you ask?"