The Origami Forum

I see many of the great designers' models with perfect sphere puffed out eyes, like crawfish, shrimp, treefrog, and expecially insects. Sipho Mabona's models are a great example. He talks about puffing the eyes up in some pictures, but my question is... how?

I know that for the tree frog it's done by having a small narrow flap, then you gently push it so that it expands. Kind of like how pushing down on the back of a crane makes it round instead of pointy.

With Sipho's Octopus he used a q-tip inserted into the model to get the eyes round. I don't know if he uses that technique on other models, but it is much easier to do something like that if you are able to work from the inside of the paper also.

I have Lang's tree frog design in Origami Design Secrets, I've tried pushing it down carefully, but I can't get the eyes perfect like on the front cover. For Sipho's octopus I can imagine myself getting the eyes round because of working inside the model. However, what about Sipho's crayfish and other models?

Sipho's Dead Cicada II.

See the eyes? How does he do it?!

My guess is maybe they stuff toilet paper inside?..