The Origami Forum

Hi all!

Alright, so Origami…Haha – like most people, back in grade school, I folded a paper crane, fortune teller, little hat, blow up water-bomb, and LOVED it. A while back, I decided I wanted to really get into paper folding. Google showed me some RIDICULOUS models that people have folded, and I was pretty much set on my little attempt at a hobby.

Well, I bought the Omnibus, but that was a little bit much for me. It felt somewhat above a total beginner. The theory was interesting, but I didn’t get it (and still don’t today). To say the least, I quit.

I got into another hobby: bead spriting! Here’s a quick sample of my most recent work:

http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/40651 ... 600Q85.jpg

I LOVE doing it, but after taking about a month (with work and a life outside of beading) to finish in entirety, I decided to take a hiatus and hone my origami skills.

I grabbed John Montroll’s Teach Yourself Origami at a local Borders and have been VERY pleased with the simplicity and progressive learning techniques that he’s employed. I’ll more than likely finish folding everything in there by the end of the week or so.

I found this site a few days back, but finally decided to join up and try and get involved with other enthusiasts (and guru’s, haha). After looking through posts and albums, I was pretty much REALLY excited! Soooo…

Hi. Where does one start on this site? Haha – I want to grab another book that’s aimed towards intermediate folders with fun and rewarding models. I tried to find a sticky about books and such, but found no such thing – only a thread about an up and coming possible book by one of the masters.

Also, I saw the poll about paper types…I don’t really know what people mean when they talk about certain types of paper. I just use the Origami paper you can buy at Michael’s (or other craft stores depending on what part of the world you’re from!).

Oh, and is there some trick to understanding crease pattern diagrams or whatever they’re called? They’re the squares with lines that people use to [sometimes] share their models and whatnot. The Omnibus talked about them a little, but I was confused as all sin as to how one goes from that to a full model.

Wow – I apologize for this huge essay of a post! For the internet savvy…

tl;dr Where do I start here?

Here's a tip. DON'T try to understand crease patterns. You'll have no idea what the hell they're talking about. Just keep folding from diagrams, starting from simple and moving up to more complex models. Eventually, everything you need to know will come naturally to you.

Oh, and welcome to the forums

Alright - screw crease patterns for the time being. What about other good books to work with for intermediate folders? A LOT of models I've found seem to be moderately complex...

hi, and welcome

you should try origami.com, they have a range of beginer to advance origami diagrams for free
as for crease patterns, as you begin to develop your origami skills they will start making more and more sence to you, at the level you're at i'd stay away from them because they will probably just confuse and frustrate you.
when you start folding more complex models you will need to use larger, thinner, stronger sheets of paper for good results, which, quiet often has to be homemade. almost all of montrolls models can be folded from lined paper or small squares of origami paper though, and a lot of robert j. langs work can be too (although his is a step up from montrol)

Montroll is a good designer to start with intermediate models.
I would recommend "Animal Origami for the Enthusiast"...but thats real intermediate as far as i remember. Some models could be quite hard for a beginner.

There are some intermediate free diagrams too at the sticky thread in "diagrams". Give them a try

Greetings and welcome
max

zxop9 wrote:when you start folding more complex models you will need to use larger, thinner, stronger sheets of paper for good results, which, quiet often has to be homemade.

I read about this homemade paper. What is it and where can I find out about it? ALso - I'll look into Langs works!

And the animal book was one that I saw at Border's when I was there! I may go pick it up at some point.

Thanks for the kind words all!

EDIT: About books again...where's a good place to order them? And what about reviews, good books (for later times when I get more advanced, haha), and the likes. Also, are the books in all Japanese? If so - I'm assuming there's not much to actually read since Origami is paper folding...Yay or nay on that?

The thing with origami is experimenting. Some of them can be like puzzles. Don't look at a model and say whos that is way too hard for me and then skip it. Try it! Go as far as you can. This is how you learn. Any problems you have you can bring to this site and the 'guru's' can help you out. You need to constantly test your limits or you will never go farther. I do recommend trying some crease patterns because they can expand you knowledge of folding A LOT! With this site it is possible, too, even for a beginner to fold cp's because lots of people on here have posted pics on collaspisng and what not. One to try is Joisel's dwarf- relatively easy (the first cp that I ever did) Link to topic here:
viewtopic.php?t=2000&postdays=0&postord ... rf&start=0

Good books are:

Robert Lang's Complete book of Origami: ranges from simple to advanced models, so as you work your way through the book you can see your skill advancing.

Robert Lang's Origami design secrets: can't even tell you how much this expanded my understanding of origami. I read it at and intermediate level and found it highly useful.

Nick Robinson's Origami Bible: good range of models

These can all be ordered from Amazon.com- they have good prices and lots of customer reviews. Also, you can order them used from other sellers on amazon to get them even cheaper.

Those would be my top three books that really helped me. They also all have a good amount of models to make them worth while- nothing I hate more than spending 15 dollars on a book that has 6 models. Other than that use google- it's your friend. Think of something you want to fold and type origami ____ into the search and voila! Instructions in your lap- free too. Good websites to visit are:

http://www.happyfolding.com

http://www.origami-resource-center.com

Peruse the forums and look at models people post on here or use the search function to bring up old ones. As for paper, for now, limit yourself to Kami (origami paper) or regular copy paper. As you get into origami more you can experiment with different papers like tissue paper, foil paper, elephant hide (used for wet folding), etc. But for now don't trouble yourself with it. I personally fold with three things only - Kami, copy paper and sketch paper (is thicker than copy and I use it when wet folding).

Just keep folding, folding, folding. And welcome to the forum!!!

Awesome - thanks for the informative post. I'll probably end up at least picking up Robert Lang's Complete book of Origami. After I finish the book I'm on, it'll be time to start expanding my horizons.

You can find the best book reviews on http://www.giladorigami.com/

Just a warning about the "Complete book of Origami" by Robert Lang. Most models inside this book begin with strange rectangles or even triangles, so it wouldn't be my book of choice.

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up. Chances are, I’ll be avoiding that book for a while then. Eventually it’ll be kinda fun to (maybe…) fold rectangle or triangle pieces of paper, but for now, the typical square stuff = win.

Thanks for the site, too. I’ll use that to look up some good ideas and such.

Starting with the books at your local book shop and library is the best way to go. They usually have a good selection of intermediate designs. However, don't be discouraged to try more complex models. For a long time I didn't attempt complex models because I didn't think I could do it. But then I tried and really surprised myself. My one tip is buy lots of paper! And for complex folds, especially in large sizes (30-60 cm). Glad to have you here!

Hmm...about this paper. I have a bunch of 6 x 6 paper that I got from a craft store. What should I be using when it comes to larger models? I read about foil paper/tissue foil, but it seems like a lot of work for beginner and intermediate stuff...

notefolds wrote:Starting with the books at your local book shop and library is the best way to go.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Good one! Everyone knows libraries don't have origami books!

My library and the book stores near me only carry the extremely simple origami books. It's hard for me to even find good Kami. For me it's cheaper and easier to order from the internet. Sorry I should have mentioned about the different starting shapes on Complete book of origami, but regardless it was a book that really helped me.

I probably racked up a year's worth of checking out Origami Fantasy from the public library…