Edited by Jane Rosemarin
The Brittle Star (Ophiuroidea) is related to the Ochre Star, commonly called a starfish. Designed and folded by Carlos Davidson.
See PDF diagrams.
Many things we make in origami have bilateral symmetry. So I thought it would be fun to try to make a sea star, which has five-sided (pentaradial) symmetry. Unlike the more familiar Ochre Star, many brittle stars have long, flowing legs and a small central body. This model uses a pleating technique I leaned from Jeremy Shaffer’s Two Interlocking Rings in his wonderful “Origami to Astonish and Amuse” book and a pentagon-folding method I learned online from Evan Zodl’s EzOrigami.
Paper: Foil paper is best for easily folding the pleats, and for shaping the final model. A 10-inch square produces a 6-inch brittle star.
You can see more of my origami on my website.
An actual brittle star, photographed by Carlos Davidson.