How To Do Origami

Origami is the art of paper folding. The name ‘Origami’ has stemmed from the Japanese words ‘oru’, meaning folding and ‘kami’, meaning paper. While there are only a small number of basic origami folds, they can still be combined in varied ways to make intricate designs. The Japanese paper crane is one of the most popularly known origami crafts. In china, independent paper folding traditions have existed before the origami crafts, though its origin is still traced to Japan. In case you wish to know some tips on how to do Origami, follow the article.

Just about any kind of paper can be used to practice origami, though the origami paper is considered the best for this purpose. It is thinner than the other papers, but is sturdy enough to hold the creases nicely. Origami paper is usually cut into 6-inch squares and is black on one side and colored on the other.Individual sheets and packaged sets of origami paper can be availed from the stationery stores. You can also find the instruction books for beginners coupled with origami papers, which you can try to learn the craft better. Alternately, you can practice with a normal paper at home, which should be good at holding creases.

 

Basic to mathematically complex folding techniques are tried in making origami crafts. Valley fold is the most basic folding technique, which is as simple as folding the sheet of flat paper towards you. After making the crease and releasing the fold, the resulting lines resemble a shape similar to that of a valley. Mountain fold is the reverse of the valley fold, in which the paper is folded away from you and then turned over, so that a ridge is formed when the fold is released. These techniques are combined with other folds to create varied foundations from which one can make a complete range of origami designs. Typically called bases, the frog base, fish base, kite base and the bird base are the four most common bases.