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Content
by Christine Ognibene
Š 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The opinions expressed in this book are those of the author only and not those of York College of Pennsylvania. This book is an experimental class project for purely educational design purposes. Printed by Lulu Press, Inc. | Design by Christine Ognibene | Photography by Christine Ognibene Typefaces used are Helvetica Neue (T1) Thin and Adobe Garamond Pro Regular.
I want to thank my Professor, Troy Patterson, for helping with the creation of this book along with my classmates who kindly offered great advice for me to help this book turn out the way it did. Even though I cannot fit every single name here, I want to express my appreciation to my family for helping guide me in the right direction for my book. For giving me tips, suggestions, and helpful criticism. Paul, thank you for supporting me with every decision I made with my book and being there for me during the process of it all. Thank you everyone.
Content by Christine Ognibene
01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction 05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Symbols 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bases 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Feelings
introduction
O
rigami is beautiful. It is just paper folded into shapes but it is elegant, clean, and perfect. It is extremely clever. Why is origami so beautiful? It is an art. A unique form of art using paper and only paper. It is folding a paper in such a way that turns it into something else. Something engaging and pleasing to the eyes. The paper then comes to life at the end. It can be a graceful swan or a delicate flower. Or it can be just a simple shape, like a star or a heart. Origami can even be paper crafts like simple paper airplanes.
Some may not have even realized this to be a form of origami, but it can be. Origami does not have to be shapes like animals or flowers or used only for decorations. Some people use origami for dollhouse furniture, picture frames, small containers, and even envelopes or letters. Origami can be created with white paper or beautifully colored and patterned paper. It can be made with very small square paper or huge paper. Origami paper is almost always a perfect square shape though, never a rectangle unless the instructions state otherwise. 02
Origami can be relaxing and serene to people. While creating some origami shapes I would feel very relaxed. I liked to follow the instructions and fold each fold perfectly and end up with the finished product. Of course the origami crafting was a lot more relaxing with the simpler origami shapes. I would tend to get a little more frustrated with the harder origami shapes. Sometimes I wanted to challenge myself with more advanced shapes because they looked stunning as the finished product at the end of the tutorial. I would start following the instructions and then end up crumpling it up and throwing it out. Some of the instructions were way too advanced and did not make sense even with a photo. I would just sit there and
03
think, how did they end up with that? I would not give up right away. I would take a step back and try it again, over and over. Sometimes I would finally succeed and other times I would fail completely, get frustrated, and just throw it out. Overall though it was fun to see how all the folds would end up into a certain shape and it made me feel good to know that I created that; I folded this piece of paper a whole bunch of times and ended up with that shape. It is almost absurd when you word it like that. Folding a piece of paper a bunch of times until it turns into something. It is true though, origami is the art of paper folding. It is not literally folding a piece of paper every which way though until it turns into something. It is more of
a delicate process of making sure all the folds end up in the right spot, get folded the right way, and end up the right shape. Elegant and beautiful. I admire the people that can come up with new origami shapes and ideas. For me, I would not be able to sit down and think of a shape I want to create and know what folds would end up a certain way and what shape that would turn out to. It is very impressive actually. Maybe if I practiced enough and understood what every fold was meant to do then I might be able to create my own design. But, to start I am far from that. For now, I like to follow instructions and tutorials. It is a bit harder to follow origami instructions with just plain text. Step by step photo instructions or a video is a little easier if someone is just beginning origami. For myself during this process I have been sticking to strictly photo instructions only. It is a lot more traditional to follow photos, or illustrations rather than a video. Of course, that is my opinion and others may use whatever instructional technique they prefer. Over
the last few months I have been creating art every week, almost every day. I documented base folds, origami symbols, and the origami pieces I have created. I captured photos of the finished pieces and even photos of the crinkled ruined pieces of paper. Origami can be made into so many different and creative projects. It can be made with simple plain paper or with huge paper, or even dollar bills. The origami craft should not be started until the basics are learned and the history is understood. Origami is an art, an art of paper folding.
