You may not fold the perfect flower the first time. You might even get stuck. But be patient, and approach Origami Bonsai as if it were a puzzle to be solved. The solution is here on the pages, but sometimes it’s a good idea to put down the book and pick it up again in the morning.
You’d be surprised how many Origami models I’ve had to ponder overnight only to discover a simple resolution the following morning.
This beautiful Origami Bonsai Columbine has multiple leaf and flower sizes for heightened realism.
The symbol in the middle means “flip.” The green side facing down now faces up after the flip symbol.
The double-ended arrow is my fold, and then unfold symbol. In this case it means you should fold the square diagonally, forming a triangle, and then unfold it.
Notice how the fold has become a thinner line in the square on the right. Also notice that the edges of paper are always a thick line.
Remember, previous folds are a thin line and paper edges are a thick line.
This means fold the bottom left corner to the upper right corner and leave it there.
This means fold the bottom left corner to the upper right corner while watching the alignment on the right carefully, and leave it there.
This means fold the square diagonally, from lower left to upper right, forming a triangle, and then unfold it, and then fold the square diagonally from lower right to upper left and unfold it.
This means cut the thin line with scissors. In this case the paper will be cut in half forming two rectangles.
A Three-Dimensional Collapse
So far I’ve only presented folding symbols in two dimensions. Yellow folding symbols indicate movement in the third dimension. This is how we “collapse” a square into a more complex square one quarter its original size.
Each yellow dot will follow a yellow arrow to the center of the piece of paper.
Notice that the tips of the longer diagonal folds are migrating upward and toward the center, while the shorter horizontal and vertical folds are migrating to form the sides.
Now, all four corners (marked by yellow dots) are in the center of the square. The collapse is complete.
This is what the original folding diagram for a collapse will look like. Whenever you see a yellow arrow it means you lift its associated point up.
Reversing the Direction of a Fold
Whenever you see a red line, it means to reverse the direction of the existing fold under that line. Sharp, clearly-defined folds are easy to reverse. Dull, obscure folds are virtually impossible to reverse. You need a tool to sharpen your folds. If you do not have a wallpaper roller, you can use your fingernail to sharpen folds, but a better alternative is to use a wooden paint-mixing stick, a plastic putty knife, or a plastic spatula. Do not use metal tools, as you could rip your paper. Use of anything other than a wallpaper roller may damage your paper’s painted surface.
Performing a Book Fold
A book fold is almost always required at some point following a collapse. A book fold mimics turning the pages of a book.
Folding Leaves and Impatiens
At first glance a leaf seems to be a simple thing, however many plant species produce leaves of complex points and curves. Sometimes it is hard to get a square piece of paper to conform to these natural designs. After all, we’re taking a two-dimensional piece of paper, with four corners, and “convincing it,” through origami, to mimic natural species that have depth and multiple points. I have developed three basic leaf forms, standard, thin and oval, and a multitude of variations of these models.
The first leaf we’ll explore is my “standard” leaf. I consider it the most beautiful when folded in small sizes. You’ll find that the smaller you make these leaves, the more delicate and interesting they are.
Next I’ll show you how to fold Impatiens. As with leaves, you will find that Impatiens appear much more interesting the smaller they’re folded. If you had little or no trouble folding a leaf, you may wish to consider folding Impatiens for your first project at one quarter of the size I depict in these instructions. You may also want to skip ahead to Chapter 4, “Painting Leaves and Flowers,” if you would like to produce a colored tree.
You don’t need to paint your first Origami Bonsai. Even an unpainted, basic assembly like this one blends well with a woodland environment.
Folding a Leaf (Fold on Dotted Lines)
1. Start with the leaf color facing down.
2. Fold, then unfold diagonally in half.
3. Fold the two corners to the center fold.
4. Fold the two corners to the center fold, and then flip.
5. Fold leaf in half.
6. Fold your first “vein” on the indicated dashed line.
7. Unfold.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 to make five to six “veins” per leaf. Once you have finished folding veins, open your leaf and flip it.