yourself experimenting with paper choices and ideas for showing off your creations. You may even surprise yourself and invent an origami design!
SUPPLIES
Choosing paper for each origami project will be simple and fun. The instructions specify which types of paper that you will need—all of which are easily obtained. For each project you will be able to use either paper that you have around the house or, for those models specified in the book, the included folding paper. All of these materials and a few options are described below.
Bond paper is the type of paper used in photocopy machines and computer printers. A variety may be found in stores that sell office supplies. This book will refer to 20 pound bond paper as “lightweight” and 24 pound as “medium weight.” When at your local office supply store, be sure to also peek at the memo cube papers. They are conveniently packaged and suitable to use for some origami projects.
Origami paper is sold in packages of pre-cut squares. Most have a color or attractive pattern on one side and are white on the other. The sizes that will be most useful to you are six-inch and ten-inch although, in reality, these papers are a little smaller. Their exact measurements are fifteen centimeters and twenty-five centimeters respectively. Washi paper, also sold packaged, is softer and thicker than regular origami paper and has a fancier fabric-like appearance. Some origami creations, especially simple ones, can be folded and look lovely made from washi. Those that produce a movement or a noise generally do best with regular origami paper because of its ability to take crisp folds. Origami paper may be purchased at arts and crafts supply stores or from an origami supplier.
Folding paper, which is included in the back of the book for your convenience, may be used for twenty-one of the projects when indicated by the instructions. These papers are designated for certain specific projects and have patterns that complement the finished project. All of the projects that have designated folding paper may also be made from either origami paper or bond paper, as described by the paper requirements for each of those projects.
Ordinary paper that you have on hand, such as notebook paper or brown wrapping paper, will often work satisfactorily for origami. These papers may also be used in the practice exercises. Notebook paper can be an adequate substitute for origami paper when color is not important and is especially suited for easy projects. Brown wrapping paper, depending on its weight, can possibly be substituted for bond paper. Junk mail, some of which is printed on bond, is an economical and colorful alternative. Look around you for an endless supply of other free papers that you can experiment with such as brochures, discarded gift wrap, magazine covers, and old calendars. Not every sample of free paper will fold well, but you will have a good time testing them.
Aluminum foil is needed for one project in this book. What you have in your kitchen will work just fine.
Paper-backed foil is not required for any of the projects. It is, however, suitable for a few projects in the book. Paperbacked foil is elegant in appearance but more difficult to work with than regular paper. You will find this material in two weights. The lightweight variety is thin like candy foil and the medium weight is of greater thickness. Both types may be found in pre-cut squares that are sold as packaged origami paper. Medium weight paper-backed foil is also available in rolls at arts and crafts supply stores and at party supply stores.
Scrapbook papers are not required for any of the projects, but are an interesting option for some. These papers are sold at arts and crafts supply stores. They are generally a little thicker than medium weight bond paper and are printed in a multitude of designs. Scrapbook paper varies in weight and durability. So, buy just one or two sheets of a design or type and test them before buying several.
OTHER SUPPLIES
Although paper and your enthusiasm are the most important “supplies” that you will need, there are a couple of other items that will be helpful. A hard surface to fold on is useful for all—but essential for a beginner. The smooth surface of a table or desk works great and even the cover of a sturdy book will do. Even though you will be folding without cutting, you may wish to use scissors to prepare squares from bond paper. Refer to pages 16 and 18 for instructions on how to make squares from rectangular sheets of paper. You may also use scissors to cut the eight-inch square folding papers into four-inch squares when required by the instructions for a few projects. It’s easy to cut a square into four smaller squares. First, fold the bottom edge of the square to the top edge and unfold. Next, fold the right edge to the left edge and unfold. Finally, cut along the creases.
TERMS AND SYMBOLS
This section introduces you to the language of origami. The word “model” is a general term that refers to what you are folding, have folded, or will fold. So, at any stage of folding, the paper in your hand may be referred to as a “model.” You can also talk about the “model” that you made or the “model” that you plan to fold.
Illustrated instructions are a great help in explaining how to fold a model. The illustrations show the model opened up a bit so that you can see the layers of the folded paper within. The written directions that accompany the illustrations include helpful terms that enable you to relate locations on the model to the drawing. The “top” of your model corresponds to the part of the drawing that is closest to the top of the page. A similar relationship exists for each of the terms “bottom,” “left,” and “right.” These and other commonly used terms are depicted in the illustrations below:
Now, let’s increase your vocabulary with some origami lingo. When you open a sheet of folded paper, that action results in a mark being left on your paper by the fold that you made. In the language of origami, we refer to this mark as a “crease.” If you fold paper and then open that fold, in origami terminology, you are said to “crease” paper. A fold that does not extend from one edge of the paper to the other is called a “partial fold.” A partial fold that has been opened is called a “partial crease.” A “landmark” is a short partial crease that is used to mark a location on the model.
A fold is either classified as a “valley fold” or a “mountain fold.” A valley fold is the one that you are probably most used to making. When you open a valley fold, the shape of the crease that is left on the paper is a depression. The shape of this type of crease is suggestive of a valley and is called a “valley crease.”
In order to make the text easier to read, origami instructions will often substitute the word “fold” for the term “valley fold.” For example, instead of saying “valley fold the bottom corner to the top corner,” the instructions will read “fold the bottom corner to the top corner.”
The other type of fold is a mountain fold. When you open a mountain fold, the crease that is left on the paper is ridge-shaped. The shape of this type of crease is suggestive of a mountain and is called a “mountain crease.” The illustrations below depict these terms.
Notice that, in the illustration, the raw and folded edges are represented by a thicker line than the crease lines. In addition, although the creases actually extend from edge to edge, they are drawn a little shorter. Often creases will be illustrated in this manner.
LIST OF SYMBOLS
Make a valley fold on your model
