Contents

OrigamiasExpressiveArt

TheGlobalOrigamiMovement

AnInspirational“LaFossophy”ofOrigami

FoldingSocially

It’sAllAbouttheArt

PracticalConsiderations

ChoosingandPreparingYourOrigamiPaper

OrigamiPreservation

ShowingYourOrigamiPiecesinPublic

SellingYourOrigamiArt

AchievingEleganceinYourFoldedArt

AGuidetoOrigamiDiagramsandSymbols

TheProjects

TheJapaneseCrane

LessonsfromtheHeart

AnneLaVin’sSquirrel

TheGreatWhiteShark

TheElegant-SimpleHummingbird

TheDimSumBun

AmbrosetheSkunk

ASeahorseforAlMiyatake

Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a

YellowTangforMariko

Foley(orFOALie)thePony

TheHappyGood-LuckBat

TheAlexanderAztecSwallowtailButterfly

TheWeddingOrchid

EnoughofthisCat!

TheLeatherbackSeaTurtle

Acknowledgments

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DedicationWelovinglydedicatethiscollectionoforigamilessonstoourdearfriends andmentors, Mrs. Kyoko Kondo and Dr. Shigeo Kondo.Kyokohasbeenalifelong,enthusiastic,internationalambassadorof origami,having served thenational organizationOrigamiUSAinmanycapacities fordecades.SheandShigeohavepersonallynurtured countless folders and artists by attending their eventsand purchasing their art and publications. This unwaveringsupport was essential to our becoming professional origamidesigners, authors and teachers. As a former Suzuki Methodviolin teacher, Kyoko knows well the importance andeffectiveness of guided practice in any art.We hope you enjoysharing theseorigami lessonswithyour students, justasKyokoandShigeohavesharedsomuchwithsomanyforsolong!

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OrigamiasExpressiveArtFOREWORDBYORIGAMIDOSTUDIOCOFOUNDERRICHARDL.ALEXANDER

rigamiasanexpressiveartformisrelativelynew,andinthelastfewdecadeshasbeenmarkedbyastoundinginnovation.

ThisexcitementiswhyMichaelLaFosseandIfoundedOrigamidoStudio in 1996. There, we have been able to share our joy ofdesigning and folding origami art through publishing, teachingand hosting hand-paper making workshops with other foldingcolleagues and artists. Michael named our studio “Origamido,”which is Japanese for “fold – paper – school.” The “do” suffiximplies a long-term,dedicated study.Michaelwas familiarwiththisbecausehisfatherlearnedJudointheUSAirForce(andlaterbecame an instructor himself), and Michael has also studiedTaekwondo for over forty years. Many of our paper-foldingstudentsandcustomerssharethe“do”—thatlifelongpassionfororigami. To us, it is much more than a hobby, and we havedozens of friendswhouse their annual vacation time to attendfoldingconventionsnowheldallaroundtheworld.

What is origami art, and why might you want to study it?AlthoughtheinventionofpaperwasdocumentedinChinaabouttwothousandyearsago,paperfoldingasapastimeseemstobeonly a few hundred years old. Until the last century, only ahandful of objects were realized. It was (and still is) oftendismissed as a trivial amusement for children. At best it wasconsideredafolkcraft.

Only since about the middle of the twentieth century hasorigamiexplodedinpopularity,andthereisnowaclassofpaperfoldingthatclearlyrisesabovethecraftlevel.Wedefineorigamiart as folded paper that expresses the human spirit. So manyartists nowexpress emotions so elegantly through foldedpaperthatmajormuseumsarebookingorigamimasterworkspresented

ascreativeandexpressiveart,andattendanceisraisingeyebrowsintheartworld.Whyisthisso?

Michaelonceopenedapublicpresentationwiththisthought:“Artrevealstheuniqueandcomplexnatureofexpressivehumanbeings.Origamiisoneofthoseartformsthatappealstoboththelogical and the emotional needs of themind.” This richness ofexploring the potential of the folded square spans the gamut,from single-fold sculptures to multi-piece geometricconstructions illustrating concepts of higher mathematics. TheInternetnowmakesitpossibleforsuchapreviouslyobscureartformtobecomerecognizedandappreciatedbyahugeaudience.Paperfoldingcananddoesefficientlyprovideafertilefieldforalifetimeofenjoyableexplorationandstudyformillionsofpeople.

It isworthnotingthatmostofourregularstudentsareoftenproficient in other disciplines of the arts and sciences as well.Their backgrounds may include writing, engineering,mathematics, painting, photography, dance ormusic… and themastery of any such endeavor benefits from a systematicapproach to study and practice. Mathematicians love to solvepuzzles to keep their reasoning skills sharp.Musicians practicescales and arpeggios to achieve and maintain technicalcompetence. So too should origami students practice certainmodels to perfect and maintain essential folding skills. Thebenefitofdoingso isproficiency, thegatekeeperofartistry.Thevalue of many arts is often in the process itself, and that iscertainlytruewithpaperfolding,whereexpressionisnotonlyinthefinal, foldedform,butalsointhebeautyoftheperformanceorthemagicofthetransformationduringthefoldingsequence.

Origamiartists come toworkwithusatOrigamidoStudio toimprove their artistry. Lessons don’t only involve acquiringtechnical folding skills; sometimes they include help withchoosing appropriate papers. In the world of origami art, the“look”ofapieceoffoldedartismuchmorethanjustitsphysicalappearance. Much of that look depends upon the intrinsicqualities of the chosen paper. Qualities such as strength orthinness may be critical to accommodating multiple layers, orsubtleshapingtoconveyattitudeorgestures.

Manyartists simply love to learnmoreabout themediumofpaper and its fibers, in order to master the technical skillsnecessaryto foldmoreartfully.Weuseapaletteofstrongplantfibers ofmanydifferent types andqualities (soft and supple, tohardandrigid).Compromisescanbemaddening forartists,andso the ability to come to Origamido Studio to customize theperfectbatchofhandmadepaperforeachspecificworkoffoldedartisadreamcometrue.Artistscanchoose,prepare,blendandpigmentthehighestqualityoffiberstoformsheetsoftheperfectsizeandthickness(orthinness).

Ifyouarenewtoorigami,wesuggestthatyoustartwithourOrigami Studio DVD kit for beginners (Tuttle Publishing). It

features thirty projects to illustrate basic origami folds andtechniques. If youhave already enjoyed those, or other origamilessons for beginners, and you are interested in exploring theartistry of folding, then this selection of origami projects wasdesignedforyou!Eachoneisanétude,orbriefstudy,designedorselected for theadvancing student to complete inone sitting. Itwas important for us to select models that not only teach keyfoldingskills,butarealsofunforyoutofoldrepeatedlyuntilyouhavemasteredthoseskills.

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TheGlobalOrigamiMovementJOINTHERANKSOFARTFULFOLDERSBYORIGAMIDOSTUDIOCOFOUNDERSMICHAELG.LAFOSSEANDRICHARDL.ALEXANDER

ostpeoplewhofoldpaperforentertainment,decorationorfun consider origami a craft. There is also a growing

segmentfocusedonusingorigamitoadvancetheunderstandingof science, math and engineering. A third cadre of origamienthusiasts is focused on “artful” folding, which has suddenlycaptivatedadiverse and expandedaudience.Never beforehavefolded pieces of paper been appreciated as jaw-dropping art,exhibited not just at annual origami conventions (now held inseveral countries), but also at major art museums around theworld.Thisglobalaudienceisnowengagedinahealthydialogueaboutfoldedart,providingthecriticalevaluationandresponsesoimportanttothedevelopmentandmaturationofanyartform.

Artfulfoldingcan,anddoes,providealifetimeofenjoymenttomany, but theadvancing folderoftenexperiences technical andartistic challenges. This can result in failure, and lead todisappointmentordiscouragement.Until the reasons for failureare identified, they cannot be corrected. Most origami booksmerelypresentdiagramstoshowhowtofoldaproject,analogousto sheet music studied by a budding musician. While notationalone may get you through a song, it is invaluable to hear itperformed properly, and even more helpful if you hear itperformed artfully. Rapid progress can happen when you workwithaqualifiedinstructor.Similarly,manyorigamiartistswouldbenefitgreatlybystudyingwithateacher—someonetoguidehisorherprogresstowardabetterperformance.

Sincemodern origami artistry is so new, there are relativelyfew resources or instructors who are qualified, willing and

available tohelpother foldingartists identifyandovercome themostpersistentandpredictableproblems.Wehaveworkedwithhundredsofartists,andhaveusedthatexperiencetoselecteachproject to develop or improve a specific aspect of paper foldingskill andartistry. Byworking through these lessons, youwill beimproving critical folding techniques, exploring origami designstyles,andgaining insights intoorigami’s instrument: thepaperitself. In short, these are the things thatmust come together intheheadandhandsoftoday’sexpressivepaperfoldingartist.

Inaddition,ourdemonstrationsontheaccompanyingvideowill help you understand the lessons well beyond what acollectionofdiagramsalonecando.Wesuggestthatyouwatchavideolessonforthefirsttimewithoutfolding,andthenwatchitagain, this timewithpaper inhand,advancing thevideo lessonstep-by-step at your ownpace. Studyandpractice your origamiartistry as if you were studyingmusic. These lessons will helpyou diagnose the areas where you need more work. Assignyourself a new lesson each week. We hope that you will soonmemorize,andthenenjoypracticingthemostapplicablelessons.We wish you a most rewarding journey along your path tobecominga“betterperformer”—amoreartfulfolder!

“Munich Orchids and Alexander Aztec Swallowtails” —HandmadeOrigamidopapersbyAlexander, originalorigamibyLaFosse.

