Origami is something else, an art form so diverse and logical, that it defies description. It originally was a way of folding certificates, in halves or thirds, but has grown into a whole realm of decoration, toys, and more. Some die hards will swear that origami only involves square pieces of paper, but in fact only the simplest origami can be formed from this.
As the art has developed, origami artists have begun weaving, cutting, gluing, and even crumpling and watering the paper. I think it was the paper mushrooms that really opened my mind. Here I begin my origami collection, a variety of models that I have learned over the years.
I hope that you will enjoy this pastime, this hobby, this art; as much as I have.
The most famous of Origami is the peace crane, a paper bird model. There are, in fact, many bird model besides the crane. All of these models, and plenty more, stem from a single base model, the bird base. While the bird base is only four folds, and the starting point for the crane, starbox, fortune teller, and some flowers. This form also becomes dinosaurs and other animals. I've even made a scorpion from this simple base.
This square shape is made with four folds, two mountain and two valley. First lay down a piece of square paper. If your paper is colored, begin with the colored side facing you.
Here are all of the folds marked out. The dashed lines are valley folds (which are folds that hide the face, and create a valley with the paper), and the solid lines are mountain folds (which are done by flipping the paper over and doing a valley fold).
The first valley fold cuts the paper in half diagonally, forming a triangle. Make a good crease, and unfold the paper flat.
The second valley fold cuts the paper in half diagonally also, but perpedicular to the last fold. Once again, a triangle is formed. Crease well, and unfold the paper.
The second mountain fold, perpendicular to the last, also creates a rectangle. Crease well, but do not unfold.
Put the crease in your hands, with one hand on either side of the center fold. Pinch the paper, and push you hands together gently. The folds you made before should collapse into a shape with four flaps.
You don't need to hold the model like this photo here, I'm just showing what it looks like from the top.
Instead you want to flatten the model into a diamond shape (which is really a square on a corner).
The finished model will have creases down the center of the back and front, and is a square the quarter of the size of the one you began with.
Practice this fold, it is incredibly useful. Flowers and animals of all sorts begin here, and if you ever try "freestyle" folding, this is a great place to start. Now, you can go ahead and make a crane.
There may well be over 20,000 different species of butterfly worldwide, which any good lepidopterists would know. Butterflies are actually matured caterpillar, the fuzzy worm like creatures that devour trees and leaves. After eating enough, the caterpillar folds itself into a butterfly. Many butterflies have remarkable colors and pattern, to scare predators and attract other butterflies. When folding the origami butterfly model, you are encouraged to use brightly patterned paper.
Did you know ? : Though some people believe the word 'butterfly' comes from swapping letters in the word 'flutterby', the truth of the matter is that the Dutch called them buttorfleoge. It seems the Dutch believed that butterflies stole milk
Begin the butterfly model with a rectangular piece of paper, twice as wide as it is high. Start with the colored side down.
Valley fold the paper in half, forming a square with the pattern exposed. Crease well and unfold.
Diagonally valley fold the top left and right corners to meet on the bottom edge, in the center. Crease well.
On the lower layer, mountain fold the two triangles in half. The creases will extend from tip of the triangle, to the bottom edge, halfway between the center and the valley crease. The top triangles will fold behind the model, creating a diamond behind a triangle.
Valley fold the top tip to the bottom tip, crease well and unfold. Valley fold the top tip to the center of the model, crease well.
Valley fold the model through the center crease you just made. The tip needs to slide into the pocket, locking the flap down.
Relax the fold on the bottom just slightly to get the tip into the pocket, and the work it all the way in.
Once the tip is in position, the butterfly will once again lay flat.
The lock in the butterfly model is created by mountain folding the sides of that pocket, to lock the top flap in place. This also defines the seperation between the top and bottom set of wings.
The lock in the butterfly model is created by mountain folding the sides of that pocket, to lock the top flap in place. This also defines the seperation between the top and bottom set of wings.
Open the wing slightly to reveal the lower layer.
Create the fold as far back as you can, and crease well.
The angle of the fold will create a small triangle of negative space between the wings. Lay the wing flat, and do it on the other side.
Mountain fold the butterfly in half through the center line.
Two valley folds, extending from the center crease just below the top edge, to the top edge just to the left and right of the center crease, will define the head of the butterfly, and seperate the bottom wings.
