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!