How to Fold
Folding paper neatly and accurately isn’t always easy for newcomers to origami. However, there’s no good reason why you can’t improve, no matter how little confidence you have. Here are a few simple tips:
Fold slowly; it’s not a race. You will get much better results.
Fold the paper away from you rather than toward you (where you hands can get in the way).
Set aside plenty of time to fold; it’s not good for your concentration if you have distractions.
Fold at a well-lit table, with enough space for your elbows.
Make all creases sharp to begin with, making sure the paper is perfectly positioned before flattening.
Make each model at least three times using cheaper paper before using your best paper.
Cut the paper very accurately if you make your own squares from a larger sheet. A rotary trimmer is a good investment.
Fold in a small group. It’s fun and will also teach you a lot in a short time.
Teach the model to other people. It will really help your understanding of the folding sequence.
Choosing Paper
Origami usually requires paper that is perfectly square. When you have used all the sheets in this kit you’ll need to source your own paper. There are lots of options for “proper” origami paper (which can be bought cheaply on the Internet), but you can also choose from many other types of paper, especially if you want to fold a large version of a model. The paper should be crisp and capable of “remembering” a crease (so it doesn’t try to unfold itself). Craft and art shops have a huge range of beautiful papers. Try to choose a pattern that really suits the final design. It’s a better value to buy a large sheet and then cut it down to make several smaller squares.
Here is a simple method for creating a square from a rectangle:
Fold a short edge to a long edge.
Fold the surplus paper over the edge, crease and unfold.
Unfold the paper fully.
Cut off the surplus paper to leave a square.
My Folding Philosophy
When I began to fold in the early ‘80s, I was seduced by the idea that “complex is best,” that you should work on your technique until you can produce complicated designs that take many hours to fold. As I folded more and spoke with other intelligent folders, I began to realize that complexity doesn’t always mean quality. I started to recognize the beauty in simplicity and elegance, and it had a marked effect on the type of designs I created.
When creating for pleasure, I work almost exclusively with simple designs. One unexpected difficulty I’ve encountered is that it can be hard to decide when a design is finished. I question every step of the sequence to ensure it is necessary and try not to add detail for its own sake. Why should an animal have four legs? Is it important to make the model more “realistic”? Origami should aim to capture the spirit of the subject, more like a sketch or cartoon than a photograph.
The aim of any serious creator is to develop a style of their own. This cannot be forced, but must evolve over time. Some people are lucky and seem to have a coherent style from the outset, but I have not found this to be the case with my work! I just look for whatever inspires me and to stay true to my own ideals. I am lucky to have my good friend, Wayne Brown, who is always happy to tell me if a new model isn’t as brilliant as I think it is! He also gives me some indication as to how original the design might be and whether I may have inadvertently recreated a design I had seen some years before—it does happen. While a modest ego is probably a good thing, we should never fall into the trap of thinking we are something special—everything I fold is to some extent built upon the work of others who have willingly shared their work before I even began. We stand on the shoulders of giants.
Origami is also hugely important to me as a means to develop friendships and to learn about different cultures. I have traveled to origami events around the world and always seem to find new friends. I believe that were paper to somehow vanish overnight, the bonds of friendship would still remain.
Origami Techniques
Valley fold—folding the paper in the usual way.
Valley fold and unfold—make a crease, and then unfold it.
Mountain fold—folding a flap or layer behind. This can usually be made as a valley fold by turning the paper over.
Turn over—lift the paper up and turn it upside down, like flipping a pancake.
Repeat arrow—whatever move you have made is repeated elsewhere on the paper. The arrow may give you specific steps to repeat and/or show how many times to repeat the step.
Rotate 180 degrees—turn the paper in the direction of the arrow, so the lowest edge becomes the uppermost edge.
Rotate 90 degrees—turn the paper in the direction indicated by the arrow.
Fold to dotted line—a dotted line shows an imaginary crease or edge as guidance for a fold.
Pleat—this is a combination of valley and mountain folds, which are made at the same time.
Pull out—where flaps of layers are unfolded to a previous position.
Outside reverse fold—the paper is wrapped around the outside. This fold is usually precreased before forming.
Inside reverse fold—the paper is pushed inside existing layers. This fold is usually precreased before forming.
Crimp—a black arrowhead indicates that you will be applying pressure to the paper somewhere. Here the symbol is used with a “crimp fold.”