I enjoy the contrast between the sharp angular folds in this model, and the soft, gentleness of the butterfly.
The paper crane is the poster child of origami, and there are tons of variations of this form. It includes a couple of entertaining folds, and reveals a shape useful for other creations. This crane model will even flap its' wings when you pull on the tail. Just a little practice and you can complete this model faster then a barista can make your cappuccino, which could really impress her.
Begin with the Bird Base, with the
closed edge of the paper down (the point on the bottom of the model once was the middle of your sheet of paper).
Valley fold the top layer of the paper along the dotted lines and unfold.
Start the valley fold by slipping your thumb and finger under
the first layer of paper, marking the start and end of the fold.
Push your thumb and finger away from each other, and a crease will
develop. Put your other hand on this crease.
Get the two edges to meet up, and make a point on the bottom of
the model. Crease the paper flat.
If it all went well, you should have a tall diamond on top of a
square diamond. Flip the model over.
Now you have the same thing you had before you did those strange
valley folds.
Do that strange valley fold again. Slip your fingers under the
first layer of paper, marking the edges of the fold, and flip the
layer over to create a diamond that matches the one you made
before.
If all is will, you have a tall diamond. Turn the right flap
like a page in a book.
Turn the model over, and once again, turn the right flap like a
page in a book.
If the "page turning" doesn't make sense, try this. Close the
top two flaps together, pinching them between your thumb and
finger, and leaving to more flaps behind.
Turn your wrist until your thumb is on top, and flatten the
model.
Valley fold the top flap in half, forming an upside down
triangle.
Crease well, and turn the model over.
Valley fold the remaining flap in half, forming an upside down
triangle again.
As with all good origami, you know you are getting close when it
looks like you haven't done very much. All we have now is an upside
down triangle. Turn it upside down (um, rightside up ?)
Hold the model between your fingers, in the middle. Your crane
is here, it is just hiding.
Talk nicely to it, and pull the head up from between the wings
in the front. The paper will roll and bulge out near the bottom
right, try not to interfere.
Once the head is extended (to taste), flatten that bulge
down.
Now pull the tail out, allowing some bulging and rolling.
Flatten the tail bulge.
To make the crane's head look different from the tail, which is
important for his self esteem, make a valley fold on the neck.
Make a good crease here, and then unfold the head.
Open the neck up a little bit, and push the head between the
layers of paper.
Position the head how you like it, and close the neck. Flatten
and crease well.
All of your folding is complete, and you have a flat paper
crane.
Shape the wings down, and curl them a little bit. Hold the crane
by the chest with one hand, and by the end of the tail with the
other hand.
Pull in opposite directions, and the wings will flap.
It took me years to discover how to finish the crane. Finally, I discovered how to inflate the body of the crane. Tug on the opposite corners of the body, both of them alternately. The center will flatten, and the body will fill out. Now the crane model can stand, and the wings will stay out.
I find that this is a popular toy for entertaining children.
Sometimes handy for distracting a cranky child on an airplane.
Happy Flying.
The most handy origami model I ever learned was the cup. Truly functional art. It involves 6 simple folds, and it can hold liquids. I wouldn't recommend anything hot, and make sure your paper won't absorb the liquid to quickly. If nothing else, it makes a great shotglass.
Begin with a square piece of paper, and fold in half diagonally. This should create a triangle. If it doesn't, try harder.
Take one of the lower edges, and fold it across the model to the opposite side, halfway between the other corners. It should create a horizontal line on the top edge.
Do the same process with the other lower corner, meeting up the top edges of this and the last fold. The corner should meet the corner that was created in the last step. Notice that there is a little pocket created in this fold, along the top edge.
There is a triangle on the top of the model with two flaps. The cup will be the area between the two flaps. Take the top flap and fold it towards you.
Take that flap, and slide it into the pocket created in the previous step.
The remaining flap on the top should be folded behind the model. Put your finger between those two flaps and push on the edges of the model. The cup will take shape.
The finished model holds water, dirt, seeds, sand, or anything else that might slip through your fingers. With a little work you can make them square and flat on the bottom, which will help them to stand up on their own.
I look for shiny paper to use for origami cups, since water takes a little longer to penetrate the surface. If your paper is too thin to hold water, fold it into quarters before beginning.
