This origami elephant was designed specifically for folding with leather—rather than paper. The leather used for folding is thinned through a process called skiving, but no matter how thin it gets, it’s still thicker than paper. The practical limit for thinning leather without tearing is about 0.5mm, while the paper typically used for origami is around 0.07mm to 0.1mm, making leather roughly five times thicker.

With that in mind, I designed this origami Hannya mask to be best appreciated in low light. Its form emphasizes deep shadows and metallic-like surfaces, creating a sense of volume and texture. For a future variation, I’m thinking of using pop colors—maybe even pink—to push the design further into modern cool.