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AnInspirational“LaFossophy”ofOrigamiOBSERVATIONSFROMTHESTUDIOBYORIGAMIDOSTUDIOCOFOUNDERRICHARDL.ALEXANDER

necan’tescapedevelopingaphilosophyaroundanysubjectstudied passionately for a long time. I have begun to use,

tongue-in-cheek, theterm“LaFossophy,”because Iwasata lossfor a word to adequately summarize Michael’s wisdom thatpermeates the Origamido Studio. While the majority of ourstudentsknowusfromourpublications,fordecadeswehavealsobeenteachingalllevelsoforigamiinperson.Oftenthosesessionsprompt discussions about our experiences that have influencedourthinkingaboutartfulfolding.Ifyouhavehadthepleasureofattending one of Michael’s sessions, perhaps at an origamiconvention, you’ll know what I mean: Michael injects his“LaFossophy”betweeneachinstructionashewaitsforfolderstocatchup!

The following are Michael’s most useful approaches andproductive methods. I have heard him expounding on thesetopics since Imet him in 1988, and I have seen the proof oftenenoughtothoroughlybelieveinMichael’sideas.Theywillinspireyou.

PreparingYourHeartMentalpreparationforanyactivityisoften the key to a successful and satisfying performance. Theright mental attitude allows you to focus on the task at hand.Master Yoshizawa folded with a peaceful spirit, usuallycomposing his thoughts while centering his physical body in acomfortableposition foramomentofmeditationorprayer.Thephysicalactofclosingyoureyes,andbringingthepalmsofyourhands together inaway that resembles thepostureofprayer is

anactofintentionalfocus.Properbreathingisalsoimportanttoany performer, and long, deep, conscious breathing pumpsoxygenintothebrain.

Dancingwith the Paper The process of folding and thenturningthepapertorepositionitforcomfortbeforethenextfoldisakintoadance,andevenmoresowhenthepaperislargeandthe maneuvers are performed in the air, rather than against atable surface. The fluidity of motion, and the changingrelationships between the paper, the person and the planet isenjoyableforthefolder,andentertainingforspectators.

PoemsfortheFingersThesimpler,elegantdesignsinthisbookcanbeeasilymemorizedand thenperformed forpure joy,similartothatfromrecitingtheworkofafavoritepoet.It isfunto practice themotions, savoring the rhythmwhile performingsuchan“origamipoem.”WhenMichael“recites”suchapieceinfrontofanaudience, they fullyunderstand the joyof theentirecreativeprocess.

GivingandReceivingOneneednotspenda lotofmoneyonmeaningful gifts. Repaying the kindness of a thoughtful giftcan be as easy as folding your favorite model. Whenever youreceive a gift wrapped with beautiful paper, carefully save thepaper.Howdelightedyourfriendwillbewhenyoucutasquare,fold,andpresentyourorigamigiftofthanks.Whatbettergiftcanthere be than one folded by your own hands from that same,special paper that your friend selected and will be sure torecognize?

Sendapersonalized“thankyou”byfoldingamodelforthegift-giverfromthepaperusedtowraptheoriginalgift.

Finding Joy in Transformation Origami is ametamorphicart:Asheetofpaperistransformedbyfoldingonly;nothingisaddedorremoved.Thisaspectofchangeiscaptivatingwhen one contemplates the possibilities and the magnitude ofthe change, as well as the chosen process. Some models are“actionmodels,”which convert from one form to another evenafterthefoldingisfinished.Shapetransformationiscaptivating,anditisusefulwhenyouwanttointroduceyourselftostrangers

inamemorableway.

LaFosse’s inspired “Goldfish.” “It just appeared in my hands.”ThepaperwasagiftfromAkiraYoshizawa.

Awakening the Spirit The final step is to open the eyes!Thoseofuswhofoldorigamianimalsknowhowmagicalitcanbeto create an individual with a presence of its own. Thismakesorigami so empowering to young children. They’re hooked assoonasyoushowthemhowtofoldasquareintoacutelittlefoxinjustfivesteps!Anyorigamicreaturecanbecometheirleadingcharacterinanewstoryortalltale.Themodelsmaybepastedinrows to grace the pages of a customized scrapbook or securelymountedasamobile.Theartisticexpressionandemotions thatyou fold into your origami creations are unlimited. They mayevokeanendearingandcuddlyfriendoreventhemostwickedofdemons. Master Yoshizawa is said to have folded a mask of aJapaneseNoTheatercharacter,Hannya,whowassodiabolicalinappearance that Yoshizawa “burst into uncontrollable tears—and was immediately hospitalized by extreme nervous andmentalexhaustion,”accordingtobiographer,LelandStowe(“ThePaper Magic Of Origami,”Hawai‘i Beaconmagazine, July, 1970).Perhapssomespiritsshouldremainasleep!

BeingOpentoInspiration“Idon’tfeelthatIcreatethese.IfeelthatGodguidesme.I’mevensurprisedatwhatcomesout.”—AkiraYoshizawa,accordingtobiographer,LelandStowe,1970.

Unexplained, inspired art can simply happen. We recall theday Michael was fumbling with an orange square of textured,Leathack paper that Yoshizawa had given to him.Michael wassupposedtobeworkingonanotherprojectthatday,andwhenIcame home from work, he met me standing at the top of thestaircase, beaming with joy, with a stunning origami goldfishcradledinthepalmsofthishands.“Ihavenoideahowtorepeatit.Idon’tevenrememberdoingit.Itjustappearedinmyhands!”he said. It wasn’t until several years later that he struggled torediscoverthefoldingprocesssohecoulddiagramitforAdvancedOrigami(TuttlePublishing).

MakingLegendaryFriendsManydesignshavedevelopedpersonas that become established into pop lore. The traditionalJapanese origami crane is themost famous of these celebratedmodels. The age-old legend of the crane living 1,000 yearsmorphedintoapoignanttaleofSadako,akindergartnerbattlingradiation sickness after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. TheSpanishPajaritadesignisyetanotherexample.Thetalesexpandandevolvewithrepeatedtelling.Theseclassicdesignsnowenjoyworldwide recognition beyond just origami enthusiasts. TheInternet allows new designs to go viral as each story is sharedand re-shared. We now see young folders clutching their ownOrigami Yodas folded from Tom Angleberger’s published tales,TheStrangeCaseofOrigamiYoda,(Abrams,2010).Theselegendaryfriendsneednotbesimple:Atfoldingconventions,weoftenseeseveralyoungsterscomparingtheirversionsofSatoshiKamiya’s“AncientDragon.”

Legendaryzealhappenedtooneofourstudentswhenhewasyounger. John Scarborough was an inventive creator who hadlearnedtofoldseveralorigamianimalswhileattendingclassesatourOrigamidoStudio.Oneday,heappearedwithhismomanddadtorevealhisowndelightfulorigamicompositedesignthathecalledthe“Moxaroo.”Hedescribeditashavingtheheadofafox,the body of a mouse, and the tail of a kangaroo. With eachsubsequentmeeting, therewouldbeanaddedmodel,a tidbitof

lore,oftenaccompanyinganewlyfoldedversionoftheMoxaroo,or perhaps its prey. Finally, he presented us with a three-ringbinder of the story, complete with life cycle factoids about hismythicalcreatures.Thiswasawonderfulchapterinhiscreativeorigamilifethatweallstillrecallwithabroadsmile.

JohnScarboroughproudlyshowshisoriginal“Moxaroo,”andthebookofitslore.

GregMudarri’slegendary“CraneRiders”inadisplaydiorama.

Ourdearfriend,coauthorandgraphicdesigner,GregMudarri,recalledthatasachildhewascaptivatedbyaU.S.News&WorldReport illustration from 1987 depicting a businessman riding anorigami JapaneseCrane folded froma tax form.Hedesignedanorigami human figure to nicely fit atop an origami crane. Heexhibitedaseriesof“CraneRiders”atourStudio,depictingthemgathered around a campfire, capturing and taming the huge,fanciful creatures. Eventually, he designed an origamimodel toproducebothcraneandriderfromasingle,uncutsquare.In2013,GregcontactedBenLuce,thegraphicartistwhohaddesignedtheoriginal illustration, inLosAngeles. Amere 26 years later, Gregmet Ben and finally had the chance to thank the man whoseartisticeffortsinspiredhimtoembarkonsomanyhoursofjoyfulpaper folding. Imagine how you too can develop your own loreandlegendsaroundyourfavoriteorigamicreations.

Gifts fromOurMentorsWhat would we be without theorigamidesignerswhohavegonebeforeus? JustasMichaelwastransformedbyseeingthecolorphotosofremarkableorigamiinthe 1970 Readers Digest article about Master Yoshizawa andothers, the person discovering origami art today is about toembarkuponajourneyofdiscoveryenhancedbyexposuretotheworks of previous designers, artists, diagrammers, and handpapermakers.Whilemanyfoldersdrawinspirationfromworksbyothers, one’s ownwork is enough to propel some artists into afrenzy of innovative folding. The topic of one-upsmanship wasbeautifully illustrated in Vanessa Gould’s Peabody-Award-winning origami documentary,Between the Folds, in the chaptertitled, “The Bug Wars.” While she addressed one aspect oftechnical folding, the same arguments work for spurring oneanotheronartisticallyaswell.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to Mr. & Mrs. AkiraYoshizawa,Samuel&JeanRandlett,NealElias,PatriciaCrawford,RobertHarbin,FlorenceTemko,EricJoisel,VincentePalaciosandmany other origami designers and authors who, through theirinspiringpublications,pavedthewayforusandnewgenerations

of origami designers. We have immense gratitude, love andaffection for Elaine and Sidney Koretsky, founders of CarriageHousePaperinBrookline,Massachusetts,whohelpedusandourstudents explore theworldofhandpapermaking, fromgainingexperiencewith the papermaking plants that they cultivated intheir yard, to fiber processing techniques and archival coloringwith pigment systems. Their accomplished artist daughter,Donna, now continues their important legacy through CarriageHousePaperinBrooklyn,NewYork.

