T12 Maiko

With two previous attempts at creating complex characters wearing a kimono, I wanted to make one I would be satisfied with. In this case, I chose to design a maiko (apprentice geisha) and wanted her to have the following color-changes: hair, getas (sandals), obi (belt), under-kimono, basically everything. After finding structures for the hair and getas, I had the task of fitting them together with the rest of the model, including the paper-intensive kimono sleeves. As with many origamists, I aim to fit my designs on a single uncut square. Doing so can come at a cost, however, such as larger paper size, higher thickness, lower possibility, less color-changes... If the costs are too great, I won't hesitate to throw purism out of the window in order to find a solution that suits me better. Thus, I designed the maiko and kimono in separate rectangles, getting the color-changes I wanted and lowering the load on the model's structure in the process. Characters wearing removable clothing is something barely attempted, if at all, in complex origami. To my surprise, this was perfectly doable with closed sleeves and without resorting to cuts. The obi ended up being the third sheet of paper, allowing to mimic the way it's worn in reality (yes, I did my research). Although I will agree the paper choice could be better, I am very satisfied with the final result and believe its innovation could bring about many new character ideas.