The Dying Craft Of Origami

There are thousands of ways to express your creativity and they all come under the heading of crafts. Such a fun filled way of expression is Origami. This is an art form that can keep you busy for hours at a stretch and has minimum cost.

The origins of origami

Origami originated from Japan but there have also been a few hints that it was started from China. It is the art of folding paper. You might be wondering how paper folding can be considered an art form or how it could be any means of entertainment, although origami is simply folding paper, it has special tips, tricks and techniques that make it fun. There are endless possibilities to what you can make out of paper.

The paper for origami can be any simple sheet, but there is also a special origami paper available in the market in several sizes and colors to make your models more attractive.

Starting from simple boats and planes, you can design very complex shapes and objects like buildings and animals etc. With a simple sheet of paper, you can fold it in many ways to resemble something beautiful.

Different types of origami

The craft of origami is divided into a few types as well. The first type is “Action Origami.” Origami is not only about still models of paper, but by special kinetic energy or through inflation etc, you can imitate the movement of a limb or flap etc.

Another type is “Modular Origami.” As the name suggests, in modular origami, a number of pieces of either similar or different origami art are joined together to form a single model of something. In most cases of modular origami, the individual modules are relatively simple to construct. But the tricky part is the assembling and joining of all the parts together.

Another crafting form of origami is “wet folding.” This is a technique of origami that gives it another level of finishing. In wet folding, you are not required to make straight prominent folds on flat surfaces. On the contrary, you make gentle smooth curves or angles by damping the paper a little bit. Once the paper is damp, it is simple to make curves and angles that are not too strong.

To make the craft of origami more fun and challenging, there is another form called “Pureland origami.” Unlike normal origami, there are few restrictions in this type. Only a single fold is allowed at any given time. Also, certain complex folds like reverse folds are not allowed at any point. This type of origami was created for people with limited motor skills. However, people love to experiment with all the restrictions and try to make good models through it.

Why origami still fascinates

Who would have thought that a simple thing like paper can be used for such complex artistic models? Such beautiful intricate designs are made possible without the need of any tools. Origami teaches you the fact that simple folds can give you so much depth and detail.

Summary

This article looks at the history and craft of origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, describing several types including action origami, modular origami, wet folding and Pureland origami. It explains how each style differs in technique and complexity, from simple folds to intricate three-dimensional models.

Questions this article raises

• Why is origami considered a dying craft today?
• What is the most complex origami model ever created?
• How long does it typically take to learn wet folding techniques?