Origami In Motion

Most origami is static; once created, it just sits there.  But some origami is made to move and bend, either to mimic the original design or to create a new effect.  The most common movable origami, and often the first paper-creation we make, is the fortune teller.  By moving the corners back and forth, we create a hypnotizing effect that simulates the mysteriousness of predicting the future.  Another favorite is the flapping crane.  Its design is a little different than the traditional version, but the alterations allow the wings to move if you pull the crane's tail.  There are many more movable origami creations, I will have to post more about this another time. 

Go Big or Go Home!

Most origami art-forms involve folding pocket-sized creations, but there is also the art of large origami.  Large origami is exactly as it sounds: fold the same pocket-patterns, but use very large pieces of paper.  Although impractical, the sizes of some of these creations can be magnificent!  A favorite of large-origami artists is dinosaurs, as the origami versions mimic the sizes of the real beasts.  Just be careful to not leave your creation out in the rain!

May the Fold Be With You

Origami is often associated with feminine patterns like flowers or butterflies.  But few realize that origami can also be quite masculine.  For example, Star Wars origami has a huge following, with users creating all the characters from the series.  The pieces can be easy, like the Millennium Falcon or a Tie-Fighter, or complex like Yoda or an X-Wing Fighter.  They are also great gifts for a guy friend, because what guy wouldn't want an X-Wing of their own?

A Little Water Goes A Long Way

Wet origami uses heavy paper that has been dampened with water.  The damp paper allows the folder to create smoother, more natural looking edges and surfaces, resulting in more realistic final products.  The water makes the paper more malleable, but it also makes it weaker, so we use heavier paper to avoid tears.  The patterns are folded normally, but afterwards the folder spends a little extra time rounding and curving areas to increase visual affect.  The process can be difficult, but the result is worth it!

Flutterby, Flutterby, Fly Away Home

There are several ways to fold an origami butterfly, and each pattern emphasizes a different aspect of the creature.  The simple butterfly (top) displays the wing-pattern clearly while providing just enough detail to make it recognizable.  The second butterfly looks more like a moth because of it's prominent abdomen, and it tries to incorporate more rounded wings.  The fan butterfly is probably the easiest to make and looks the sweetest.  The third butterfly shows how, as the patterns get more intricate, the butterflies begin to look more realistic, through the curved bottom wings.  The last butterfly uses the two-tone of the paper to create wing patterns that look similar to real butterflies, making it the most realistic butterfly origami pattern yet. 

Money, Money, Money

Money makes a great gift, but giving the bills in an envelope can seem boring and impersonal.  Money origami can transform those plain dollar bills into a variety of fun creations.  There is the classic money-shirt for Father's Day, the sweet money-heart for Valentine's Day, the intricate money-koi for Birthdays, or the money-bouquet that is suitable for any occasion.  So next time you find yourself giving money to a loved one, try making it personalized.  They'll appreciate the present even more!

Anywhere, Anytime

You can do origami just about anywhere: while waiting in line, while watching TV, or while on long car rides.  For difficult projects, folding while standing can be tricky.  But for simple, repetitive projects like the units of the Modular Swan, folding them while standing is easy.  The best pass-time folding projects are ones that are repetitive, almost boring, when using your full attention, but just detailed enough to keep your hands consistently busy.  Try folding something next time you are waiting in line, it will make the time go by faster!

Easter Time!

Easter is just around the corner and to celebrate, I am sharing some of my favorite Easter-time origami projects!  Origami Easter projects are the best gifts to give because they are homemade, they show you put effort into them, and they are inexpensive.  The modular basket of eggs and the modular baskets demonstrate how we can reuse the units from the Modular Swan to build other shapes.  The basket with the handle is my personal favorite, especially in miniature with small chocolate eggs.  And no Easter brunch would be complete without a bunny decoration.  Don't forget to use bright-colored paper!