OureffectivenessasteachersisacredittotheworkofLillianOppenheimer,andhereclecticcollectionofdesigners,presentersand volunteers at origami conventions. As an example, Kyokoand Shigeo Kondo have not only been long-time supporters ofOrigamiUSA,theyalsopersonallymentoryoungerfoldingartists,andhavedonesoeversincewecanremember.WehavelovinglybestoweduponKyokotheaffectionatemoniker“ChairmanoftheBoard”becausesheconstantlyurgesus toexplorenewprojects,publicationsandwaystomakeourlivingbydoingwhatwelovetodo.Thebestwaywecanthanktheseselflessmentorsistohelpgrow a new crop of passionate, innovative and talented artistsandteacherstowillinglysharetheirenthusiasmforartfulpaperfoldingwithothers,wellintothefuture.

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FoldingSociallyMEETANDFOLDFORFUN!

f you enjoy playing cards or dancing, youmight also like theinterplay of folding origamiwith others.Weusually foldwith

others gathered around a large table when we are preparingspecialdisplaysorcommercialartinstallations.Ifthereislatitudeinthedesign,suchaswhencomposingorigamiblossoms,stemsandleaves,itisfuntogatheropinionsaboutwhatsizes,colorsorpositionslookbest.Oftensomebodywilldiscoverashortcutortiptomakethefoldingmorepreciseorefficient.Welearnaboutnewtools, papers and materials whenever we gather with foldingfriends.Whenwe takeabreak from the taskathand,we showeach other new origami designs that we have developed,modifiedorlearned.

If you think youmight enjoy the company of other origamienthusiasts,visitthewebsiteofOrigamiUSAatorigamiusa.orgtofindlistingsoffoldinggroupsinyourarea.

ContinentorIsland?It used to be common for origami artists to work in isolation.There were few publications and organizations to support aseriouspaperfolder.Itcanalsobemorefuntosolveaproblemonyour own, particularly when it takes intense thought over longperiodsof time.Designingwith little outside influence certainlycan produce fresh results. Folders working in isolation havebecome famous when examples of their innovative worksuddenly burst upon the scene. Shocking new techniquesadvancedbyisolatedartistcertainlymakearefreshingsplashintheartworld.

Today’s ubiquitous Internet hasmade artistic isolationmoredifficult. New ideas and techniquesmay instantly pollinate the

minds of thousands of contemporary artists. Those who arereceptive absorb these lessons and then apply their own spin,oftenresultinginclevervariations.

This change has its pros and cons. At certain points in yourcareer you may prefer isolation, perhaps during the birth of abreakthrough,orwhenyousimplyneed to findyourownvoice.The connected crowd produces fairly steady and incrementaladvancement,andyoumaydrawstrengthfromtheinspirationofothers’work.Luckily,thechoiceisyours.

Foldersofall agesenjoymakingorigamiat thisPeabodyEssexMuseumworkshop.

FoldingfortheWorldIn any new art, the “pioneers” invariably set the tone for thosewhofollow.Becausethis“foldingasart” issonew,manyof thegreatest origami designers of all time are alive today, and theirsignatureworksmaybe important fromahistoricalperspective.Realizing the magnitude of this impact, one designer friendsharesonlyonenewdesignwiththefoldingworldeachyear,andtheanticipationwithinthecommunityoffansispalpable.Otherdesigners seem to want to publish anything they can think of,and then they let the origami community play the part of thecritical filter,astheyweighinwithpraiseorcritique.Associetychanges, our collective tastes in art also change, and it is

instructive to look back. Good design is timeless, and while anorigamicreationisnolessaproductofthetimeinwhichitwasdeveloped, the artifacts of our civilization are snapshots thatteachusabout thehumanmindand theconditionof society inthatplace,andatthatinstant.

JustRight“I don’t knowanythingabout art, but I knowwhat I like,” is anoft-heard comment in art exhibitions. Since the public isessentially without knowledge about origami art, the first timeyourworkisshowninpublic,itissuretogarnerawiderangeofreaction.Thebeststrategyistoshowtheworkthatyouaremostcomfortableshowing,andthatprocessofcuratingcomesdowntoa simple question: “Is it just right?”Often, youwon’t be able toputyourfingeronexactlywhatistroublingyouaboutapieceoffoldedart,butyouknowthatthere issomethingthathasn’tyetgelled.Don’tshowityet.Letitsimmerinyourmind.Revisitthesubjectwithaclearhead.Tryadifferenttypeofpaper,adifferentsizeorfolditwithsomedifferenttoolsortechniques.Thisisthefunofexploringorigamiartasalifelongpassion!

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It’sAllAbouttheArtGROWTHTHROUGHSHARING&CRITIQUE

fyouwanttofoldmoreartfully,“Gettheetoanartmuseum!”Itwillhelpimmenselytoexposeyourselftoawidevarietyofart.

Studyit,andenjoygettingtoknowotherartistswholovetovisitmuseumsanddiscuss theworks.Line, form, relationship, color,light—allof thecountlessaspectsof fineartareconsideredbyartistsandrevealedinthethousandsofworksofartgracingthewallsofour finestpublicmuseums. Ifyour foldingattemptsareevertobeconsideredbyothersasart,youshouldhavecertainlyfirst become familiar with the dialogue of art history. Art fromancientcivilizationswasstudied,copiedandregurgitatedbytheartists of subsequent generations in aprocess that continues tothis day, andwill repeat throughout time. You are now part ofthatsplendidtraditionofbuildingontheachievementsof thoseartistswhohave said something importantaboutbeinghuman.Perhaps you have something new to add about beauty, love orstruggle.Whatdoyouwant tosayto the futureartistswhowillsomeday gaze upon your masterwork? Michael sums it up bysaying, “I believe that art is the unique contribution that anyindividualcangivetotheirchosencraft.Thegreatestvalueofartisrealizedbytheartist,duringthejourney.Theresultingproduct,or artifact, is another matter, entirely.” That dialogue aboutorigamiart—whatis,andwhatisn’t—willsurelygoonforever.

Michael’s “A Rose for Irene,” named for Richard Alexander’smother,whichwasondisplayatthe“Less=More”exhibitionattheHonoluluMuseumofArtfromFebruarytoMayin2015.

Connoisseurship, or Calibrating Your Sense ofQualityAlthough modern and expressive origami is relatively recent,there is already a rich body of design on every level, fromamateurtoprofessional,Thisprovidesenjoyableforagingfortheorigamiconnoisseurandfoldedartcollector.Howdoesyourworkstackup?There isnobetterway tocalibrate thequalityofyourwork than to show it at one of the several annual origamiconventionsnowheldinat leasttwentycitiesaroundtheglobe.“Gettheetoanorigamiconvention!”Youwillseeworksbyyourcontemporaries, and at every level of complexity and artisticprowess.Makeaneffort tomeet like-minded folders (Therewillalsobecriticswhowillsparenofeelingsintellingyouwhattheythinkofyoursubjectsortechnique).Weencourageyoutoengagein spirited discussions about your art. See if you can put yourfingeronwhatmovesyouremotionsorimpressesyou,andwhatdoesn’t.Trytocarefullyarticulatethereasonsforyouropinions.After such healthy discussions, nearly every exhibitor packs uptheirdisplaytablewiththoughtsofwhattheywilldodifferentlyin the future. As Red Sox baseball fans, we grew up fond ofsaying,“Justwaituntilnextyear!”

AvoidOverthinkingIf you are susceptible to deadly “overthink,”we don’t have anyadviceforyouotherthan“putitdownandwalkaway.”Thereisusuallygreatvalueinhavingafreshlookatsomethingyouhavedonebefore.Sometimesitonlytakesadaytopass,sometimesaweekorevenamonthmayelapsebeforeitbecomesobviousthatadditionalchangesareneeded(ornot).

AvoidOverworkingYourArtOverworking isasdangerousasoverthinking,andthetwooftentravel hand-in-hand. Overworking a design is one thing;overworkingthepaperisyetanother.Paperisafragilemedium,and it tells you quite quickly when it is overworked— but ofcourse, when it does, it’s too late! Folders who moisten theirpapermust bemore careful because the structure of the papercaneasilydisintegrate if toomuchwater isaddedandthenyouprovide too much manipulation to that area. My dad providessimilar,usefuladviceaboutspraypainting: “Give it justagentlekisswithalightspritz,andthenwalkaway!Youwillbetemptedto hit it again, but DON’T DO IT! Just go paint something elsewhileyouletitdry.”

“BalancingSeahorses”byLaFosse, fromAlexander’shandmade

gampi papers. Goal met! Careful folding passes the test whentheystandontheirown.

FindingYourOwnLevelOrigami can be exciting and interesting at any level ofcomplexity, from single-fold expressions, to highly realistic anddetailedmodeling.Wefindthatifsomebodyenjoysthemagicoffoldingpaper,thentheywilltendtofoldthosethingsthatbringthem the most comfort or joy. Some appreciate the socialinteractionwithothersmorethanthephysicalproductitself,andthese folders may tend to enjoy “performance origami” and“Story-gami”models,especiallywhentheyareworkingwith“pre-folders”(theveryyoung),or“postfolders,”suchasseniorcitizensorotherswhomaybeunabletofoldbecauseofarthritisorinjury.Such people who would simply rather watch than fold enjoyorigamithemostasspectators.

