The Elegantly Photographed Origami Animals of Ross Symons

It isn’t every day that one gets to meet a full-time origamist. Get acquainted with Ross Symons, a South African artist known for making his own paper creations and also beautifully folding single-sheet models of other designers, like Quentin Trollip and Jo Nakashima. Elephant Hide paper is something Symons loves to use; a sturdy material often used for book binding. He admits that one of the biggest challenges is finding the right type of paper for each model. “If I’m folding a bulky animal like a rhino, then I’d use something thicker, but for an insect, I’d use tissue paper so I can get very thin lines/folds for the legs and antennae.” Many of his paper sculptures are made for the fun of it, while others are commissioned pieces (including short films) for brands like Adidas, Red Bull, Christian Dior, and Old Khaki.