04
symbols
A
lot of times with origami photo instructions there will be symbols. There are a lot of dashed lines, dots, and arrows. Each symbol means something different and each symbol is very important even though they might look similar. When I first started my origami crafting I sort of pushed all the symbols aside and just listened to the text and followed the photos. All the symbols were a bit overwhelming at first. I learned later on that the symbols help out a lot. If I ever got stuck I would look for the arrows or symbols and easily
figure out what I did wrong. Sometimes the symbol is as simple as flipping the paper over or turning it upside down. In the end any beginner should memorize and learn what each symbol means if they want to start paper folding. The simplest and most understood symbols are the plain arrows. The arrow that means to fold is an arched or curved solid black line with a black arrowhead top. It means to fold the paper in the direction it is pointing towards. The next simplest symbol is the arrow with a solid black arched or curved line and a white 06
fold
squash
unfold
rotate
fold & unfold
repeat
triangle top. This arrow just means to unfold the fold that was just made. Or to unfold in the direction it is pointing. The last most basic arrow is the fold and unfold arrow. It combines both the arrows listed previously. It is one curved line with a plain arrow head on one end and a white triangle on the other end. This arrow means to make a fold but unfold it immediately afterwards. This is usually meant for making a crease on the paper which can help further into the instructions to make a certain fold easier. One might notice certain lines making their way into origami instructions. When I first started my origami project I overlooked the lines completely, I just 07
ignored them. I assumed all folds would end up the same and it did not matter how I folded the paper. The mountain fold and valley fold are the most common and simple folds used in origami. They are used at the start of every single origami piece and tutorial. They are represented with a series of lines but can also be represented with a solid black arched or curved line with a white half triangle at the top. The valley fold is represented as dashed lines in a straight line. If there are dashed lines in the instructions of an origami tutorial, then it means to make a valley fold. To me, a valley fold creates a ‘valley’ after it has been folded on the paper. For example, if one were to fold
a piece of paper in half and then open it Another type of line to pay close attenback up after a valley fold has been made tion to is the solid black line. This just then the paper should look like the letter means there is a crease within the paper; ‘V’. Another visual example for the valley from something folded earlier or from fold is a book. When a book is open the something just folded. It is useful to see paper is creased down at the center. That where a crease is if someone were to get is what the valley fold should look like stuck during the instructions. Seeing the if it is unfolded. The next fold is called crease lines was helpful to me because a mountain fold. It is represented with a it showed me where I actually needed dashed line followed by a dot (dash dot to fold. If I somehow messed up a step line) and then repeated onward in a and I saw a crease line where I did not straight line. To simplify it, the mounhave a crease, then I would go back in tain fold creates a mountain after it has the instructions and fix any mistakes. been folded. If one were to fold a piece Watching out for creases is very importof paper in half with the mountain fold ant because it can make the origami a and then stand it up on a table, it would lot easier. A missing crease can actually make a mountain shape. If a mountain cause certain folds to be a lot harder to fold were lying flat on a table, it could be do than normal. The arrow that someflipped over and it would be the valley times goes along with this is a solid black fold and vice versa. It might seem like arched line that has a ‘V’ shape and a these folds would not affect how the ori- solid black half triangle at the top. It is gami turns out but not following these another way to show a fold and unfold two folds could change the end result. symbol but is meant for the crease after Making the correct fold will let the orithe fold is done. Another line is a dotted gami turn out to be the way it was meant line, this is called a hidden line. The to be; it will flow naturally into place hidden line is uncommon, I have not and will make more sense. seen it very often during my process. 08
valley fold:
mountain fold:
crease:
09
turn over:
roll in:
zig zag:
10
Crown origami