Remember.... drink responsibly.
The first known paper pinwheel originate in Europe where baptism certificates were folded into this unique shape during the 1800's. I must assume that either the fold is older than that, or the name was applied later, since the obvious use for a pinwheel involves pinning it to something, and letting the wind spin it. I can't imagine that Europians did this with baptism certificates. Here are the directions, so that you too can make your own paper pinwheel.
The first step in the pinwheel is to fold the paper into thirds. Years of folding trifolds have earned me a type of special sight for this, but there is sure fire way to divide a paper into thirds. Simply fold a paper into fourths, and remove one quarter of the paper. This has to be done horizontally and vertically for the pinwheel model, which will divide the paper into nine equal squares, like a tic-tac-toe board, or a pound sign (#).
Remove one quarter and leave a rectangle.
Valley fold the top third down, so that you have a rectangle made of 6 squares.
The third and the fourth sides are just a little bit different. You create the same fold for the third side.
Valley fold the square below (in the center of the model) it in half diagonally, so that the square covers the first triangle you made.
Complete the third edge now, forming the triangle like before, and a backwards triangle over the first triangle you made.
The fourth edge is complete, just in the wrong position. Valley fold through the center diagonally to put the last edge in the correct place.
Your completed pinwheel should be tacked to a stick or dowel, and given to a happy child for best results.
House boats have been around for centuries, and the Chinese were probably the first to begin habitating the rivers and lakes. They lived on small boats, called sampan, with tiny houses on top, that they powered by oars. So common were the site of sampan on the rivers, that somebody created an origami model of it, to go with the frogs and cranes on the river.
These boats are generally 12 to 15 feet long, but ours today will be much to small to live on. Perhaps not to scale, but definitely to funtion, this sampan will indeed float, at least until the paper gets too soggy to hold its' shape.
Begin color side up, valley folding a square piece of paper in half horizontally. Crease the fold lightly, and unfold.
Valley fold the top edge and the bottom edge to meet on the center line you just created.
Each of the four corners are to be valley folded diagonally, so that the left edge top and bottom meet in the middle, and so do the right egde top and bottom.
Once again, valley fold the left corners, top and bottom, so that the edges that you just created meet in the middle. The right edge of the valley folds will extend a little beyond center.
Repeat the two folds on the right side, so that the edges meet in the middle, and the right side of the valley folds overlap the last folds you made, a little beyond center.
Valley fold the top and bottom points to meet in the center of the boat.
Open the boat up by lifting putting your finger between the top and bottom layers, and lifting them away from each other.
You are exposing the outside of the sampan, which is inside out at the moment.
Continue to open the model, forming a loose boat shape.
Flip the corners over, so that the color side is on the outside of the boat model.
Pop the four corners to point the other direction, which will lock the sampan into shape.
If you are looking for a model that impresses the socks off of everybody, you are looking for the origami vase. Only a single piece of paper is used in the construction, but the mix of negative space and angular contrast gives the illusion of several models combined. Patterns and prints bring out the eye catching nature of this lovely paper vase. Most amazing is the clever locking mechanism that supports the entire structure from the center. The resulting vase is water tight, provided that your paper is, and could hold living or origami flowers.
Allot of folding goes into getting the model ready for assembly. Make sure that you crease all of the folds very well, they are all very crucial to the final shape. Try not to be discouraged by the number of folds, they are all very simple. The tricky part is after the folding is complete, when you pop the model into shape. Regardless of how tricky it may be, the origami vase is just so pretty that it is always worth the effort.
To start out, use a square piece of paper, pattern side down. Valley fold the paper in thirds. You may recall the pinwheel model where we discuss easily folding a paper in thirds, by folding in quarters and cutting off one quarter. Crease the folds and unfold.
We now will bisect the first, third, fourth, and sixth sections in half. To begin, valley fold the paper so that the bottom edge meets the top valley fold. This will bisect the third sixth. Crease well and unfold.
Bisect the fourth sixth by valley folding the top edge to meet the bottom valley fold. Crease well, and unfold.
Bisect the first and last sixths by valley folding the top edge to the closest valley fold, and the bottom edge similiarly. Crease well and unfold.
Rotate the paper 90 degrees, so that all the folds you made now run vertically through the paper.
