Since the beginning of January 2014 I’ve been working on my second origami book: Origami Garden: Amazing Flowers, Birds, Bugs and Other Critters alongside a lovely team from Quarto Publishing.

It has been a very interesting experience collaborating with editors, graphic designers, art directors and of course many origami artists and creators who have contributed their works to this project.

I have never had so many rapid-fire deadlines in my entire life, and I’m proud to say I met each one right on time! :)

We are still in the last stages of getting everything ready for printing. I am eagerly awaiting the final colour proofs which should be with me soon. Maria Sinaskaya has kindly checked through all the diagrams looking for errors and I have gone over the contents quite a few times.

The release date for the book is tentatively September 12th in the UK and September 28th in the US. You can already pre-order a copy if you are as excited and impatient as me!

Check back soon for more information. I may even share one or two of the models with you before September.

I’ve just completed my latest project – sign painting on a bird house! However this is not any old bird house, it’s an exact replica of a family barn built in 1928.

Constructed out of miniature planks of wood created from the original barn siding, as well as hand-made mini cedar shingles, this beautifully crafted edifice designed by architect John Yust and built by carpenter Bill Peterson houses seven individual ‘rooms’. It’s like a block of flats for birds!

The natural patina from the 87-year-old planks of wood is so authentic and brings a lot of charm to this piece. It did make the painting rather challenging, but that’s part of the fun.

My usual method of transferring the text with a cartoon didn’t work due to the rough textured surface; so I prepped carefully and painted directly on to the surface with oil paints. With this surface and the paints involved, it was a one-time opportunity only – no going back once the paint was on.

The main sign on the front of the barn measures 20cm x 6cm so that you can get an idea of scale.

I look forward to seeing the bird house installed in the owner’s garden and I hope it will be used by many lucky birds!

Finding the best placement for the sign.

First coat of white paint under the roof.

Sign half painted.

Side view.

Side view after two coats of grey paint.

Finished sign.

Detail

Finished bird house.

Finished bird house.