Diamond origami
11
It is mainly used for the harder origami shapes that involve a lot more complex folds. The hidden line is self-explanatory, it is showing where a fold is that is not actually in view during the folding process itself. Usually it is hidden under another fold, in a spot that can be hard to see or visualize if just looking at paper itself. These can be helpful if someone is having a hard time imagining what the fold is supposed to look like or where it is supposed to end up. The zig zag fold / arrow is a faster way to show two folds in one move. It is a curvy solid black line with a solid black half triangle at the top. I did not see this arrow being used in any instructions I followed but it is always important to know just in case it does ever show up. Some instructions might just turn the fold into two steps instead of just showing the arrow. Showing this process in about two steps would make it easier for a beginner. Showing this process with one arrow would be better for an advanced paper folder who would not need the mulitple steps. The next symbol is the turn over arrow
or flip arrow. It is a solid black line with a larger circular loop in the center and a plain black arrowhead towards the top. I have seen this symbol used a lot, but it is one of the simpler ones. This symbol means to turn the paper over, or flip it. This symbol is important to watch for when following instructions because if missed it can change the overall origami completely or confuse someone who is trying to follow the instructions. There have been times where I was following instructions perfectly and then I would suddenly become completely lost and disoriented. I would look ahead in the photos and wonder how they got their origami to look that way. Usually after a few minutes I would figure it out and realize that there was a turn over arrow on one of the instructions. Another symbol that is similar to the zig zag arrow is the roll in arrow. It is shown as a solid black line with a curly loop in the center and a plain black arrowhead top. When this symbol appears it just means to fold the paper into itself twice in the same direction then tuck the corner into the
part that was previously folded. The turn over and roll in arrow look relatively similar. They are both solid black arrows with a loop in the center. To recognize the differences between the two I look at the loop size and the arched curve. The turn over arrow has one arch and a big circular loop. The roll in arrow has a small mountain right in the center; this creates two arches in the single line. The loop on this arrow has an oval shape instead of a perfect circular shape. There are a lot of symbols but we are getting close to the end of it. Each symbol is important and needs to be known before starting any origami project this is why I am showing all of these symbols, lines, and arrows. These next few symbols I will be going over are ones that I have not used very often at all. They are either not used much or are only used in more advanced folds which is why I have not seen their appearance much. One of them is called a squash fold. It is displayed as a solid black and curvy hook-like arrow. It is used to show when to open up the piece of paper at a 12
Heart origami
13
certain point in the folding process and flatten the paper down to create a new fold and shape. It is squashing the paper down, delicately of course. Another simple arrow is the rotate symbol. It is a solid black circular line with a plain black arrowhead at the top. This symbol is going in a clockwise motion. Inside the circle there will be a degree number. The degree numbers tell the crafter how much to rotate the paper. The most common numbers used are 90 degrees and 180 degrees. I have had to follow these symbols a lot, they are very helpful and easy to understand. The last symbols I have drawn out are the repeat arrows. They are represented as a solid black straight line with a black arrowhead top. At the base of the arrow there can be one, two, or three solid black lines going through the arrow diagonally. If this symbol is shown during instructions, it means to repeat the fold in that spot. The number of lines in the arrow is the number of times the fold should be repeated. If there is only one line it means to repeat once, two lines means
to repeat twice, and three lines means to repeat three more times. This concludes the origami shapes, symbols, and lines that I will be going over. This could seem overwhelming since there are so many symbols and arrows in origami diagrams but it is not as confusing as it may look. Photo instructions and video tutorials are incredibly helpful at this point and should be used often by any beginner who wants to learn origami.
