VIDEO If you have trouble making any of the base models in this book, take a look at the videos on the accompanying DVD.
The DVD that comes with this book has several computer template files you may find helpful.
INTRODUCING GLOW-FOLD INSTRUCTIONS
Glow-fold is a new, patented diagramming method for conveying folding. It is particularly useful for origami instructions. Glow-fold works by highlighting the surface of the area which will move during the fold with an orange, semi-transparent glow. In the diagram immediately following, a narrow trace of orange semi-transparent glow will be visible along any open edges. This narrow trace is called afterglow and indicates where the glowing surface went. Afterglow appears only along edges were the initial glow would normally leak through; in other words, there won’t be afterglow along the folded side of the area that just moved.
Glow-fold dramatically decreases the time it takes to learn a new folding pattern. Instead of trial and error style experimentation, glow-fold allows the folder to navigate diagrams with confidence. It turns the process of completing a new model from a frustrating puzzle into a coherent step-by-step progression. This diagramming system makes origami accessible to scores of people who thought they didn’t have the patience to do origami.
1 We begin with a square piece of paper. It is yellow on one side and white on the other. We start with the yellow side facing us.
2 We’re going to fold the square in half on a diagonal. Notice that there’s a glow on top of the triangle formed by the bottom and right edges, and the diagonal (marked by a dashed green line) where the paper is to be folded.
3 Imagine the overlay on top of the square in front of you. It would look like this, and you would fold the bottom right corner up to the top left corner.
4 The next diagram would look like this. Notice that there is a narrow band of orange afterglow along the top and left edges. This afterglow represents light that would leak out along the open edges. There is no afterglow along the fold because light from the original glow would not leak out there.
SYMBOLS, TIPS, AND TOOLS
The Fold Symbol and the Proper Way to Fold
1 I’m using a square piece of paper which is yellow on one side and white on the other.
2 The arc with a circle on one end and an arrowhead pointing to a tiny circle on the other is called the folding symbol. In this instance it means you should fold the square in half diagonally.
3 To properly make this fold, begin by lifting the bottom right corner and lining it up with the upper right corner. I am curling and not folding the paper.
4 Very carefully align the corners so that they perfectly match (for illustrative purposes, my corners are slightly out of alignment in this photo).
5 Hold the corner down firmly with your left index finger while you apply pressure to the curl with the fingers on your right hand.
6 Commit the fold with your index finger.
7 Your model should look like this.
The Flip Symbol
When you see the flip symbol you should turn your paper over.
Fold and then Unfold Symbol
1 This is the fold and unfold symbol. When you see this symbol you should perform all the steps for the fold symbol just as you did on the top of the opposite page.
2 Now unfold the fold you made.
3 Your square should look like this. Notice that the fold you just made is represented by a narrow line. Normally there won’t be afterglow associated with the fold and then unfold symbol, although I did add afterglow to this diagram to show you where the surface in step 2 went.
The Fold on Both Sides Symbol
1 When you see this symbol, begin by performing the fold indicated on the side facing you.
2 Next, flip your model.
3 Perform the mirror image of the fold you made in step 1 on the other side of your model.
4 Your model would look like this. Next, flip it.
5 Now you have performed the same fold on both sides of your model.
How to Make a Crush-Fold
We make crush-folds in almost every leaf we create. We also use the crush-fold in step 19 of the Basic Flower Form (page 44). Making a good crush fold is a challenge, but obsessing over it is a complete waste of time. None of the crush-folds described in this book will be visible in a completed sculpture.
