crane is a wooden fixture to clamp the halves together and support the hanging cable.
LaFosse folds his signature “Origamido Butterfly” from a 5-foot square of purple handmade paper that we made for an episode on German TV.
Chemical Size
“Size” is common term used to describe a variety of natural and synthetic chemical additives used to harden the surface of the paper, control the absorption of paint and ink, and to stiffen it. Exploring and becoming familiar with a new tool or technique can blast open a passageway to exciting possibilities. The unseen workhorse of today’s folded paper sculpture is methylcellulose (MC for short), and if you want to become a more artful folder and have not used it, give it a try. This reversible, water-soluble paste allows two thin sheets of paper to be pasted together (back coating). It also helps the paper layers stay put as you narrow (or “skinny”) any long, thin appendage, such as an insect’s leg or antennae. It also toughens the paper and strengthens the stance, making the piece stable when dried. Yoshizawa and other advanced folders used starch (wheat) paste. Photos of those works published in 1970 inspired Michael to design his own origami and create shaped, folded sculptures. When Michael was a teenager he worked at the Fitchburg Public Library and helped repair books. This made him aware of insect and mold problems associated with starch paste. Sometime in 1973, his father, a building contractor, saw how Michael was trying to back coat two sheets of paper for his origami designs. His dad suggested that Michael try Metylan, a wallpaper paste that he used (which turned out to be MC). It worked great, not only for back coating, but for sculpting or “modeling” his finished works! Unlike starch paste, MC gel did not go bad.
Those who are new to the techniques of back coating and wet folding with methylcellulose may at first be intimidated by using size. However, most of our students experience a remarkable improvement in their work when they wet fold their first sheet of handmade duo paper (laminated with MC gel between).
Research on the Internet
The Internet is now loaded with photos of exceptional models. It can’t hurt to search for an image of an origami subject to assess the state of the art. Perhaps you will find that your own vision has not only been done before — but that it has been done much better than you had ever imagined. On the other hand, an Internet search may afford you smooth sailing in uncharted waters, going where no folder has gone before (or if they have, they never returned!) The other side of this coin is that seeing other works will influence your work. Consider the risks.
These were just some of the nuggets that have come up in discussion at the Studio while folding paper with other artists and students interested in more artful folding. We hope that you find some of these ideas or suggestions useful and thought provoking as you explore origami as an expressive art form.
Choosing and Preparing Your Origami Paper
QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS
We fold a wide variety of papers, but lasting art requires quality not commonly found in readily available, decorative papers. Here’s what you should know:
Kraft
The most common papers readily available to the folding artist today are made from wood pulp. These are also the least expensive papers because trees (and tree-top scrap remaining from logging operations) are readily available, and trees are a renewable resource. Huge paper mills located in the northern climates continuously receive truckloads of trees, often from mixed species. The wood is chopped in large-scale machinery, and the inch-sized wood bits are soaked in water. The kraft process, a common method to process the wood bits with harsh chemicals (sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide), was developed in Germany over a century ago. Since this treatment yields fiber that is strong enough for most general-purpose papers, it was given the name “kraft,” which means “strength” in German. The alkaline solution and wood mixture is cooked under high pressure with steam. This process quickly separates the brown, gooey, unwanted lignins from the desired fibers of cellulose. Today, that stock is often mixed with fiber from post-consumer paper recycling. You are probably most familiar with the sturdy brown paper grocery bags produced by the kraft process. When similar material is corrugated and laminated between layers to hold the ribs in place, it forms cardboard for boxes and packaging. Fiberboard for shoeboxes and cereal boxes are yet another familiar, less-refined kraft product.
A selection of handmade abaca papers made at the Origamido Studio.
Bond
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