At the other end of the spectrum are folders who exploreorigamiasanovelwaytochallengethemselvestounderstandorillustratecomplex,mathematicalconcepts,theoremsandproofs.Theymightwonderiftheycansolvethepuzzlepresentedbyanelegant creasepattern or complexdiagrams. Perhaps they’ll seepotential in a particular model for their own modification orinterpretation. They simply may be curious about the foldingmethod,ortheinitialbasechosenbythedesigner.

Somewhere in between those two extremes lies the greaterarea of the bell curve of folders and crafters who simply enjoysharingpopularfavorites,orperhapsrecreatingthemostrecentlypublishedmodels.Thereareorganizationswithmembersinallofthesecategories.Ifyouwanttofindotherpeoplewhoshareyourparticular interests, visit OrigamiUSA online. They supportregionalgroupsofpaperfoldersandmayhelpyouparticipateinlocalorigamiactivities.

FindingYourOwnVoiceEarly on, an artist attempts to copy the works of others.Sometimesthoseworksspeaktohimorherinsomespecialway.

Theeffortisoftenlessthansatisfying,andsothejourneyoftheartist is to confront obstacles that may include technicallimitations, prejudices and ignorance. One by one, the artistexploresapproachesandmethodsthataddressandresolveeachobstacleorimpediment.Gainingfluencythroughpersistenteffortwhilestrivingforfacilityallowsanartisttobecomemostfamiliarwith those methods that feel the most natural, or seem toresonate within. Folding artists will eventually zero-in on aparticular style that expresses their “voice,”much in theway asinger develops their own unique approach to singing. Findingyourvoiceforthefirsttimeisexciting,butitisonlythefirstpartofa longjourney.Allowingittoevolveasyougrowcanbeevenmorethrilling.

Weknowmanyfoldingartistswhohavesethighstandardsforthemselves, and have found their voice. Their work ismagnificentandeasilyrecognizable.

MakingaModel“Sing”We practice origami to become better folders, but we repeatcertainfavoritelesonsuntilwecanmakethem“sing.”Duringanexhibitionatanorigamiconvention,youmayseetheworkofanartistwhoconsistentlyproducesmodelsthatriseabovetherest.Each may excel at a particular subject or model, and theirmasteryisevident.Oneneednothoveraroundhisorherdisplayfor longbeforeyouhearavisitorsay,“Nobodydoes itbetter.” Ifthe subject is silk tessellations, the name mentioned might beChris Palmer. If the subject is a gorgeous floral arrangement,expect to hear the name Delrosa Marshall. If the extraordinarydisplayisoforigamianimals,wemightguessthefolderisSiphoMabona or Robert Lang. This predictable, exceptional level ofartistry does not happen by accident. It takes an enormousamount of recital time. These artists know how to make theirwork sing, and we take delight in any of their publicperformances.

CrystallineBeauty

Some compositions appear unfinished. Others appearoverworked. At some point in between, during the process offolding an origami sculpture, a little voice in your head shouldsay, “That gels.” The ability to recognize, attain, and moreimportantly, avoid going beyond that critical point is just onethingthatdistinguishesanartist froma lessexperiencedfolder.WelovetoseetheshoeboxesofworksthatourstudentsbringtotheStudio to show tous.Their technicalprowess isoftenquiteevident; it seems todripoff themodels,yet theart isnot thereyet.Thisisusuallyaphasethatyoungfolderspassthrough.Withcoaching,theyeventuallylearntorecognizeexactlywhenthereisjustenougheffort,andnottoomuch.

Overcoming“Folder’sBlock”If you are an artistwith a vision, you are truly blessed!Writersoftensufferfrom“writer’sblock,”aconditionofanxietyfeltwhenthe words refuse to appear on the blank page. The same canhappen with artists or creative people in any discipline.Sometimes an artist “falls into a rut” — doing only familiardesignswith their favorite, familiarmaterials.Another commoncomplaint we hear is that an artist may have no shortage ofvision— things they want to fold or accomplish— but everyattempt falls far short of their vision. Some designers describevividdreamsoffoldingsomethingthatturnsouttobeimpossiblewhen they try to recreate the experience while awake. Others“see” way too much, and they bury themselves in piles ofmediocremadness(Itmaybetimeforthemtotakeatriptothepaper-recyclingcenter).Wheneveryoufeelstymiedorartisticallyinarticulate,considerthefollowingsuggestion:

GainaNewPerspectiveThe best way that we have found to recharge our reservoir ofartisticvisionistochangeoursceneandourroutine.Whetherwegolocalortraveltonewlands,theeffect isrefreshing.OurtimeinHawai‘iwasawaytomakenewfriends,experienceinterestingcreatures and recharge our spirits in refreshingly beautiful

landscapes. This also provided us with new colors, smells andsounds, and our palette of handmade papers brightenedconsiderably.GrabapackofpaperandjustGOSOMEWHERE!

CollaborateThecreativestaffinanycompanyneedsashotinthearmonceina while.We have been fortunate to work with several creativestaffsatworkshopsforinnovatorsandwithdesignteamsofwell-known companies. We have prepared teachers’ workshops atschools and colleges, and find that when artists learn a newtechnique, they immediately thinkupmanyways to apply it totheirart.Justastherearemanywaystoconstructabridgeoverariver,bridgingyourvision into theworldof realityasa tangiblesculpture requires considerable thought, planning andexperimentation.Workingwith somebody else is synergy at itsbest,creatingtogethermorethanthesumofwhateachcoulddoalone.Webelievethatthosewhoenjoythatcollaborativeprocessbecomebetterartists.

FoldingforOneselfThatpendulumcanswingbothways.Perhapsyouneedabreakfrom long periods of collaboration. If you are the rare breed ofartist with no need of an audience, origami may be a perfectsolitary pastime for you. One friend enjoys origami immensely,but only to satisfyher own curiosity. She rarely keeps anythingthatshefolds,andshedoesnotfusswithobtainingfancypapers.To her, the only thing that is important is to understand thestructure of the model. Other artists also develop their foldingtalentforsolitary joy.Perhapstheyhavesuchhighexpectationsthattheyaretooshytoevershowtheirworktoanotherhumanbeing.Somekeepnothing.Otherskeepalloftheirwork,buttheykeepithiddenaway.Manypeoplefoldforrelaxationorforescapefromworldlymatters in the sameway that it canbe fun to getlostinanovel.

Michael’s“TulipforBetty,”namedforhismother,ondisplayatthe“Less=More”exhibitionattheHonoluluMuseumofArtfromFebruarytoMayin2015.

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PracticalConsiderationsMORETIPSFORFOLDERS

onsidering the question of scale— eachmodel has a fairlywell-defined, optimum range of scale that translates to the

perfectpapersize,orrangeofpreferablesizes.Whenamodeljustseems perfect, you know that the artist has chosen the scalewisely.Thischoicealsodependsuponthepaper thickness foragivenmodel,anditisamarkofanexperiencedfolderwhenyousee those choices perfectly executed.We are also aware of theimpressiveworkthatittakestocreateexamplesthatfalloutsideof that usual window or envelope. When you see such works,realize that they probably rely on hidden engineering, supportstructures, materials, tricks or tools to accomplish theextraordinary. Our display of Origami Japanese Cranes at apharmaceutical convention requireda special, two-piecedesign,andinternalstructuralsupportsandclampingdevicesinordertoshowofftheirseven-footwingspans.

CreasePatternsCreasepatternsareefficientpuzzlesusefultoadeptfolders,andinaperfectworldwheretherearenobeginnersandeveryonehasabove average skills, there would be no need for elaboratediagrams,drawings,photosorvideoinstructions.Wedon’tliveinthat world. Regardless, if you have been folding for a while, itmight be fun to practice your proficiency at figuring out creasepatterns. Another way to challenge yourself is to use a right-handed crease pattern to create a left-handed origami model(suchasMichael’sYellowTangforMariko,page64).Thisabilitytotranslate“handedness,”orchirality,isausefulskillthatimproveswith practice. Crease patterns have become an importantcomponentofpublicdisplaysof foldedart.Whenavisitor looks

atapieceoforigamiartwithoutrealizingthatitwasfoldedfromasinglesquarewithnocuts,theimpactmaynotbeaspowerfulas it would be if a crease pattern accompanied the work tocommunicate that added information. The same is true ofpopularsongs.Knowingwhyasongwriterwasmovedtocreateapieceofmusicoftenaddsimmeasurablytothetotalexperience.

HoldingHand,WorkingHandWeinNewEnglandaremindfuloftheconceptofthe“divisionoflabor,”especiallyeverytimeweenjoyeatingourtasty,large-clawlobstersfromthe icyNorthAtlantic.Thelocal lobstershavetwodistinctandspecializedclaws—asmallerandsharper“pincher”claw, and a massively powerful “crusher” claw. Think of thisanimalwheneveryoufoldpaper,becauseoneofyourhandswillbe better at holding the paper, and the other will be skilled atplacingthecreases.“Holdbeforeyoufold,”isacommonreminderwe hear from Michael when he is working with a new folder.Printedorigamidiagramsaretoblameformanyofanewfolder’sdifficulties.Foreconomy, thediagramsarerarely rotatedon thepagetoshowintheactualorientationthatwenormallyusewhenweareplacingacrease.Whenonesitsatatablewiththepaperbeforethem,thenaturalpositionofthefingerspointsawayfromthefolder’sbody.Thatisalsothemostnaturaldirectionforaflapofpapertobemovedbythoseextendedfingers—awayfromthebody.Thismeansthatthepaperwillbefrequentlyturned,flippedand repositioned for folding comfort, and the hand that firmlypinsthemodeltothetableisthe“holdinghand”whilethefoldisbeingpositionedandcreasedbythe“foldinghand.”Somefolderscanperformdelicatemaneuversonlywiththeirdominanthand,andtheyfocustheireffortsonthathand.Othersstriveforequalfacilityintheirhands,andexercisetheirnon-dominanthandasawaytochallengetheirminds.