14
bases
N
ow that we have gone over all the origami symbols and we understand how to read them we can go over the base folds. Another important aspect of beginning origami is to know the base folds. The base folds are very principal to any origami crafter wanting to practice and learn more folds. A base fold is the starting point that your origami needs to be at before you follow the instructions. Not every single origami piece will start with a base fold but it is important to know what they are and how to make them since most
instructions will not show how. There are many different kinds of base folds but I will only be going over seven of them and they are as follows: blintz base, diamond base, fish base, helmet base, kite base, square base, and waterbomb base. These are the ones that I learned first and these are the more common ones I had to use. All of the base folds I am going over are done on a square piece of origami paper with one side colored and one side white. I will go over the bases in order of appearance in the photo so it is 16
easier to understand what they will look like when finished. The first base I will be going over is the square base. It is the simplest base out of all of the bases. It is very easy to fold and is used for a lot of classic origami pieces. The colored side of the paper should be facing up; we should be able to see the color. Next the paper should be folded diagonally both ways as a valley fold and then as a mountain fold. Because of all the creases and folds in the paper it should be able to fold right into a square and then the base is done. In the end the fold will look like a square and will have three ‘layers’ to it. It is the easiest base to fold and is commonly used so it is a good idea to memorize it. The next base I will go over is the diamond base. This base actually starts with the kite base which I will teach a little farther into the chapter. This is a good example of why we need to memorize the bases since some of the most important bases start with other bases! This is another simple base with only a few steps. We have to start with the kite base. 17
From there we need to fold the bottom right edge up to meet the crease in the center. If using a colored piece of paper, the part we need to fold up should be the white part, which will not be seen when the fold is done correctly. Next fold the other bottom edge up towards the center crease. Again, the white part will not be showing anymore since it has been folded up. The diamond base should then be complete. There should not be any white paper showing at this point (unless the whole paper being used was white). Next up there is the fish base. This base is a little more complex, it took me a few tries to actually get it right. The colored side should start down on this base. We shouldn’t be able to see any color yet, just the white. The paper needs to be folded in half diagonally to the corners, not to the straight edges. Only do this fold once so there is only one crease going through the middle. Next, fold both of the corners to the center crease and then unfold. It should then make a long small triangle when unfolded.
Waterbomb base aerial view
Do this same fold again but with the other corners. Fold them to the center crease and then unfold. There will be a lot of lines on the piece of paper now. A lot of the lines will be triangular and diamond shaped. Next we need to fold the paper in half just like we did at the very beginning but we will fold it the opposite way, the way we have not folded it yet. With the fold we just made we will have to use it to take the right half and fold it to the center. The flap at the corner that is being created should be 19
pressed down so the base can come out diamond shaped. All we have to do now is fold the other side so it matches the side we just folded down. The base is now complete and is ready for more origami crafting. Up next we have the kite base. Here we can learn the base that is needed for the diamond base from earlier. This is another easy base with only a few steps to complete it. We have to start with the colored side down, we should be seeing the white side (just like the base before
Waterbomb base inside view
this one). Next we need to fold the paper in half diagonally so the corners meet with each other (not the edges). After that fold, unfold it. There should only be one straight line going through the center of the paper. Next we need to fold one of the sides to the center crease, we should be able to see our colored paper now. All we have to do now is fold the other side to the center crease. We should be able to see our colored paper at one end and a little bit of the white paper at the other. Our base is now
complete and it should be kite shaped. Our next base is called the blintz base. The colored side of our square paper should be down, we should not be able to see any color yet. The first thing we need to do is fold the paper in half diagonally so it makes a triangle, similar to the start of almost every base we have done so far. We need to unfold the paper and do the same fold but to the other corner so when it is unfolded there will be an ‘x’ shape. Now we need to fold each corner to the center. Make sure the lines from 20
Diamond base
Fish base
the earlier folds line up so it is even. After every corner is in the center it should make a square and all the color should be seen at this point. That is the blintz base. It is pretty simple to do and it is fun to make. We are almost done with all the base folds. This next one is called the helmet base. This is another simple base with only a few steps to follow. The colored side needs to be down, so we cannot see any color yet. The paper needs to be folded in half diagonally so the corners meet and not the straight edges. We should be able to see the color now and it should look like a triangle. We need to
fold the left and right corners to meet the corner at the top of the paper. First fold one side to meet the corner at the top and second fold the other side to meet the corner at the top. These should form a square of diamond shape and they should be touching. There should be a slit at the center of the square where the two folds came together, and they should be liftable. The helmet base is then complete! The last base is the waterbomb base. I see this base needed for a number of origami instructions. It is even used for the butterfly seen in this chapter. It is used very often and should be
21
memorized right away. For this next base we need to start with the colored side up, we should be able to see our color. Make a valley fold and fold the paper in half so the straight edges line up with each other. Crease it well and then unfold it. Next we need to do the same fold but to the side we have not folded yet. Crease this fold well and unfold it again. The fold that is left should look like the letter ‘T’ or a plus sign. After we do that we need to flip the paper over, we should be seeing the white side now, no color. Next make a valley fold and fold the paper in half diagonally so the corners meet, not the straight edges. Crease it well again and unfold it. Do another valley fold diagonally to the other corner, crease it, and then unfold it. The creases left on the paper should look like an asterisk or a snowflake. Now that we have all the creases done we can fold the paper into the waterbomb base. This step is a bit tricky but once it is figured out we can make it over and over again in no time. We need to push the edges towards the center and then turn it into a triangle.
