Origami

I’ve had this article on standby for a little while now. Several weeks ago, quite by chance I picked up a book in a bookshop about Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, and ended up buying it. Since then I have made several models which now litter my living room table.

Here is a rather out of focus picture of one of my earlier creations.

I hope it isn’t too hard to tell, but it is a model of Yoda from Star Wars. He is made from a single sheet of paper, coloured green on one side and white on the other. I found the folding instructions on the internet.

The reason I delayed writing this article was because I decided that a book on Origami would make a great birthday present for my brother. I also bought him some “official” Origami paper.

I’ve found that it makes quite a difference using the correct kind of paper. It is nice to have paper that is thin enough to fold easily and that holds creases properly. This really helped when it came to making Yoda with all his fiddly folds. You can buy the paper easily here. If you live in London you can visit the well-stocked shop here.

I enjoy the challenge of creating something complicated from a single sheet of paper. I find it satisfying to follow through the instructions, which are often pretty tricky to decipher, and have something to show for it at the end of the process.

Of course it doesn’t always work out this way. I currently have a half-finished Dog in Kennel model on my desk. My attempt at Marc Kirschenbaum’s match box ended crumpled up in the bin.

On the other hand, I completed the model Pteranodon from the book I purchased and was very pleased with the end result. It is missing a few details but is recognisably a flying bird dinosaur thing. It is currently sitting on my living room table with several bunny rabbits, a big pink pig and various boxes and geometric objects.