A Butterfly for Russell Cashdollar

“The Cashdollar”

This design is a version of the “Joyce Rockmore” butterfly that we named for Russell Cashdollar, origami designer . “The Cashdollar” pays homage to Russell’s colorful origami butterfly displays that we saw at the 1992 origami convention in New York City. It has fanciful color-change spots, and a proportion reminiscent of the design that Russell was exploring decades ago. His display inspired Michael to develop his own origami butterfly design system.

paper folds grab me
and take me on a journey!
where will I go next?

This design will introduce the “Longwing Base,” also used to fold the “Butterfly for Joyce Rockmore” (featured in the Origami Butterflies kit, Tuttle Publishing, 2009) and related variations.

The Dryas iulia (Julia) butterfly displays the general wing shape that serves as the real world inspiration for this model.
Photo by Maurício Leonardi. (Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Borboletajulia.jpg)

1. Begin with the major color facing up. (A) Bottom edge to top, make a pinch mark and unfold. (B) Bottom edge to pinch mark “A,” make a new pinch and unfold. (C) Bottom edge to pinch mark “B,” make a pinch mark and unfold. (D) Valley-fold in half, right to left, and then rotate 180 degrees.

2. Valley-fold the bottom edge to the top pinch mark.

3. Squash-fold.

4. Your paper should look like this. Rotate 90 degrees clockwise. Turn over, left to right.

5. Squash-fold.

6. Valley-fold the top corner to the middle of the bottom edge. Unfold.

7. Valley-fold the bottom edge of the top layer up to the crease and then squash-fold the left and right pockets. Look ahead at the next step for the shape.

8. Turn the pockets inside out.

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

10. Valley-fold the bottom edge of the top layer up to the crease and then squash-fold the left and right pockets. Look ahead at the next step for the shape.

11. Turn the pockets inside out. Rotate 180 degrees.

12. One at a time, squash-fold the right and left halves of the model to form the wings. Look ahead at the next step for the shape.

13. Form a crimped overlap at the middle of each wing by rolling the top edges and the bottom edges of each wing downward. Mountain and valley-fold the paper at the middle of each wing, creating the overlap.

14. Inside-reverse-fold the wing corners for both wings. Mountain- and valley-fold the forewing and hindwing flaps into thirds, forming a pattern of alternating colored triangles.

15. Mountain-fold the indicated flap on each wing.

16. Mountain and valley-fold the abdomen over the right wing. Notice the angle of the fold line.

17. Valley-fold the wings to match. Open the wings out to each side of the body.

18. (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.

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

A Butterfly for Russell Cashdollar.