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Origami

Crane

 

image from CLF

I have been folding origami since primary school. I also learned a couple of models from my grandfather, who used to make  boats out of lolly wrappers.

Frog (Kaeru)

image from origami.ne.jp

 

My favourite models to make are the Frog and Modular origami. Modular origami involves making a number of separate pieces which are then assembled into a larger model, for example six or twelve pieces making a cube. The sonobe system is a good model to start with.

Modular cube (twelve pieces)

image from ceciliacotton.ca

Paper

Square paper is easy to make. Use a sharp craft knife and a metal ruler. Get some A4 copy paper, or a few pages of A4 junk mail. Taking one sheet of paper, fold the top-left corner down to meet the opposite edge, about a quarter of the way up from the bottom right-hand corner. Use the ruler and knife to cut the resulting strip off the bottom. If you don't have a knife handy, neatly fold the strip back and forth a few times, and then carefully tear. Unfold the triangle and there's your square.

 

Links

There are heaps of origami sites online. Some good keywords for using with search engines are origami, pdf, and individual model names like frog and crane. Use combinations of keywords for better results, for example origami pdf crane.

The story of Sadako and the thousand paper cranes can be found in a number of places on the web. Sadako was two when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She developed leukemia and her friends folded cranes to make her wish to be well again come true. To this day thousands of cranes are folded every year, around the world, in memory of Sadako and in hope of a more peaceful world.

origami.com has a number of simple designs for beginners. You will need a PDF reader to view plans there.

Advice

It's hard to fold a model exactly as it appears in a diagram. Learn the symbols and 'language' of diagrams. Make sure your paper is exactly square and try to be precise with the first few folds as they will affect the model later on.

- Alex Webb
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