Repeat the nine folds you made previously, which will nearly create a 12 by 12 grid, except that there will be four larger square in the center of the four quadrants of the paper.
Horizontally colapse the paper from the center by valley folding the folds just to left and right of the center fold, and mountain folding the folds next to them.
With the paper colapse to create trenches in the paper, turn the model over to fold the vase locks.
The locks are positioned at the center of the four edges of the paper. Begin the vase lock with a squash fold.
A squash fold is accomplished by putting your fingers at the bottom of the first valley crease, and using your other finger to lift the top layer, folding it backwards over your fingers.
As you fold the paper over the crease, the top edge will split and begin to meet again in the middle.
Flatten the fold so that a diamond is created.
Repeat the squash fold four the other three sides.
Finish the lock off with two diagonal valley folds that split the lock. Do this with all of the vase locks.
Crease the folds very well, and unfold them flat. Turn the model over.
Valley fold the left and right edges to meet in the center.
Valley fold the top and bottom edges to also meet in the middle.
Slide the tabs on the left and right of the top and bottom folds underneath the pockets created by the left and right locks.
Valley fold the lock creases that you had made. This fold locks the vase into shape.
Now that you have a small flat piece of paper that isn't very impressive, you are all done folding. Turn the model over.
The tricky part of the model is teasing the sides of the vase into shape.
Reach underneath the first layer and pull one of the sides out from under.
Straighten the side out so that half of the bottom of the vase rises into the air.
Reshape the creases into folds, and rotate the model.
Pull the opposite side of the model out and into position.
The other two sides should come into shape much easier. You will probably warp the model during this process, which is fine. Just watch the locks to make sure they don't give.
As long as the locks stay in place, you should be able to stick a finger into the vase and finish working it into shape. There is some accounting for taste here, some people like the top flat, I prefer it to be a bit rounded, which helps the locks to stay secure.
The waterbomb base is the starting point for many origami models. The frog, flowers, and a few airplaces all start with this shape. Many model directions will simply say "fold a waterbomb base". It is a simple base that involves two valley folds and a single mountain fold, and yields a triangle.
Valley fold the bottom right hand corner up to meet the top left hand corner. A valley fold is the only fold you can make with the paper laying flat on the ground. It forms a shape like a valley. Make a good crease, and unfold.
Valley fold the bottom left hand corner up to meet the top right hand corner. Make a good crease, and unfold.
Mountain fold the top half to the bottom. A mountain fold is accomplished by turning the paper over, and then valley folding. Make a good crease, and unfold.
Turn your model back over, and stand the mountain up. This is a great picture to explain a mountain fold.
Put your finger on the middle of the paper and push straight down until the corners "pop" up.
The folds will naturally collapse into a triangle shape, four layers thick.
Here is the complete waterbomb base. There are four flaps to the triangle, and with a little work you can make this stand up.
With that under your belt, you are ready to make a waterbomb, one of my favorite toys.
Everybody always told me not to get paper wet. Not the newspaper, not the phone book, not the bills, not my textbooks, nothing paper could go in the bathtub. Nothing liquid could go into the library. Water and paper do not mix. This is what they told me, and I think it explains my facination with origami that involves water. Making paper involves allot of wet paper, the cup holds water, and the waterbomb transports water from your hand to your recipient..
Beginning with the waterbomb base, valley fold one of the flaps down to the bottom point.
I've outlined the piece we'll be working with. We need to create four "locks", so you'll repeat this part four times. Valley fold the flap in half vertically, which will create a little pocket on the bottom of the flap.
The loose triangle is valley folded over the pocket, so that it will well reach inside.
Once both locks are completed, turn the model over.
Valley fold those two flaps, and create locks.
Here is a complete waterbomb, ready for storage and transport.
When you are ready to use the waterbomb, spread the corners out, pulling on opposite sides to expose the hole in the top. Blow a quick gust of air into the model to inflate the square shape.
Here is the inflated waterbomb, which is a handy decoration, and fun for a pet toy.
This is the completed waterbomb model. It should be a soggy mess, and a big wet spot. Notice that my locks didn't completely give. This means I need to throw the model harder.
I hope you enjoy the waterbomb as much as I have. Just be careful, people that don't know how to fold a waterbomb will quickly get upset at you. But if you are battling with other origami lovers, make sure to get their paper stack wet before they get yours.