Inside each crane is a wooden fixture to clamp the halvestogetherandsupportthehangingcable.

LaFosse foldshis signature “Origamido Butterfly” froma 5-footsquareofpurplehandmadepaper thatwemadeforanepisodeonGermanTV.

ChemicalSize“Size” iscommontermusedtodescribeavarietyofnaturalandsynthetic chemical additives used to harden the surface of thepaper, control the absorption of paint and ink, and to stiffen it.Exploringandbecomingfamiliarwithanewtoolortechniquecanblast open a passageway to exciting possibilities. The unseenworkhorse of today’s folded paper sculpture is methylcellulose(MCforshort),andifyouwanttobecomeamoreartfulfolderandhavenotusedit,giveitatry.Thisreversible,water-solublepasteallows two thin sheets of paper to be pasted together (backcoating).Italsohelpsthepaperlayersstayputasyounarrow(or“skinny”) any long, thin appendage, such as an insect’s leg orantennae.Italsotoughensthepaperandstrengthensthestance,making the piece stable when dried. Yoshizawa and otheradvanced folders used starch (wheat) paste. Photos of thoseworks published in 1970 inspired Michael to design his ownorigamiandcreateshaped,foldedsculptures.WhenMichaelwasateenagerheworkedattheFitchburgPublicLibraryandhelpedrepairbooks.Thismadehimawareofinsectandmoldproblemsassociated with starch paste. Sometime in 1973, his father, abuildingcontractor,sawhowMichaelwastryingtobackcoattwosheets of paper for his origami designs. His dad suggested thatMichael try Metylan, a wallpaper paste that he used (whichturnedouttobeMC). Itworkedgreat,notonlyforbackcoating,butforsculptingor“modeling”hisfinishedworks!Unlikestarchpaste,MCgeldidnotgobad.

Thosewhoarenewtothetechniquesofbackcoatingandwetfoldingwithmethylcellulosemayatfirstbeintimidatedbyusingsize. However, most of our students experience a remarkableimprovementintheirworkwhentheywetfoldtheirfirstsheetofhandmadeduopaper(laminatedwithMCgelbetween).

ResearchontheInternetTheInternetisnowloadedwithphotosofexceptionalmodels.Itcan’thurttosearchforanimageofanorigamisubjecttoassessthestateoftheart.Perhapsyouwillfindthatyourownvisionhasnot only been done before— but that it has been done muchbetter than you had ever imagined. On the other hand, anInternet search may afford you smooth sailing in unchartedwaters, goingwhere no folder has gone before (or if they have,they never returned!) The other side of this coin is that seeingotherworkswillinfluenceyourwork.Considertherisks.

These were just some of the nuggets that have come up indiscussionattheStudiowhilefoldingpaperwithotherartistsandstudentsinterestedinmoreartfulfolding.Wehopethatyoufindsomeoftheseideasorsuggestionsusefulandthoughtprovokingasyouexploreorigamiasanexpressiveartform.

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ChoosingandPreparingYourOrigamiPaperQUALITYCONSIDERATIONS

e fold a wide variety of papers, but lasting art requiresquality not commonly found in readily available,

decorativepapers.Here’swhatyoushouldknow:

KraftThemost common papers readily available to the folding artisttoday are made from wood pulp. These are also the leastexpensive papers because trees (and tree-top scrap remainingfrom logging operations) are readily available, and trees are arenewable resource. Huge paper mills located in the northernclimates continuously receive truckloads of trees, often frommixed species. The wood is chopped in large-scale machinery,and the inch-sized wood bits are soaked in water. The kraftprocess,acommonmethodtoprocessthewoodbitswithharshchemicals(sodiumhydroxideandsodiumsulfide),wasdevelopedinGermanyoveracenturyago.Sincethistreatmentyieldsfiberthat is strong enough for most general-purpose papers, it wasgiventhename“kraft,”whichmeans“strength” inGerman.Thealkaline solution and wood mixture is cooked under highpressurewith steam. This process quickly separates the brown,gooey, unwanted lignins from the desired fibers of cellulose.Today, that stock is oftenmixedwith fiber frompost-consumerpaper recycling.Youareprobablymost familiarwith the sturdybrownpaper grocery bags produced by the kraft process.Whensimilarmaterial is corrugated and laminated between layers toholdtheribsinplace,itformscardboardforboxesandpackaging.Fiberboard for shoeboxes and cereal boxes are yet another

familiar,less-refinedkraftproduct.

A selection of handmade abaca papersmade at the OrigamidoStudio.

BondLong ago, the loose fuzz on minimally processed kraft papersinterferedwithinkpennibs,andsothoseloosefibersneededtobe “bound” onto a smooth, flat surface to produce reliablyacceptablestock.Thisiswhywritingpaperiscalled“bond.”Thatsamefuzzalsoaffectstheperformanceofmechanicalcopiersandprintingmachinestoday,andsocopierpaperisnowoftencalled“office bond.” Additional refinement is needed to produce finewriting papers. The pulp is usually bleached white to improvewritinglegibility,andthenthesurfaceismadeharderandmoreopaquebyaddingmineralssuchaskaolinclayorchemical“size,”suchaspolymersthathardenwhenthepulp isdriedorheated.Bond papers traditionally folded quite nicely, but nowmanufacturers seem to be incorporating more recycled, wastefiber“streams.”Commercialbondstockisusuallynotconsidereda permanent media for folded art due to the variable andunknownoriginofrecycledcontent.

Bondpapersdoworkwellforpractice,especiallyifthemodelshaveonlyafewsteps,andforfoldinganymodelsnotintendedtolastforposterity.Suchmachine-madepaperwillyieldacceptable,six-inch, Japanese origami cranes. As you will learn in the

Japanese Crane lesson (page 34), a beginning folder may soonnotice that the points of the beak, wings and tail are moredifficulttoformperfectlyfrombondpaper,especiallyononesideof each corner. Part of this is due to the relative thickness, butmost of the problem comes from the grain, or disproportionatealignment of fibers. A crease formed between fiber strands iseasier tomake thanoneplacedperpendicularlyacross theendsof aligned fibers. Placing creases to form an “airplane point” atoneofasquare’scornerstendstobemoredifficultononeside,wherethefiberalignmentopposesthedirectionof the intendedfold as the adjacent edges are brought together. One flap willeasilybendbecausethecreaseisbeingmadeparallelto,orwiththe grain; but the other flap resists, with the alignment of thefibers forcing the actual crease to splay away from the corner.Michaellikestouseatoolto“convince”theendsofthefibers(cutacross the grain) to fold where he wants them to, rather thansplayaway.

Tocounteractthistendency,mosttypesofofficebondcanbe“zonefolded,”byapplyingalocalizedswipeofmoisturealongtheintendedfold linewithacottonswab (whereas“wet folding,”ormoistening the entire sheet, usually causes puckering of themodel as it dries). The thickness of bond paper helps thebeginning folder learn to anticipate accommodating thebuildupofmultiple layers by leaving a slight gapbetween rawedges asthecreaseisplaced.Thisallowssufficientroomforthemtocometogetherasthoseedgesarefoldedinsidesubsequentfolds.

OrigamiPaperAlsocalled“kami,”whichisJapaneseforpaper,“origamipaper”isa term that many folders today use to describe the ubiquitouspackagedfoldingpapersmadefromthinnersheetsofwoodpulp.It typically has color applied to only one side. Kami wasdeveloped in the 1800s to support the paper folding exercisesintroduced to young children attending Friedrich Froebel’sKindergarten.IntheUnitedStates,MiltonBradley,alithographer,produced some of the first widely distributed, commercially

packaged materials designed to support the newly importedKindergartensystem.WecreditFroebelwithinsistingupon“onesheet,nocuts,”andtheuseofsmallsquares(“tobetterfitsmallhands”) with color on only one side. These were selected foreconomy aswell as for the interesting patterns producedwhenthe paper is folded in particularways. “Duo kami” (two-coloredorigamipaper)describesfoldingpaperwithtwocolors—oneoneachsideofthepaper.

Momigami“Momigami” refers to Japanese paperswith decorative, crinkledorwrinkledsurfaces.Thereareseveralmodernmethodstomass-produceimitationmomigamifromwoodpulppapers.

Long-time folders pine for the days when regular origamipaper wasmuch stronger than it is today. They’ve noticed thedropinqualitythroughthelastfewdecades,probablyduetotheinclusion of post-consumer waste paper from offices, factoriesand households. This discarded packaging, junk mail,newspapersandmagazinefiberstockishighlyvariablefromtimeto time,and from location to location.The inclusionof recycledstockgenerallyshortenstheaveragelengthofthecellulosefibersinthemix,andsoother,longer,strongerfibersorpolymersmustbeaddedtothebatchtoboostitsstrength.

Mass production economy dictates thatwood pulpsmust beprocessed quickly, and that is most easily accomplished withaggressive chemicals such as strongly alkaline solutions, whichare neutralized with correspondingly strong acids. Even thoughthisstockisthoroughlyrinsed,tracesofacidcananddoremainin thepaper (called internal, or residual acids). Batch variabilitymakes it difficult for the consumer to know exactly what iscontained within inexpensive papers. Rapid, globalindustrializationhasalsoincreasedcoalburningandtheamountof acidic compounds of chlorine, sulphur and nitrogen in theatmosphere. Over long periods of time, papers without asufficientlevelofinternalbufferingcandiscolor,fade,turnyellowand / or become brittle with age. Although some papermakers

addalkalinebufferingcompoundstocounteractthiseffect,doingsoaddsexpenseandchangesthenatureofthepaper.

