Have you ever made a paper airplane? Yes? Then you already know the basics of origami. The art of paper folding has been around since at least the 6th century and though it is commonly thought to have originated and developed in Japan during the 6th century, independent paper folding traditions arose around the same time frame in East Asia and Europe. Because of the high cost of paper, origami was initially used only during religious ceremonies. The practice eventually filtered down through Japanese society and in 1979 the first known origami instruction book was published. This ancient art is extremely methodical and precise (great for those crafty Typekind Valentine.
Technique and Materials
The most basic style of origami is called '''Pureland '''origami, which uses only two folds created one at a time. The basic folds are ''valley'', ''mountain'', ''pleat'','' radial'' and ''blintz''. Any paper that is folded is called a base. The bases used in making origami are ''kite'','' fish'', ''waterbomb'', ''preliminary'', ''bird ''and ''frog''. Many of these bases require complex folds and are a step above the Pureland style. Once you master the foundation folds you're ready to make anything your heart desires.
Origami paper is traditionally square and can range in size from 2.5 to 25 cm and comes prepackaged in a variety of colors and patterns.
Once you master the basic folds and bases you can use pattern and diagram books to create hundreds of different models. The most well-known origami model is the crane, but you can make everything from fish to palm trees to roses to intricate geometric shapes. Every pattern or diagram book comes with the same established set of folding symbols so you'll never be confused whn reading the instructions.
