To make curved folds, trace an arch with your thumb and index finger in the paper. Use these fingers in concert to “draw” the shape of the curve you need. Curves may be gentle or sharp; they may be sinusoidal. Curved creases can add dimensionality and a lyrical, animated quality to the sculpture.
Wet-Folding
Wet-folding allows the paper to keep its integrity since the fibers will bend and not break as they do in dry folding. Moreover, the models stay folded after they dry. Heavy papers that could otherwise not be used can be wet-folded because they become flexible and compressible once they are wet.
Wet-folding changes everything. The paper fibers swell, often in one direction more than the other (see the Grain section on page 19). This throws off the point-matchers—dry folders who align every crease by matching points. The wet-folder locates the crease, not the points; there is a difference. The advent of wet-folding brought about a new style of origami art. Wet-folded origami fish now appear to be swimming thanks to the graceful curves possible in the fins and other folds. Wet-folded origami flowers seem to be growing, and butterflies no longer look like pin-mounted specimens in a museum box.
Ever since I began folding my own handmade papers and other soft Asian papers, I realized that I needed to back-coat or add size to them to make them stiffer. I had learned about cooking starch paste for other art projects, but since my family was in the construction business I had methylcellulose wallpaper paste readily available. It did not require cooking and when it dried it was invisible. I tried it. Methylcellulose proved ideal for my origami art. When I folded my orchid for the first time, in 1973, I was experimenting with machine-made crepe paper. I realized that I needed to add both water to fold it and size to keep it in shape after it dried. Instead of moistening and surfacesizing the entire piece of crepe paper (which would have destroyed the creping), I dry-folded the model but applied methylcellulose strategically to stiffen the lip and petals and to hold other layers together as I folded it. Since then, I have referred to this method as “folding with live paste” and I use it for folding insects and other complex designs that use very thin papers requiring additional stiffness.
Soft, rounded, gentle curves and expressive sculptural folds characterize many of today’s excellent wet-folded models. Wet-folding requires paper with supple, long, strong fibers. Wet-folding enables the fibers to be bent, not broken, upon folding. This allows the artist to tackle complex designs that often require multiple folds along the same line or intersecting at the same point. Dry-folding these complex models would not be possible without breaking through the paper at key intersections. After being wet-folded, the subsequently dried model will retain its shape, a property particularly cherished by the serious origami art collector. Wet-folding will allow you to make use of a greater range of art papers that would be too thick to fold dry.
Typical papers chosen for wet-folding are often heavier and rather soft. You should rarely burnish wet paper with the back of your thumbnail since wet paper is prone to bruising. When wet-folding large paper in the air, you must use gravity to its best advantage, folding downward from the top, letting the hanging portions of the paper guide your fingers to their target.
Wetting the paper with water can be done in several ways, but the water must always be added to both sides of the sheet to mitigate curling of the paper. Water may be sprayed with a plant mister. You can also apply the water with a damp cloth or sponge.
Be sure to apply water evenly across the sheet and allow the water to be completely absorbed into the paper. Use the least amount of water possible. The paper should be limp and cool to the touch but it should not look wet! Add more water as needed while folding. A small, soft paint brush or the corner of a rag is useful for this purpose.
Every project in this book can be wet-folded but some, such as the North American Cardinal (page 28) and the Origamido Butterfly (page 33), will require relatively little moisture, and often that need be applied only along the line of an important crease.
Preparing Your Paper for Wet-Folding
The surface properties you want for your paper will be dictated by the characteristics of the model. A leathery creature, such as a bat, requires a stiffer fiber and plenty of sizing. A fuzzy subject, such as a piglet, requires softer fiber, such as cotton, with its fuzzier texture and warmth. Folding can be tough on the surface of the paper and most wet-folders prefer to use a size/lubricant/ paste. When it is wet, it is slippery and protective. When it dries, it seems to vanish completely. The most popular mediums used are wheat paste or methylcellulose.
Starch Paste
Archival starch paste can be made from corn starch, potato starch or wheat starch. Begin by boiling water in the lower chamber of a double boiler. Add cold water to the upper chamber, measuring five times as much water as starch (volume to volume). Add all the starch to the water and use a whisk to mix the milky suspension. Continue heating and mixing the suspension for about 20 minutes. As the starch cooks, it thickens like pudding and begins to clear. When it cools, it thickens further.
Some artisans develop a ritualistic approach to preparing wheat starch. It is a food source for some creatures, so if you are not careful with the purity of the water, the percentage of starch, the temperature or other factors, microbial growth can turn starch into sugar.Allow it to ferment and the mixture can become even further contaminated. Acidic impurities are almost always harmful to the qualities of the paper. For these reasons, we prefer to use food-grade methylcellulose.
Methylcellulose is a readily available shortcut to the traditional wheat paste used by Yoshizawa and other paper artists. It is refined and pure, so the extensive aging and purification steps are unnecessary. Most paint and wallpaper shops carry dried methylcellulose. Hand papermaking, book-binding and library arts supply companies also carry methylcellulose powder.
Methylcellulose: Preparing 10 Percent Methylcellulose in Solution (by volume)
We often prepare a batch of methylcellulose by gently adding 2 ounces of methylcellulose powder (using a liquid measuring spoon), to 20 ounces of water (using a liquid measure). Sprinkle the powder slowly onto the surface of the water as you mix the water and the methylcellulose with a stirring spatula, using a brisk mixing action. Be sure to scrape down the edges to keep the expanding polymer wet. The process is faster if you use a blender although it does tend to entrap more air bubbles.
Using either method, allow the solution to sit for at least a day or two to let the lumps of polymer dissolve. Artist-quality methylcellulose seems to be a bit easier to work with than the kind sold in wallpaper stores. This mixture of viscous material has a slippery feel, just a bit lighter than honey. (Be careful not to spill this on the floor since it is extremely slippery.)
Internal size is key for some origami models. We are not too fussy about internal size any more since it is easy to add size just before wet-folding begins. It is more versatile to leave the size out until you are sure of what you need.
Applying Size to Paper
Wet-folding is often easier when the sheet is conditioned with a lubricant/size, such as methylcellulose. Before you wet the paper, cut it perfectly square. Adding moisture swells the fibers. After the model dries, the paper will return to its original dimensions.
1. Materials needed for adding surface size to paper: spray mister, methylcellulose powder, wide brush, bowl, paper.
2.