A Butterfly for Eric Joisel

“The Joisel”

Named for the late Eric Joisel, Parisian sculptor turned origami master who stunned the origami world with his high level of technical and artistic achievement, this Papillon pour Eric embodies the spirit of our genius-artist-sculptor-clown.

He can make paper do anything, even fold itself. He travels the world, proclaiming himself “silly and stupid” while doing what no one else can even imagine doing. The “Butterfly for Eric” (Papillon pour Eric) elicits music from the gnomes, and lights the morning sky to make the paper rooster crow.

the “clay” in your hands
became thousands of folders
your hands warmed clay hearts!

1. Begin with the minor color facing up. (A) Valley-fold in half, bottom edge to top. Unfold. (B) Valley-fold the bottom edge to the center crease and make a pinch mark. Unfold. (C) Move the bottom edge to the lower crease line and make a pinch mark. Unfold.

2. Lay the lower pinch mark on top of the upper pinch mark and valley-fold all the way across the paper. Unfold.

3. (A) Valley-fold the bottom corners up to align with the crease from step 2. (B) Use the same crease to valley-fold the bottom edge up.

4. Rotate the paper 180 degrees.

5. (A) Valley-fold the bottom edge to the crease. Unfold. (B) Valley-fold the bottom corners to the crease.

6. Use the upper crease to valley-fold the top edge down.

7. Valley-fold the bottom flap up and over the folded edge of the top layer. Rotate the paper 90 degrees clockwise.

8. Open the paper.

9. Valley-fold the bottom edge to the top.

10. Squash-fold the right half.

11. Your paper should look like this. Turn the paper over, left to right.

12. Squash-fold the right half.

13. Valley-fold the bottom corner to the top of the split. Unfold.

14. One at a time, squash-fold the upper right and left halves of the model, forming the wings.

15. Move the top layer of the leading edge of the forewing down. Fold the mountain crease in the middle of the wing down, forming a wing overlap.

16. Inside-reverse fold the indicated corners.

17. (A) Mountain-fold the indicated edges of the hindwings behind. (B) Mountain- and valley-fold the abdomen over the right wing.

18. Valley-fold the left wing to match the right wing. Unfold.

19. (A) Squash-fold the paper for the head. (B) Mountain-fold the corner behind. (C) Your paper should look like this. (D) Fold the wings together.

20. (A) Mountain-fold the abdomen edges inside. (B) Valley-fold the wings down on each side.

A Butterfly for Eric Joisel.