Hyperbolic Paraboloid

Hyperbolic Paraboloid. I think most of all I just like saying this. Hyperbolic Paraboloid.
Secondly, I am becoming obsessed with having to make this form. When we were doing a Ring A Day, I made my first attempt and attached my hyperbolic paraboloid to a ring. It really was a sorry excuse for a hyperbolic paraboloid, but I still liked it. I tried following the instructions in Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths by Heikki Seppa, but there weren't a lot of directional photos, and I really didn't get how it worked.

This one looks kind of like a tough little hyperbolic parabaloid, hanging out on a street corner.

In the meantime, I bought Creative Metal Forming by Betty Helen Longhi and Cynthia Eid who have taken Heikki Seppa's techniques and added some great directional photos and instructions. So the first thing I attempt, of course, is the hyperbolic paraboloid. Even with good pictures and instructions, it was still way harder to grasp than I thought it would be. The directions still make my brain hurt. I drew the diagram on my square of copper with lines and letters and numbers and started hammering away. It reminded me of my attempts to do origami - fold it like this, then this, then fold fold fold twist turn hop on one foot and you have a crane. Huh?! 

So after the first 2 pages of following directions, I got tired and figured I understood what was happening and I could just hammer. Still not quite that simple. I just didn't seem to be getting anywhere. I did finally figure out that I was hammering in the wrong direction and that helped. I think the other part of it was that I had been working all day and I was just tired. I'll have to read through the directions again and make another attempt tomorrow.

Here is my attempt, not a terrible form, just a little bit lumpy. I enameled it.