Origami artist Chris Conrad folded an incredible origami sculpture of a dragon slayer from a single sheet of paper.
Although typically used as a vehicle for artistic media, the creative possibilities of paper itself cannot be overlooked. Origami artist Chris Conrad knows this all too well. He is known for his intricate origami sculptures made from a single sheet of paper.
One of his latest and most impressive pieces is a dragon slayer created from an uncut 27.5-inch (70-centimeter) square of painted Wenzhou paper. The work is so full of details that, at first glance, it looks like a 3D printed sculpture or a clay creation.
“It was a blast to retire,” Conrad writes on Instagram. “I did a lot of modifications while shaping, including adding a face, adding the scabbard, shaped scales, totally changed the armor on the torso, plus minor tweaks to the head, wings, sword, arms, etc. arms and legs of the dragon.
Originally designed by Matthew Winnagun, the Dragon Slayer features a creature-shaped helmet, wings, and patterned armor.
Since these types of origami sculptures take around 15 hours of careful folding to complete, Conrad is well aware of the patience required to thrive in this craft. “Usually I go through at least two or three iterations before I find proportions and details that I’m happy with,” he said.
“Sometimes I get it right the first time and the whole design process only takes a couple of hours, other times I’ve worked on and off for a month or more to get something to work the way I want it to.” All this care and attention to detail is worth it.
“My favorite detail has to be the pupils in the eyes, which I plan to use in my own work in the future,” says the artist. “I think this might be my best non-original acting work to date.”