Once the edges are at the center we just need to push down the paper to flatten it. Our base is done and it should be colorful and triangular. When looked at from the side there should be layers in it. That is it for all of the bases, it is a lot but it is also extremely important to know how to do all of these. Without knowing how to do any of these it would be very hard to try and learn origami since almost every origami instruction starts with a base. Most of the origami instructions will not show how to do the base fold it will just start at that base fold. So, once again it is really important to know how to do these folds since it is not always shown and taught in every diagram. Now that we understand the symbols, arrows, and base folds we can move onto the history of origami.
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history
O
rigami. When people read the word they understand what it is. Paper folding. Usually into cranes or swans. But, do people know where it came from? How it started? Probably not. We are still unsure about who invented origami. Paper degrades over time so there is no solid evidence of where it originated but some historians believe it came from China and was introduced to Eastern Asia later on. Some textbooks say that paper folding started in China because paper was first invented there in 105 A.D. Unfortunately,
there are only a few examples of paper folding in China. One of the examples is called ‘yuanbao’. It is when paper is folded to look like gold nuggets. The paper gold nuggets are then burnt as offerings to the deceased. This tradition still continues today. A second example of paper folding in China is ‘Golden Venture Folding’, which is also known as 3D origami. To get this look small pieces of paper are folded into triangular units and then inserted into one another to create bigger pieces. Which would then turn into a 3D origami piece at the end. 24
shide:
It takes about 250 to 500 units to make a swan this way but it could take fewer or more depending on the sculpture and shape being made. Paper was finally introduced to Korea and then Japan around the 6th century. When paper folding finally made its way to Japan it became an art form and then became known as ‘origami’. The word ‘origami’ is actually two Japanese words; ‘ori’ which means fold and ‘kami’ which means paper. At first, paper in Japan was expensive and not readily available to the public. It was mainly used for religious rituals and formal ceremonies only. An example of early origami was known as ‘shide’. It was zig-zag shaped paper used for purification rituals. It was also used to signify scared locations by being attached to ropes around the area. It was usually attached to alters, wooden staffs, and purification wands. 25
Now we can learn how to fold shide. To begin we need to start with an 8.5 inch by 11 inch piece of paper. Usually we fold origami with square paper but this time we get to use plain white paper. This is easy because shide is usually white, so using plain white paper is the best for this project. The first step is to do a valley fold to the printer paper, then do a second valley fold right after that. The paper should be fairly thin at this point. Next we need to valley fold that piece of paper horizontally from left to right and do this same step to the other side but right to left. The paper will be folded into thirds and should form a small rectangle. After all of that, unfold everything so the paper is back to its original size. Follow the directions I have drawn out and cut the paper in the spots labeled. The cuts should be following the creases we have just made. To cut this use either
sharp scissors or a knife meant for cutting paper. After the certain creases have been cut the paper should resemble the letter ‘M’. Flip the paper upside down and the paper should now look like the letter ‘W’. For the next few parts following the drawn out directions will help a lot. Next we have to fold the two pieces in the middle downwards. Fold the middle piece (the one closest to the right) down even farther. Next, fold the farthest right piece of the paper down. The paper should resemble stairs, meaning it will all flow down (or up) and should not look uneven. The last step is to fold the piece of paper that is farthest to the left down so all the pieces are the same height. The shide is now done and it
should have a nice zig-zag shape to it. Another traditional origami piece is known as ‘mecho’ (female) and ‘ocho’ (male). They were butterflies commonly used for weddings that would represent the bride and groom and it would be placed on wine bottles. These butterflies were one of the first origami pieces that were representational. Mecho and ocho were first discovered in the book titled, Kayaragusa which was published in 1845. Kayaragusa is a series of booklets that are about Japanese cultures. Two volumes go over the art of paper folding. There are many images of mecho and ocho in books but there are not many diagrams or instructions on how to make it. The only known diagram for this is from 26
Shide origami
a book called Wrapping Origami by Yoshihide Momotani. Modern origami butterflies are very recognizable so the people who first see mecho and ocho might be confused as to what they are supposed to be. Mecho and ocho are not very realistic looking butterflies; they have more of a stylized and abstract look to them. Some people 27