Origamipaperandfoilsareinexpensiveandwidelyavailableinwonderfulpatternsandcolorsthatmakethesepaperssopopularwithfolders.

Commerciallyavailableartpaperscanyieldsatisfactoryresults.They are a step up from cheap “origami papers,” but not asprizedashandmadepapers.

Because of this, there are several brands of papers used bycommercialandfineartiststhathavebecomepopularwithpaperfolders.Wedon’tknowexactlywhatisineachofthesematerialsbecause paper formulas are often considered trade secrets, butthere seems to be a higher level of quality control with thefollowingbrandsofso-called“artpapers.”

ArtPapersThesearea commerciallyavailable compromise.Theyaremoreexpensive than bond, but still affordable, and often sold as“archival.”Asfoldingmaterials,thesedoworkwellformanywet-folded objects. These papers are available in different weights,andsotherelativethicknessofthethinnerweightsisusuallynota problem when used to fold larger models for public display.Because these papers are designed for artistic uses, origamidisplaysinretailstorewindowslookgreatwhenthesubjectsarewetfoldedwiththesepopularbrands:Zanders’“ElephantHide”;Samwha Paper Co.’s “Leathack” and “Tant”; Graphic ProductsCorporation’s “Wyndstone”; Daler Rowney’s “Canford”; andCanson’s“Mi-Teintes.”Thesearejustsomeofthepopularbrandsofstrongartpaperfavoredbywell-knownorigamiartistssuchasChris Palmer,who tessellates large sheets; or RobertLang,whowet folds structurally strongbowls, goblets andboxes.Wehavemany pieces of art folded from these commercial products byartist friends through the years. Unfortunately, we have foundthatthecolorsofthesecommerciallyavailable“artpapers”tend

tofadewhentheobjectsareexposedtobrightlight(ondisplayinthe gallery, or exposed to sunlight). If you enjoy the foldingqualities of art papers, we recommend that you consider firstcoloring the surface with an acrylic wash or pigmented paintsimilarintonetothepaperitself.

In general, wood pulp paper is usually not the best choicewhen foldingart thatyoumightwant tooutlastyou—perhapsyourheirs (or themuseumthattheysell it to)willwant it tobearound forhundredsof yearswithout any serious compromisesinstrengthoranychangesincolor.

WatercolorPaperOther high quality, commercially produced papers made fromexceptionally strong fibers have been used by fine artists forhundreds of years for charcoal sketching, pencil and ink pendrawing, and for painting. The most common paper choice forthesefineartusesisfairlythickwatercolorpapermadeofcotton.Thismaterialalsoworkswellforfoldinglargerworksoforigami,butitusuallyprovestoothickforthemajorityoforigamisubjects.Because it is also highly sized, itwill requiremoistening beforefoldingtopreventcracking.Manyfoldersareinexperiencedwithwet-folding techniques, and so they often over-wet the paper,whichcanresultinpuckeringwhenitisdried.

USMoney,orPaperCurrencyUS dollars are made from a combination of fibers specificallyselectedfordurability,andthereforewefeel that theybelong inthiscategoryasasuperiormaterialforpaperfolders.

HandmadePapersApieceoffoldedartismorelikelytolastwhenitisfoldedfromhighgradecelluloseharvested fromsuperiorplants,at the righttimeintheseason,andcarefullyprocessedinthecorrectmannerby an experienced paper maker. Handmade papers withexceptionallyhighstrengthcanbemadefromnaturalplantfibersof abaca (in thebanana family ofmonocotyledons), kozo (paper

mulberry),hemp,cotton,flaxorgampi,orblendsofanyofthese.Thesearewhatweusewhenwemakehandmadepapersat theOrigamido Studio. These plants produce fibers that are usuallymore supple and longer, and so they generally do not requirechemicalbinders, sizeandotheradditives to impart strength tothe sheet, affording a better resistance to aging andembrittlement.We use the Aardvark system of pigmenting thefibers (after the fibers are beaten) to minimize discoloration.Many commercial papers are dyed with inexpensive chemicalsthatfadewhenexposedtosunlight.

Skins,Hides,andOtherCollagenPapersParchments (sheepskin) and vellums (other animal skins) andevensyntheticfauxparchmentsorfauxvellumsrepresentaclassof disparate modern engineeredmaterials that the paper artistshouldevaluateona case-by-casebasis.Any skin-based foldingmaterialswerehistoricallypreservedwithinorganictoxins,suchaschromium (still commonlyused in tanning),butalsoarsenic,lead or cadmium, added to poison microbes and render thematerialbiologicallystable,or“archival.”Itisdifficulttoascertainsufficient safety information about somematerials available ontheglobalmarket,soletthebuyerbeware.Wearealwaysonthelookout for new synthetic substitutes for paper. Most of theinnovation seems to be directed toward developing archivalmaterials.

Metals,Foils,andMetallizedFilmsFloristfoils,kitchenfoil,kraftpaperbackedfoils,andtheheavierduofoils(oftencalledJapanesefoils)arefuntofoldbecausetheymakeattractiveobjects that are easily shaped.As artmaterials,they rarely look good after a few years, losing their shine to avisible film of dust or oxidation, or exhibiting signs of crazing(cracking)atthefoldsthatrevealswhitecellulosesubstrate.

Wemakemorepaperthanwecanuse,sowebringtheexcesstothepaperfoldingconventionsweattend.

PlasticizedPapersThese include paperswith synthetic coatings, includingLASER-etched holographics, Mylar colorful wrapping papers, printedwrappersforcandyandsnacksandspecialtyfoilizedcomposites.Theyaresuitableforshort-termcommercialusesbecauseoftheirattractive surface. These plastic components can degrade overtime,sometimesflaking,oftenspringingoutofshape.

If you desire hybrid properties, you may also want toexperimentwithlaminatedcompositesofpairsoftheabove,backcoated or bonded with methylcellulose, starch paste or evensprayordrymountpolymeradhesives.

A palette of colorsmade forMichael’s exhibit at theMorikamiMuseum&JapaneseGardens,DelrayBeach,FL.

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OrigamiPreservationCREATETHERIGHTCONDITIONSFORLONGEVITYBYORIGAMIDOSTUDIOCOFOUNDERRICHARDL.ALEXANDER

iving plants make many different types of cellulose fibers.These versatile polymerized chains of simple sugars can be

“assembled”bytheplant’scellstobeaslooseandairyasacottonball,orsodurableanddensethatweuseitashardwoodflooring.Itmaybeasmoist,supple,flexibleandyoungasabladeofnewlyformed grass, or it may be tightly compressed by centuries ofgrowth above it, as in the rigid trunk of a giant sequoia tree.Because plant cellulose is of biological origin, paper exposed totheelementswilleventuallydecay,asanydeadplantwould.Therate of decay depends upon many factors, including time,temperature, moisture, sunlight and the presence of biota(microbes such as yeast) capable of utilizing the cellulose as anenergysource.

Whenwemake paper, not only canwe choose to startwithdifferent types of cellulose,we can also process it using awidevariety of techniques, and so the resulting papers can bestrikingly different. If you want to preserve your folded art, ithelpstoknowwhattypeofcellulosewasused,howthepulpwasprocessed, and how the paper was made. Some paper-makersfermenttheharvestedplantmaterialsfirst, tobiologicallydigestthe protoplasm. Most paper-makers use chemicals and heat todigest unwanted parts of the plant. Eithermethod also softenstheremainingcellulosefibers.Wepreviouslydescribedthekraftprocess,whenpulpsaretreatedwithstrongchemicals,primarilyto remove the lignin. Any residual acidic compounds maycontinue to attack the cellulose structure over long periods of

timeifthepaperfibermatrixdoesnotcontainbufferingsaltstocounteractthisreaction.

Assuming that you have folded your work from acid-free,archival, art-quality fibers that have been colored with stableinorganic pigment, your origami sculptures probably need littlecare to protect them from the big four enemies of paper:excessivemoisture,brightlight,crittersandfire.

HUMIDITY:Mostofthelarger,professionallymanagedmuseumskeeptheirpaperworksofartinanair-conditionedspacesetto68degrees Fahrenheit, and 50% relative humidity. Digitalthermometers that also indicate the relative humidity are nowreadily available in large department stores. Some of themindicatethehighestandlowestvalues(bothfortemperatureandfor relativehumidity) during thepreviousday.This ishelpful ifyou want to determine if you may have a problem in yourintendedstoragearea.Whenthehumiditylevelislowerthan20%most papers become more brittle, which puts them at risk ofcracking.