Intricate Lotus Flower

The layered petals of the origami Lotus Flower make it look intricate and fragile, but the pattern itself is quite simple.  A word of warning: the material used to fold this piece will make or break the outcome.  If you start with too small paper, it will become too thick to fold around halfway through the pattern.  I recommend starting with a 1'x1' piece to make a flower like the size pictured above, but the bigger the better!  Also, avoid using thin or weak paper as it will tear when you turn the petals inside out.  The petal-turning step creates the curved petals that make the piece so beautiful, but puts a lot of strain on the paper.  For especially durable results, try using material or thick card paper. 

Grow Your Skill

Origami is widely enjoyed because of it's progressive levels of difficulty.  For beginners, there are simple designs like the Jumping Frog (pictured left).  It is a favorite among school children because it actually jumps if you use stiff paper.  For the advanced folder, there are intricate patterns like the Dragon (shown above), a challenging undertaking that should not be entered into lightly.  And for any skill level in between, there are numerous patterns and projects to enjoy!  

Extreme Modularization

In modular origami, the project's beauty is revealed when the individual pieces are combined.  The unit's pattern is usually quite simple, allowing the folder to make many of them quickly, but the amount of units needed can vary from project to project.  Some projects require just a few units, while others require hundreds or even thousands.  The Modular Swan, for example, uses over 400 units!  These swans can vary from simple white, as seen in the left image, to complex rainbow patterns, as seen in the right image.  And you don't have to make just swans; these units can make dragons, peacocks, roosters -- the possibilities are endless!  It's like Lego for origami.

Growing Pains

Sometimes there are origami projects that just don't want to come together.  For me, it was the Five Intersecting Tetraheda project.  For something that looks so simple, it sure is difficult to combine properly.  I would get 3 in place, but the fourth and fifth tetrahedra were impossible, and eventually I lost my patience-- I put it down and haven't touched it since.  The morale of the story:  if at first you don't succeed, leave it until you are no longer mad at it.  I'm still waiting...

Five Intersecting Tetrahedra Instructions

Follow the Curve

I think a rounded-edge is the hardest part of an origami piece.  By nature, folds are straight and sharp, so to create the effect of a smooth, round curve requires some extra work.  Looking at the origami piece above, you can see how I created the rounded tops of the heart by combining many little folds.  To make the edge look smoother, I would add more folds so that the straight fold-edges become smaller and smaller; as the straight folds become smaller, the illusion of a curve becomes clearer.  This effect is especially useful in animal origami, as very few animals have straight features. 

It's a Small World After All

 

I find miniature origami both fascinating and challenging, but as the origami becomes smaller, it becomes increasingly harder to fold accurately and securely.  Paper can only be folded 7 or 8 times at the most, which restricts the number of folds that an origami pattern can make.  Also, the piece can become too small if you don't start with the right size of paper.  I've run into this problem many times, and it is always disappointing to have to start again with a bigger piece of paper.  But if you can overcome the obstacles, the final product is worth it!

Odds and Ends

Most people think that origami can only be created using paper.  While the traditional origami used paper, modern origami pieces can use many different types of materials.  For example, the above picture shows origami stars made from long plastic straws.  The art of cloth-folding creates pieces that make carrying objects like bottles or books easier.  The folder could also wet their paper to create origami that looks more like sculptures than paper.  If in doubt, try folding using that material -- you might just discover a new origami medium!

Shapes & Sizes

 

There are many different categories of origami, such as modular origami, practical origami, or decorative origami.  My favorite category is decorative, but unfortunately the most beautiful origami pieces are often the most advanced.  I've made many attempts at difficult origami pieces, only to have them end up as crumpled, shapeless forms.  I don't get upset though.  Instead, I just declare these failed pieces under a new category: modern origami!

Kimono

Kimonos are a traditional Japanese robe worn during special occasions.  They are made in a variety of designs and colors -- just like origami paper! -- so it seems fitting that we can make origami versions of them.  I've tried this piece in many designs and colors, and I have yet to find one that I didn't like.  Origami kimonos are great as present toppers, paper doll clothes, or strung along a decorative chain.  I would love to make a life-sized origami kimono one day, using extra large origami paper. 
(I will post instructions as soon as I can find them.  Sorry!)

Roses are red...