think that instead of a butterfly, these origami pieces are actually silkworm moths. A silkworm moths body shape is incredibly similar to the shape of mecho and ocho. The wing span of the silkworm moth is pretty similar to the origami shape of mecho and ocho and even the thicker body matches the origami version. To follow up on this theory even more; the Japanese had silkworm farms because of their production of silk which was commonly used in Japan. So, the origami pieces, mecho and ocho, could represent moths but most of the sources say that they are butterflies. Now that we know a little bit of the history of mecho and ocho we can learn how to make them. These pieces are a little bit tough to follow which is why I added a hand drawn diagram to help get through the process. We should be using a square piece of paper now. The paper can be white or any color the crafter wants. Some like to make each butterfly a different color or make them matching. We will begin with mecho which is the female butterfly. If using paper with two
mecho:
sides of different color, then follow the directions to help understand which side to start at. If the colored side is what is wanted at the end, then start with the colored side down. Do a valley fold first and fold the paper in half diagonally. We should be seeing the colored paper at this point. Next we need to fold each corner towards the center, it should form a square shape now. Flip the paper over at this step. The next part is a little tricky
but we need to fold the back towards the front so it makes the shape seen in my diagram. We need to flip it over again after this. The back should look like my diagram so if it does not make sure to go back and correct any mistakes. Fold the center corners to the middle of the paper. Next, fold the ‘wings’ that are sticking out towards the center. The butterfly should look much thinner now. We need to flip it over again and pull out the back 28
ocho:
to the front, like we did earlier. The last few parts are the simpler parts. We just need to fold up the bottom point (follow the dashed lines here). Turn the butterfly over again and fold up the bottom half. Fold the tip down and to the back. The mecho butterfly is now complete. Now we can learn how to make ocho which is the male butterfly. Similar to the female butterfly, any kind of paper can be used. For my diagram it will be 29
a piece of paper with one side white and one side colored. Steps one through six are the same for both butterflies. I will start off on step seven since we already know how to do one through six. After we complete step six we need to flip our butterfly over and fold the wings towards the center. After this we need to flip our butterfly over again and fold the back to the front, similar to our mecho butterfly. We are almost done already. We need to
fold the bottom point upwards; follow the dashed lines to help figure out where to fold. Now, follow the dashed lines again and fold the butterfly downwards and then back upwards. Lastly, we just need to fold the same spot again but downwards. Our ocho butterfly is done and should look similar to my diagram and picture. The next traditional origami piece is known as ‘noshi’. It was a folded piece of paper that was commonly attached with a gift. They were popularly used
for weddings, birthdays, promotions, graduations, and other celebrations. It was also used as a good luck token. Attaching noshi to someones gift has been a Japanese tradition since the 12th century. The earlier forms of noshi may have actually been fresh meats and fish instead of paper. Noshi is an abbreviation for ‘noshi awabi’ which means ‘stretched abalone’. An abalone is an edible mollusk with a flattened shell. The inner shell has shimmery, beautiful, blue and green hues. As the time went
Ocho and Mecho Origami
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Noshi origami
31
by the traditional meat and fish aspect of noshi became much less used. Instead of meat and fish being used, it has been replaced with a strip of yellow paper. Some people prefer to write ‘noshi’ on a strip of paper. Traditional noshi was folded with two sheets of thick handmade paper. The two sheets of paper were stacked on top of each other to get the double sided color. Noshi that is made today is usually done with double sided paper, one side is red and the other is white. People in Japan do not usually fold their own noshi anymore since it is now sold in most department stores in the area. Even though noshi is usually bought premade I want to teach people how to fold it on their own. We understand the history of noshi so I believe it is important to create it as well. It is simple and easy to make and takes less than five minutes. We need to start with the colored side up. Usually this is done with red paper, but it can be any color. Do a normal fold diagonally from right to left, but make sure it is off center and not
folded directly in the middle. Do a second fold to the entire paper so it moves towards the right; follow the dashed lines to help figure out where to fold. Lastly, fold the top piece of paper to the left side. Make sure it ends up looking like my diagram. Our noshi is complete! Understanding the history of origami is important before starting the practice. To me, it is very important to understand where a certain type of art came from or started if I am interested in it. Which is why all artists learn the styles of the past and present, we need to understand where art came from or how it
was created. I liked reading the history behind origami since I took a full semester creating their art and documenting it into this book. It would be silly of me to just be working on a project and not know anything about its history and its backstory. Which is why I added it to this book. The history is important and I feel like some art history can be easily overlooked or forgotten.
