A Jewel in a Paper Bag

One afternoon, when I was about four years,  my mother came from the university where she was studying and handed  me a paper bag. It weighed very little. What would be inside? A candy? A small little toy? I opened it with curiosity and saw a huge black insect.

“It is a walking pin” my mom explained to me. She took it out of the bag and placed it on my sweater like a fine jewel. I observed it as it crawled on my chest and my arm. I grabbed it carefully from its firm body and looked underneath, its slender legs moving and trying to grasp the nothingness in the air. It tickled when it walked on my hand. I played a long time with my walking pin and finally, at bedtime, I left it on a chair in the dining room. The next day I went to play with my pin and, of course, it had walked away.

Thanks Ro for the black beetle and for this warm memory!

The origami beetle, shown in the first photo, is another model whose process is not too intricate, but the result is very effective. I particularly liked one of the last folds to shape and give volume to the wings.

Photos © Leyla Torres. Model created by Greg Bubniak. Folded by Leyla Torres.
Diagrams: Origami Kit For Dummies by Nick Robinson.
Crease Pattern: Polish page Origami.art.pl