Yourclimatemayrequirespecialstorageprecautions,perhapsonly during certain seasons of the year. In general, roomswithregularwateruse (bathrooms,kitchens,basements,and laundryrooms)arenotidealforstoringpaperart.Atticsexperiencelargeswingsintemperatureandhumidity.Thebestplacetostoreyourartwhenitisnotondisplayisusuallyinalinenclosetorclothingchest.However,cedarwoodwitharomaticnaturaloilsisusedforclothing storage chests because those oils infuse the contentswith a fresh fragrance. This fragrance also discourages someinsects, but most organic volatile compounds (that our nosesdetectasfragrance)arealsoreactivechemicalsthatcanpromoteunwanted chemical changes the paper. Acid-free photo storageboxesand“museumboxes”areconsideredbest for storingyourorigamiart.Ifyourstorageareahasanychanceofwideswingsinhumidity,wesuggestwrappingtheobjectinarchivaltissue,andthensealingitinazipper-typefreezerbag.Thisalsoallowsyoutotrap air thatmight provide some cushioning if the container isaccidentally dropped. The jury is out on using plastic storage

containers for storingorigami.Someplasticswill turnyelloworbecomebrittle, othersmayemitplasticizer compounds, suchasphthalateoils.Weneverusemetal containersbecause theycanoxidize (rust), and we don’t use wooden boxes because of costandweight.Inthepresenceofmoisture,woodcanpromotemoldgrowth.Ifthewoodhasnotbeenkilndried,ligninmightmigrateontotheartwork,causingastain.

“PortraitofaFriend”andotherframedpiecesarekeptinaroomwithlowhumidity.

Fadedorigami lobster shownagainst a freshpiece of the sameLeathackpaper.Marbledpaperlaminate,backcoatedwithstarchpaste,shows“foxing.”

Propercare:“WilburthePiglet,”wrappedinarchivaltissue,withdatalabelinalabeledarchivalcardboardbox.

BRIGHTLIGHT:Directsunlightconsistsofradiationthatreactswith, and changes the chemistry of many inexpensive organicdyemolecules.Somebutnotallofthemoststablepigmentsarehighly toxic (such as lead and cadmium salts), and so artistscompromisetoselectlesstoxic,butlesspermanent,alternativesfor bright reds, yellows and greens. Today, unless the pigmentsare white and brown, it is safe to assume that even the most

colorfastpigmentsystemsmightcontainingredientssubjecttoatleastsomefadingduringprolongedexposuretobrightlight.Themostcolorfastpigmentsareactuallygroundbitsofrockfoundontheearth’ssurface.Theyarechemicallystabilepreciselybecausetheyhavebeenexposedtotheelementsofsun,windandrainforthousands (perhapsmillions)ofyears.Thepigment system thatartists have developed through the centuries (and that we stillusetoday)mostlytakesadvantageofstable,groundmineralsandchemical oxides (suchas brown ironoxides andwhite titaniumoxides); if your foldedwork is pigmented, there is little need toworryaboutsunlight.

CRITTERS: Art appraisal TV shows have been popular fordecades,andthevalueofapieceofartislargelybaseduponthequalityandconditionoftheobject.Etchingsandprintsthathavebeen passed through generations often appear on these shows,and are sometimes appraised for a fraction of their potentialvalue because of “foxing.” This is a general term referring todiscolorationofpaper,whichcanbecausedbymicrobialgrowth.Storagemust exclude insects andmice for obvious reasons, butdon’tforgetthecritterstoosmalltosee.

MOISTURE:Foxing often indicates that excessivemoisturewaspresentat some time.Treebarkcontains iron fromwind-blowndirt, as well as iron that entered with water through capillaryaction.Anyironpresentinthecellulosecanoxidize(rust)inthepaper.Moisturecanalsoallowfungalgrowth,andtheproductsofmicrobial metabolism can produce a visual change, if not adramatic physical degradation of the strength of the paper. Butdon’tbesooverlyconcernedaboutthisthatyousoakeverythinginpoison!

FIRE: Paper burns! Keep your precious collection away fromstoves,furnaces,electricalequipmentandthelike.

Fires, critters and floods have robbed us of the historicalartifacts of origami art simply because so few pieces havesurvivedmorethanfiftyyears.Hopefully,betterknowledgeabout

origamiartstoragewillhelptopreservewhatwehaveforfuturegenerations.

In summary, protect your art by using a sturdy archival boxdesigned to storephotosor artwork. Store theboxes in a closetwithinthe livingspaceofyourhome.Addanotewithallof thepertinent information about themodel: designer,material, size,dates, sourceof the instructions, etc.; this informationwill tendtoescapeyourmemory.

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ShowingYourOrigamiPiecesinPublicSHAREYOURARTWITHTHEWORLD

rtful folders are proud of their work. Showing it in publicgalleries, museums, libraries and other venues is not only

exciting; it permits the necessary critique and discourse soimportant to the advancement of any art. Don’t be selfish;showingyourbest origamiartwork inpublic is good for you, aswellasfortheart!

Each opportunity to show your exquisitely folded works inpublic certainly requires plenty of thought and planning. Theworldofsculpturecanbethoughtofasahugepyramidofworkspiledupaccordingtoquality.Thatpyramidisbroadatthebase,crowdedwithmediocreworks commonly seen and easily done.As one’s gaze ascends the pyramid, theworks above are fewerand more exquisite, and they share common attributes. Here,thereisobviousevidenceoftheartists’specialattentiontopoise,balanceandproportion.Above,are thoseequallywell executed,butalsodisplaying theartist’smasterfulcommandofmaterials.At the top of the pyramid are the few that are brilliant,captivating, timeless, and perfect. For each, therewas no othersolution. Society holds onto such high quality works moretenaciously,andwesaythattheoldestsurvivingartworkshave“passedthetestoftime.”Whywouldanycollectorwantanythingless? Museums clamber for this top tier of quality, and so theycompete todiscoverworthy itemsassoonas theyappear.Theywon’tevenknowaboutyourworkuntilyoumakeitknown.Itisimportantforartiststoshowtheirwork!

When you have decided to display your folded art in public,considerthebestwaytopresentit.Thegalleryownerorcurator

mayassignyourwork toa specific location,butoften, theywillleave itup toyou.Layingoutamapof the roomorgallerywillallowyoutoplaywiththeeffectofpositioningeachdisplaypiecewithinanexhibit.

ConsiderRelationshipsWhen displaying origami art, we love to explore the aspect ofrelationships. One piece of origami sitting on its own pedestalmaylookjustfine,andyetitcanbecomestunning,andtakeonatotally differentmeaningwhen shownwith another object in away thatcommunicatesa special relationship.The1797 textonfolding variations of the Japanese Origami Crane, SenbazuruOrikata,showsalargecraneandasmallcraneconnectedattheirbeaks. This composition is called “Ehiroi, Oya Ko,” Japanese for“ParentandChild,”andhasbeenafavoriteforhundredsofyears.Anotherdepictionofapowerfulrelationshipfromthesamebookshowstwocranesofequalsize,connectedatonewing,anditiscalled, “Imoseyama,” or “Sisters.” Michael too, is fond ofdisplaying his natural history origami works in pairs, such asbutterfliescavortingtogetherorinfamilygroups(easilydepictedby folding theparents from larger squares),orperhapsshowingtwo creatures locked in a pose showing their natural predator-preyrelationship.ThesewerepopularinhisorigamiartshowattheArizona-SonoraDesertMuseuminTucson.

Trylargerorsmallerpedestalstoseewhatimpactyourchoicemakes. If the piece is to be framed for the wall, try differentbackgroundsofdifferentcolors.Thespeciallimitsoforigamialsoprovide unique challenges to the folding artist to present thepiece in a way that takes best advantage of interesting andappealing lines, angles, facets, shadows and shading. Otherspacesand formswillbecreatedby theplacementof thework,which defines negative space that should also be considered.Noticehowthecompositionchangeswiththeviews,andarrangeyourexhibit topresentthevantagepointsthatyouconsiderthemostpotentandattractive.

“Ehiroi,OyaKo”(“ParentandChild”).

Predatorandprey—PrayingMantisandButterfly.

Origamiondisplayat theHonoluluMuseumofArt— SpaldingHouse,2015.

PlacementandSequenceTheviewer’sopinionof eachpiecewill alsobe impactedby thecontext of the placement. Consider whatmight be near it, andprovide a setting that relates to the entire experience. Simpler,yetelegantpiecesareoftenplacedtosetthestagebeforecomplexworksarepresented.Becareful,though:Trulyspectacularpiecescan suck the life out of lesserpiecesplacedaround it. Considerisolatingthemoststunningpiecetoseparate locationsifyoudonotwant previously experiencedworks to color or contaminatethe enjoyment of an outstanding piece. At the “ContemporaryOrigami” art exhibition at the FitchburgArtMuseum, one roomheldalloftheframedpiecesofMichael’sorigamirenditionsofhiswildlife subjects, while the bold and colorful modularcompositionswerepresentedinaseparateroomacrossthehall.Walking through an origami exhibition is like participating in awinetastingevent.Haveacrackerandasipofwatertocleansethepalatebeforeexperiencingadifferenttypeofgrape!

LightingThe show’s success relies not only on the placement, freshnessandqualityoftheart,butalsoonskillfullighting.Photographers

hired to capture theworks for printedposters and catalogswilloften spend an entire day composing the best angle of view,background and lighting for the perfect image of an origamimasterwork.

LiveViewingVersustheInternetHowmany timeshave youheard a folder at an origami exhibitsay,“Itlookedsomuchbetterinthephotograph.Realitydoesn’tdo it justice!” The one who controls the image has the power,which is why Internet images of origami art have proliferated,and their popularity now dwarfs the number of actual visits toexhibitions of original folded works at public venues. Still, webelieve that there is no substitute for seeing or experiencingoriginal art directly, and that the process of folding an origamiworkisalsoenjoyableandentertaining.

Manymuseumsdonotpaystipendstolivingartists,buttheycan offer to pay the insurance and shipping costs of borrowedworks.Someinstitutionsmayalsocoverthecostsoftravelfortheartist to assist with setting up the show, since folded artsometimesneedspost-transittweaking,oreventoattendagalaopening.We often use such a visit as an opportunity to offer ademonstration,workshop or book signing. Sometimes there arefundsavailableforeducationalprograms.