noshi:
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feelings
T
he feeling I would use to describe myself during my origami craft would be content. I was always very relaxed while folding paper. It was the rhythmic and slow paced movement of it all that would keep me calm and relaxed. A lot of people imagine origami to be a very relaxing craft and they are not wrong. Some might connect a crane or a flower to the word origami. Both of those things are beautiful and elegant, simple and light. I feel calmer already just from reading those adjectives. When I was creating my origami pieces I would
listen to serene ambience background noise. I would listen to a river flowing or a light rainfall on some leaves. It would help put me in the mood and calm me down immediately. Origami is not a fast paced form of art. I was slow, I took my time, and I enjoyed every second of it. There is no set up or cleanup to origami which is another reason to feel more relaxed while doing it. I did not have to grab a whole bunch of paint and brushes, or jars of water. All I needed was a single piece of paper. There is also no mess to origami, other types of art are messy. 34
more difficult piece of origami. I would even feel proud for perfecting an easy piece of origami. I enjoyed making the beginner origami, but I also liked folding the harder ones as well. When I first started my origami process I decided to begin with easy origami instructions. I looked up all the beginner origami pieces and I made them. I made crowns, hearts, diamonds, anything that was super simple. I was able to make them easily and they always turned out the way I wanted them to. It was enjoySticky note butterfly origami I like origami because then I do not have able for me, I loved to see how all the to worry about cleaning up or getting folds would come together and how they ink all over my hands or clothing. would form at the end. After I crafted a To me, origami was very rewarding. lot of the simpler pieces I moved onto I loved getting close to the end of a piece the harder ones. I made butterflies, and then finally finishing it and taking a cranes, and even boxes that could hold step back and admiring what I just made. items. I was still very relaxed while I liked seeing how it all came together. I made the harder pieces, but I was It was nice to just stop, look, and enjoy the most relaxed during the beginner the beauty that came from a small piece process because the instructions were of paper. It is amazing to me that a flat easier to follow. I almost never made a square piece of paper can come to life mistake and never had to go back and and stand on its own. I would feel good reread instructions with the easier ones. about myself for being able to create a I was also able to make multiple origami 35
Crane origami
pieces of the easier ones quickly. When I moved onto the more advanced ones I had a harder time with it. I was going back and rereading instructions over and over again. I would have to analyze the photos to figure out how they got from point A to point B. These harder pieces always took me a lot longer to do so I was not able to make multiples as easily. After I finally got the hang of understanding some of the instructions I improved a lot and was able to make them a bit faster. Even though they were harder to make I still found it relaxing. 37
All I needed was practice. I still might have trouble creating some of the harder origami pieces but I can do it, I just need to sit back, relax, and try again. During the start of my process I used paper, double sided paper. One side was colorful, and the other was white. A lot of other times I used plain white paper, so the paper was white on both sides. I definitely liked using the colorful paper more because it was more exciting overall. It had pops of color and it had more personality. It was also more pleasing to look at. There are certain times where it is necessary to use plain white paper though. After I had done a lot of origami using regular sized paper I started to experiment. I made origami that was done with smaller paper, and I made origami with larger pieces of paper. I even tried to make butterflies with sticky notes. Small, yellow sticky notes. I had fun making the butterflies with sticky notes. They were so small that I was able to create a lot, I was able to fly through the process without too much effort. I liked seeing all the butterflies