Real roses can be expensive, especially around Valentine's Day.  So why not give something a little more affordable, and that will last a lot longer?  In the image above, the left rose is folded using a different pattern than the center and right roses, but I think it looks just as beautiful.  I prefer the center rose because its petals have been carefully rolled over, similar to the petals of a real rose.  Bouquets of these flowers look spectacular, and to obtain the same aroma, simply spritz the bouquet with rose oil and Voila! -- a bouquet of roses that will last forever.  Just don't try to water them!

Kawasaki Rose Folding Instructions

Basket of Fruit

The paper used during folding completely defines what this piece becomes.  Here, by using red paper with black spots, the piece becomes a strawberry;  the green back-color of the paper lends itself well to the leaves.  If I had used blue paper with a black back-color, it would look more like a blueberry.  And if I had used red paper with circular patterns, it would look similar to a raspberry.  We can make larger fruit too, like apples, oranges, and pineapples, by using larger pieces of paper.  It's amazing how we can make most origami fruit using one folding pattern!

Fruit Folding Instructions

Ninja Star

The ninja star is most often folded by high school students, likely because of its easy folding design and cool shape.  Although I've folded it using flower-patterned paper (as seen above), this piece looks especially sharp when folded using silver paper or aluminum foil.  The latter material is quite an undertaking, since foil crinkles and tears so easily, but the outcome is worth it.  This is also a great piece to fold when you are standing in line or in a waiting room, to pass the time or impress others!

Ninja Star Folding Instructions

Water Lily

I folded this water lily origami piece using the wrapping tissue from a present I received, and I think it turned out beautifully.  I have tried folding it using normal-weighted paper, but the paper became too thick to fold by the time I reached the third layer of petals.  The tissue paper was thin enough to allow for multiple folds, and large enough that the final piece size was suitable.  I have been looking for large origami paper sheets for a while now, but no such luck.  If anyone knows where I could find some, I would be very grateful!

Water Lily Folding Instructions

Box Full of Treasures

I use this octagonal box to hold all my tiny origami pieces, like the lucky stars in the previous post, for example.  I didn't fold this box, and unfortunately I cannot find the folding instructions.  It was created by one of the members of the SFU Origami Club, a club which has since disbanded due to the members having graduated.  If anyone knows of where I can find the folding patterns for this piece, I would be very grateful; it is a beautiful piece that I would like to make one day.

A Shower of Stars

To me, nothing is prettier than a jar full of origami stars.  These sweet little pieces of art are a bit tedious to make, but are beautiful to look at, especially in large bundles.  To make them, you fold long strips of paper into pentagons, then pinch the corners to make them puff out.  The smallest stars are the hardest to fold, but create the best effect.  You can also string them on a thread to create adorable children's jewelry.  Happy folding!

Lucky Star Folding Instructions

Everything has it's place...

I found this pencil holder origami on Pinterest a few months ago, and absolutely loved it!  I use it to hold all those random pens and highlighters that tend to clutter my desk.  The diamonds on each face are actually little pockets that can hold paper clips, pins, or scraps of paper.  Its only flaw is that it tends to tip over if I put too many pens in it, although this could be easily fixed with a weighted bottom.  Here's the link to the instructions:  Modular Pencil Case Instructions

A Flock of Birds

I made this string of origami cranes for my boyfriend 3 years ago.  I tied a picture of us together at the bottom, and each crane represents a memory we've had together.  I love making cranes because the folding instructions are easy, yet the result looks delicate.  There are 60 cranes in total, 20 of each color, and I used normal folding paper.  I would love to try making this piece with more colors, to create more of a rainbow effect.

Crane Wreath

Crane wreath.

The back looks good too.

My friend Dana and I made this crane wreath together two years ago.  We made four sections apiece, and I assembled it.  We used sturdy paper, but it was not necessary -- the locking folds of the design are great at ensuring the piece holds its shape.  I especially like the rainbow coloring, though solid, alternating colors would create a great effect, too.  I appreciate that the back of this piece looks good, also; in my experience, most origami designs only ensure the front looks nice.