Year of the Dragon 1

According to the Chinese calendar, we are in the year of the dragon! (As you may know, the Chinese have a 12-year cycle which assigns an animal to each year.)  I don’t lay any stock by astrology of any kind, Chinese or otherwise, but I like the idea of giving each year a “mascot”.

As it happens, I am particularly fond of dragons. So, in honor of the year of the dragon, I will post a series of photos and descriptions of varying “species” of origami dragons that I have folded.  These are either my own designs or, in two cases, fairly significantly modified by me but based on other people’s designs.

Here is today’s species: the Broadwing.

The dragon this model represents followed an evolutionary path leading to unusual proportions. It is small of body and had developed large wings that allow it to stay aloft for long periods of time. The hind legs are underdeveloped, because this dragon spends most of its time in the air. The front appendages, by contrast, have large, grasping claws, which the beast uses to snatch prey from the ground and kill it swiftly, eating while aloft.

Designed and folded by me, from a (single uncut) 6″ square of textured foil. The final model is 2″ from head to tail.