together on the table, they were all so tiny and pleasant to look at. Once I got the hang of making my butterflies I did not need to look at the instructions anymore. I actually memorized it. It is a lot easier to make an origami piece when the instructions are memorized rather than stopping and starting again. After I made my butterflies I was a lot more confident in myself. I was able to memorize the instructions and fold a lot during one sitting. So, I wanted to do it again but this time I used small white paper. Instead of graceful butterflies I made white pigeons. They were small, elegant, and very clean looking. The first pigeon I made I messed up entirely. I folded it in all the wrong places and it ended up drooped and had creases and folds in all the wrong places. It actually looked more like a mountain when I finally finished it and not a pigeon. Of course, I tried it again. The second time I got it right. I loved how it turned out and I made three more after it. I really liked this piece because of how clean and straight the edges are. It has a geometric
Pigeon origami
style to it which a lot of origami pieces have but the edges on the pigeons were really crisp and even. I wanted to test out making origami with something other than colored paper. I decided to use brown paper towel and I made a butterfly again since I already had the instructions memorized. It did end up looking like a butterfly but the brown paper was not stable at all and it could not hold itself up. It was droopy and almost lost its form immediately. I did not want to give up yet though. So I decided to take out a dollar from 38
Dollar shirt origami
Dollar butterfly origami
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my wallet and look up dollar origami instructions. I liked folding the dollar because it was not a square. Instead, it was a rectangle so it was a little different, but it was still origami. I started off simple and I made a shirt. I really liked using the dollar because everything I made came out so small and I really enjoyed the size of it. After I made the shirt I tried to make a butterfly. It had different instructions than the butterfly I made earlier. It came out looking like a butterfly but it was a strange shape to me, I did not like it as much as my original one. After that I tried to make a simple heart. This one was fairly easy to follow and it only required a few steps. I really like how it turned out because it looked so clean and even. The last dollar origami I decided to try was called ‘Pixie Shoes’. It was one of the harder ones and it had lots of steps to follow. I really wanted to make it anyway because the shoes actually looked like little elf or pixies shoes. I made two of them and they ended up exactly the way I wanted it, I loved how they turned out.
The pixie shoes were my favorite dollar origami that I made because they were unique and creative looking; it is just amazing to me that the shoes were made just by folding paper. During the process of all of the dollar origami I felt happy and relaxed. I was happy because I was learning how to fold dollars instead of plain paper so it was something new. I was relaxed because the dollar origami was simpler than the paper origami and I loved the outcomes of a lot of them. Dollar origami is a really fun and unique form of origami. I definitely recommend learning how to make at least one dollar origami piece. I can even leave a creative tip for the waiter or waitress at the next restaurant I go to! Overall my whole origami experience was a very positive one. I messed up a few pieces here and there but whenever that happened I would always just try to remake it. I would do it over until I got it right and I always loved the outcome. I had an impactful learning experience since I researched the history of origami. I learned a lot of new things that I had
Dollar heart origami
Dollar pixie shoes origami
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no idea about before I started my whole process. I now have a box full of origami in my dorm that I collected during my process. It feels really good to see all the pieces I made in one spot. I like knowing that I accomplished what I wanted to do and ended up making hundreds of origami pieces. Stopping what I was doing during the day to just sit back and make some origami actually helped me a lot. It would help me take my mind off too much work, help me relax, and left me feeling good after finishing a piece. I’m proud of myself for making so many origami pieces but I did not just do it for intrinsic reward. I did this to help me relax during any of my stressful days. It would leave me content and happy after I made origami and I will not be stopping my origami craft anytime soon. To me origami is an art, and it is an art of paper folding.
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references Gavin Van Hinsbergh. "Famous Chinese Sayings." China Highlights. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016. “History of Origami.” History of Origami from the Past, Origami Symbols, Lines, and Arrows. Origami Resource Center, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2016. “History of Origami.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016. “Origami Base Folds.” Origami Folding Instructions - How to Make Origami. Origami Instructions, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
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