Methods of designing origami models

[JumPurge]

I'm having difficulty designing models. I have a lot in mind, but I'm stuck on how to make them.
Is anybody able to show how to make a model, or the ways of making one? Any book purchases would be great too.

[Sroge4]

Robert J. Lang's "Origami Design Secrets". Great book for designing models, and has some amazing diagrams as well.

[gachepapier]

Lang's book is a true bible indeed. It really got me started making models of my own, for which I am immensely grateful.

Another way to get started is to fold a simple base (fish, frog, whatever...) and to doodle with it until it starts reminding you of something (other than a crumpled paperball) - from there, it usually is easy to push the ressemblance more and more.

[JumPurge]

Alright, big help.
Thanks.

[shortloldude]

hmm I am not the best of creators, but I did not use Lang's book. I use boxpleating, I learned after doing boxpleated models and understanding how points formed and just messed around trying to create basic stuff at first. So if you can fold boxpleated CPs, I recommend getting something like ORIPA and trying stuff out.

[JumPurge]

It's a little difficult to run Oripa on this end. More importantly, because I don't read japanese.

[shortloldude]

hmm i didn't necessarily mean oripa, but it does run in english just the website is in japanese. I just meant it may be useful to have a way of keeping track of your crease patterns when you first start out to see basic structures (at least it was for me).

[Jonnycakes]

Inkscape is also good for drawing CPs, but I vastly prefer designing on paper. My advice:

1. Buy and read Origami Design Secrets. You won't become a great designer just by reading it, but it is a great primer on the basics of modern origami design techniques. Some chapters are more helpful than others, but this will help you get started.

2. Fold from CPS. Also study them. You can learn a lot about structures and how to use them like this.

3. Fold from diagrams. This is like #2, but mostly for folding techniques and finishing details, not the overall structure of the design. The overall structure generally gets obscured by a nice folding sequence.

4. Doodle a lot and try a lot of new stuff. If you have a novel idea and you think, "hey, what if I...", then try it and see what happens. This is the single best way to learn about designing.

5. Buy a notepad of graph paper. You will want one if you are designing complex origami. Try to get a spiral bound one if you can.

I'm not sure how many resources there are online for designing (I haven't looked in a long, long time), but I can't imagine that it wouldn't be helpful to do some Googling and eat up all that you can find. Remember, you will only become comfortable designing if you fold and design a lot. Hope this helps get you started.