About origami in general:

Q-What is origami?

A-Origami is the Japanese name for an art form that primarily uses folded paper to create works of art.

Q-What does the word origami mean?

A-The word origami comes from the Japanese words for paper ( kami ) and folding (ori). It means quite literally "folding paper". The word came into popular use world wide for paper made especially for folding in the middle of last century but has been used for many centuries in Japan. It held a special meaning for important documents to be folded in particular ways.

Q-Is making something as simple as a paper airplane considered a form of origami?

A-Yes, planes are very popular. There are some really innovative flying origami patterns, some that even look like birds.

Q-What is the history of origami?

A-Well many historians have determined that paper folding has existed since shortly after paper was first made. Paper traces its earliest roots to the 1^st century in China. It made its way into Japan in the 6^th century and to Spain in the west in the 12^th century. Paper folding took on a life of its own in both Japan and Spain especially, but has flourished in many other places too.

Supplies:

Q-What supplies do you need?

A-In its simplest form, all you need is some paper. Some patterns require paper of particular sizes and shapes. So sometimes a knife and straight edge to cut the paper to the correct size is useful. Some patterns that require many pieces to be assembled into the final form can benefit from a little glue to make them more stable. A large flat surface to work on can come in handy but is by no means required.

Q-Can origami creations be made using other material other than paper?

A-Yes any material that can be folded and hold its shape can be used with origami designs. A common one close to paper is foil-paper, basically tinfoil with tissue paper glued to one side. Sheets of plastic, mylar and vellum make interesting models. Quilting fabrics with a stiffener can be used to make some very elegant boxes, and there are even quilting patterns that incorporate folding patterns.

Paper and paper preparation:

Q-How do you choose the right paper? Does it require a special type of paper? Size?

A-Depending on the pattern just about any paper can be used. Paper made especially for origami has a finer grain and is generally thinner than most other papers. It is usually a good idea to try out new patterns using larger sheets of normal computer/copier paper. More complicated patterns with many overlapping folds require either thinner paper or larger sheets. Simpler patterns can be done out of just about any paper. As long as the paper doesn't break too much when folded, it should be good to fold.
Many patterns require that you start from a square. Some patterns rely on the geometry of North American standard paper sizes and others rely on the European standard sizes.

Q-Do we need to prepare the paper it in any way?

A-Other than perhaps cutting the paper to size usually all preparation is included in the pattern being folded. Some patterns will require you to make several folds simply to locate particular points on the paper. They will then ask you to unfold to a prior step and continue folding using this new reference point.

Techniques:

Q-What are the different types of folds?

A-There are several special folds, and all folds are usually described in the beginnings of each book and on many websites.
The simplest are the Mountain and Valley folds. The valley fold is so called because if you take a flat sheet of paper and fold some of it towards you making a crease then open it up to lay on the table the crease forms a valley in the paper, denting it away from you. If you fold the paper underneath itself then open it to lay flat again, the crease is forming a mountain pointing towards you. In the diagrams the mountain fold is usually a line of mixed dots and dashes, if you think of these dots as the peaks of the mountain it should be easy to remember which is which.

Q-What are Origami bases? Why are they used? What are some of them?

A-The bases are the common starting points of many patterns. They set the stage for the geometry of the resulting model.

• The Kite base has one narrow point and looks like a kite.
• The Square base has the paper folded flat into a square that is ½ the width and ½ the height of the original.
• The Waterbomb base has exactly the same folds as the Square base but is effectively inside out. It lays flat in the form of a triangle ¼ the size of the original square. Its name comes from one of the more interesting models that use it, that can be blown up like a balloon.
• The Fish base has two narrow points and two other small flaps. These serve well as head, tail and fins of a fish.
• The Bird base has four projecting points that radiate from a central body of paper. This serves as the head, tail and wings of many bird models.
• The Frog base has four projecting points and four small flaps similar to the flaps of the fish base. It is named after the classic origami frog that relies on being inflated like the waterbomb.
• The Blintz base is what's used to start the common fortune teller model and involves shrinking the square by folding each corner to the center.

Each of these serves as a shortcut for starting many other models that use a similar number of main points or arms.

Q-I've heard of something called "wet folding", what is it?

A-Wet folding is exactly what the name suggests, folding the paper while it is wet. Ideally the paper is damp enough that it dries as you fold it. If the air is too dry you may have to moisten it as you go. If the air is too moist you may have to use the warmth of your fingers to speed the drying process on some folds. Care must be taken not to tear the paper, but the end results can be dramatic. When paper is wet, it doesn't break when it is creased, it stretches. When a wet folded model dries it holds its shape a lot better than a dry folded model. And wet folding allows for a lot more organic and natural look and feel in the final model.

Q-What is modular origami?

A-Some models use more than one sheet of paper. Some use parts numbering into the thousands. Any time you fold one model many times then use it as a part of a larger whole assembled out of similar models this is called modular and the individual parts are the modules making up the greater whole.
Sonobe is a common module. Six sonobe modules can be woven together to make a cube, one for each face. Many square boxes are four identical parts woven together. Many flowers in nature have five fold symmetry and are most easily modelled by connecting five identical pieces. Some modular patterns use folds to lock the pieces in place. Others rely on friction to hold them. And still others may require a small bit of glue or the model will be too delicate to handle.

Q-What is "pure" origami or "traditional" origami?

A-Some people consider anything that doesn't start from a single exact square, less traditional. Many consider that any form of altering the paper, like cutting or gluing, to be extremely bad form. A few insist that origami must not be done on a table, they hold that it must be held aloft and never creased with anything harder then the pressure of your fingertips. I'm happy to note that while many have a narrow view of what origami is and believe that older more traditional forms are best, there are many more open to any creative method available. Let the idea take you away. Elegance can be found in simplicity even if that means cutting the paper for a specific effect.

Taking it up as a hobby:

Q-How does a person learn how to do it?

A-Well the first step is always to find some instruction. This may be in the form of a book or a fellow enthusiast. There are many great books in libraries. You can never go wrong starting there. The internet has many great resources as well.

Q-How can I find other origami enthusiasts?

A-Again the internet and the libraries are great sources of information. Many oriental cultural associations can point you to other enthusiasts. Korean, Chinese and Japanese variations exist with a great deal of tradition behind them. There are many Spanish forms of folding and even Russian and Hawaiian. Another way that works too is by simply folding in public. Sooner or later someone will notice and you can exchange interests. There are many conferences, conventions and festivals for origami or for the cultures that support origami. Look for them in newspapers, on the internet or at your local library.