Modular Origami with Gelli® Prints!

Regina here! Back with another fun project for your finished Gelli® prints: Modular Origami! 

I am super sick of this cold weather and ready for Spring to be sprung! I have been thinking about the warm breeze and flowers in bloom, so here are some gorgeous origami flowers that are easy to make and will help you get over these last few weeks of Winter!

Using a thinner paper like a Japanese rice paper or regular copy paper, I created some Gelli^® monoprints using bright colors and fun stencils! You can use the 5x5 Student Printing Plate to make square prints for origami – or create prints with any other size Gelli^® plate and cut your prints into perfect squares! For the flowers, you only need to print on one side of the paper.

To create one flower, you will need an even number of prints, with a minimum of six square prints.

Once all of your prints are together, you can begin creating your flower one petal at a time. I used a bone folder by Recollections^TM while making this project in order to get a sharp crease, but you could just use the back of your nail to get a similar effect.

Step 1: Fold your square in half corner to corner diagonally, with your print on the outside of the fold. Make sure to crease well.

Step 2: With the resulting triangle placed with the longest side on the bottom, bring the right hand corner up to meet the top point of the triangle and crease.

Step 3: Repeat on the left side side and crease. You should now have a diamond shape.

Step 4: With the diamond shape in front of you, take the right hand side triangle’s longest edge and fold to the right, aligning its edge with the edge of the diamond. It should meet perfectly at the bottom edge of the diamond. Do not worry about the top edge just yet.

Step 5: Repeat on the left side and crease.

Step 6: Open up the right side flap that you just created and fold it down so you have a kite shape. Crease well.

Step 7: Repeat on the left side and crease.

Step 8: Turn over the paper and notice the white triangles on the right and left sides. These are the back of your monoprint, which is perfectly okay to leave unprinted as you will barely see it in the finished product. Fold each white triangle back to be even with the edge of the print.

Step 9: Turn the paper over so now the two triangles you just folded are visible.

Step 10: Fold the white triangle shape in on itself on the center of the “kite” line so that you recreate your diamond shape and crease.

Step 11: Bring the edges of the diamond together while adding a glue dot or your favorite dry adhesive for security. Do not crease.

Viola! You have one petal finished! Repeat steps 1-11 for the rest of your monoprints.

Attach all of the petals together and your flower is complete!

If you’re feeling really adventurous, you could make multiple flowers and attach them all together for a flower ball!

In full disclosure: I did not design this modular origami flower. I was taught how to create it by my art teacher when I was in school. I have since used this project in many ways, such as a project for my own art club, a decoration for a wedding shower, and part of a beautiful retirement gift! If you give it a try, we’d love to see your results!

Here are the materials used to create this project:

• GelliArts® Student Plate 5x5
• Finished Gelli® prints on thin paper
• Liquitex Basic acrylic paint
• Americana acrylic paint
• DecoArt Dazzling Metallics acrylic paint
• GelliArts® Square Edge Tools
• GelliArts® Round Edge Tools
• Paper cutter
• Recollections Bone folder (optional)
• GlueDots Ultra-Thin Dots adhesives

Please—share your prints with us on our Facebook page, or on Instagram using the hashtag #gelliprint #gelliarts or #gelliplate. Tag us with @gelliarts on Instagram and Twitter too! We love to see what you're creating!!

Remember, we now have Gelli partners all over the world, so it's easier than ever to find a Gelli retailer near you!

Have fun and happy printing!