M

SellingYourOrigamiArtTRANSFORMCREATIVITYINTOCASHBYORIGAMIDOSTUDIOCOFOUNDERRICHARDL.ALEXANDER

useums, as well as corporate and private buyers dopurchaseandcollectfoldedart.Becauseorigamiartisinits

infancy,andbecauseseveralimportantadvancementshavebeenmade by living origami artists, some of their works are highlycollectable.AsMichaelhassaid,“Ibelievethatart is theuniquecontributionthatanyindividualcangivetotheirchosencraft.”

WhoisBuying?Most of the private origami art collectors at this time are alsofolderswhoareexcited topurchaseworksby thecontemporaryartists theyadmire. Ifyouareanorigamiartistandwant tosellyourownexpressiveworks,thisdiscussionismeanttoencourageyoutoproceed,butwithsomecaution.

WhatisSelling?WesellonlyworksfoldedfromOrigamidohandmadepaper.Withthe exception of white watercolor cotton paper, we do notconsider commercial papers to be archival. Nearly all of thepiecesthatwehavesoldareoriginaldesignsfoldedbythecreator/artist.Wesellmanymorepiecesmountedindeepwall frames(shadowboxes)thanpedestalpieces.Abouthalfoftheartthatweselliscommissionedforaspecialoccasion,suchasaweddingorretirement gift. This adds the pressure of making severaldecisions about papers, colors, sizes, frames, poses… (and adeadline),soweprefertomakewhatwelikeandthensellourart“offthewall.”

IntellectualPropertyFor centuries, origami was just a craft. Themost famous earlyexample of a “how-to” origami book is Senbazuru Orikata,publishedfirst in1797 in Japan. Itoffers instructionsformakingvariations of the still-popular origami crane. The placement ofeach crease is straightforward, and when anyone followed thepublished diagrams to reproduce objects, they all lookedessentiallythesame.Withsucha longhistoryofpeoplesharingtheir methods, folding and selling multiple copies ofanonymously designed “traditional” paper crafts has created aproblemfortoday’sexpressiveorigamiartists.Atsomepoint,thelinebetweencraftandart iscrossed.Anyartistmayrightly feelinfringeduponwhenothersproduceandsellcopiesofhisorheroriginal designs without first obtaining permission, which mayinclude a license,with orwithout financial compensation. Thatline may seem fuzzy to the public, especially when so manyorigamidesignerspublishinstructionsforotherstoreplicatetheircreations.

There is an important relationship that exists between acreator and the other folders of his or her work. The lens thatbrings this relationship into focus is the copyright statement inthe instructions (book, video or kit). As designers of originalorigami,wewantanybodytofreelyenjoythewonderfulprocess

of folding any of our designs for their personal enjoyment.Commercialuse (sellingobjects or imagesof adesigner’sworksbyanyoneexceptthedesigner)isprohibited,unlessanduntilthedesignergrantsexplicitwrittenpermission.

Aswith any expressive art,most origami artists never grantsuch permission to others. This longstanding policy certainlyextends to our own Origamido Studio: I do not fold any ofMichael’sdesignsforsale,norhemine,withoutclearlystatingso.For example, we co-folded a piece, called “Snap,” our secondAmericanAlligator,andthisfactisclearlydisplayedonalloftheprinted attributions. We co-folded that model simply becauseeachalligatortakesusfiftyhoursoffolding!

LaFosse’s “Flaxen Grackle,” protected by mounting in a deepframe,appealstomorebuyersthanifofferedunframed.

The late Eric Joisel organized a showing of remarkable foldedartworksattheCarrouselduLouvrein1998.

Unfortunatelyforartistsandcreators,theInternethasmadealawless Wild West of their intellectual property as portions ofsongs are “sampled,” and visual images are “shared.” Such usewithout the artist’s permission constitutes theft. The argumentaboutwheretodrawtheblurredlineissuretocontinue,butthiserosionofintellectualpropertyrightshashadadisastrousimpacton several of our brilliant origami-designing friends, some ofwhom have refused to ever publish again.We believe that theoriginal artist must be allowed to control all uses of their ownintellectual property, and that nobody should capitalize on thesaleofevenderivativeworkswithouttheknowledge,consentandfair remuneration of the original artist. We believe that whensomebodyseesanoriginalworkoffoldedartofferedforsale,thebuyer should be able to safely assume that itwasmade by thehandsoftheoriginaldesigner/artist.

There are origami-proficient fans of artful folders whosomehowexpect to be able to reproduce theworks of amasterandthenputthemupforsale.ImagineifRembrandtordaVinciproduced paint-by-numbers kits for anybody to reproduce theirmasterworks! The technology of zoom-in video, and even “no-

hands”3-Danimatedtutorialsenablesartiststosharemuchmoreinformation about how they shape their wet-folded creationsartfully.

When professional musicians perform the works of acomposer, theypay for thatprivilege.Ourpublisherpaysus forthe right to commercially reproduce and sell our intellectualproperty. When others unlawfully reproduce our work withoutsuch an arrangement it hurts our publisher’s sales, ourcommissionandthevalueofournextbooktothenextpublisher.Without a certain amount of financial success, no designer orartistcancontinuetosharetheirnewdesignswiththepublic.

Michael’s Origamido: Masterworks in Folded Paper (2000,RockportPublishing)was the firstbook (thatweknowof) aboutorigami art, presented essentially without instructions forreproducing the depicted works. Even so, the publisher wasreluctanttotaketheplungefully,andaskedMichaeltoincludeahandful of diagrams so the reader could better appreciatewhatwent into theworksgracing the full color “coffee-tablebook”offull-page images.Manyof theworksdepicted in thisbookwereshowntothepublicata1998exhibitionattheCarouselduLouvreinParis,France.Thisexhibition,organizedbythelateEricJoisel,hadrun lowon fundsbeforeashowcatalogcouldbeproduced,and Rockport’s editors likedMichael’s idea of collecting imagesfromfellowexhibitorsforareferenceworkonthestateoforigamitoday.

Sinceorigamiartiststaketwo-dimensionalpaperandconvertit into three-dimensional sculptures, collecting it does requireproper display and storage space. Artists and collectors alikeoftenalsopossesshugecollectionsofelectronicimagesofworksthattheyhaveseenatgatheringsandconventions.Theseresideindigitalfiles,sincefewcouldeveraffordtopurchaseordisplaythe actual pieces properly. The origami museum of the futureprobably exists now, albeit spread across disparate electroniccollectionsontheInternet.

LaFosse finishes a bouquet of “Wedding Orchids” for a specialbride.

HonolulupapermakerAllisonRoscoejoyfullydisplaysafreshlymadesheetofpremiumabacapaper.

ValueandAuthenticityAswithanyartwork,quality is themost importantcriteriaused

to establish value. Is the work folded of archival paper coloredwith fine art quality pigments? The documentation of theprovenanceofthepiece,andthehistoryofitscreator,alsoimpacttheprice.The fact that themethodsandmaterialsareavailabletothepublicalsoopenstheunfortunatepossibilityofforgery.Itisalso important for the artist to stamp or sign and date a workintended for sale. At least for now, it is most common forcollectors to become good friends of the artist producingworksfortheircollection.Wealsovideotapetheprocesswhenwefoldmanyoftheworksbeingsoldinourgallery,whichisanotherwayofprovidingauthenticity to thebuyer.Michaelbeganpublishinghisdesignsin1984,andtodate,hehascontributedtomorethaneighty publications, so many of his signature pieces are welldocumented in those books. Photographs taken at publicexhibitions and origami conventions augment the publishedhistoryofMichael’sartistry.

ToSell,orNottoSell…You must be comfortable parting with your object. Yoshizawasaidthatheneversoldasinglepiecebecauseheconsideredthemhischildren,whomonedoesnotsell,andsoherentedthemoutforadvertisingphotography.Onedoesnotliveforever,andifyoudonotsellyourworks, therewillcomea timewhen itmightatleastmakesensetoprescribewhoshouldcareforyourtreasuresafter you have passed.Will your life’s work burden your lovedones? Should you have sold them to the highest bidder, or tosomeonewhocouldprovidethebestcare?

PricingStudentsaskwhattheyshouldchargeforanoriginalwork.Thereare severalways tovalueart. First,wenotonlyaccount for thecostsofthetimeandmaterials,butalsoaccountforatleastsomethe time invested in learning thecraftandrefining thatspecificdesign. The quality of the materials should impact the price.Small pieces are expected to cost less, even though anyaccomplished folder will tell you that they require more skill,

finesse, time and patience. Large pieces are much moreexpensive to frame, and they require more “real estate” (wallspace or pedestal space) for proper display, which limits themarkettosomeextent.Wewouldneversellapieceofourworkas fine art if it were not folded from archival, fine-art qualitymaterialsthatIamconfidentwilllastaslongasanyotherworkof fine art. This is the primary reason that we make our ownpapers from the finest fibers and pigments. While suchhandmade paper may cost ten times as much as commercial“artistpaper,”itonlyaddsa2%tothepriceofa$1,000sculpture.In a couple of decades, the difference between the two will beobvious.Second,aswithanyothermarketeconomy,thelawsofsupplyanddemandpreside.Howmanyofaparticularobjectdoyoueverintend,orevenwanttofold?Forour50-hourAmericanAlligator,theanswerissimple:Two.Third,considerprovenance.Certainly we charge more for any original pieces that haveappeared in publications or exhibitions than we do for otherexamples.Wealso remindour studentsandcolleagues that theorigami art industry is still very young, and so prices willfluctuate wildly. The bottom line is that the agreed pricemustsatisfybothparties,not only at the timeof the transaction, butmanyyearslater.

OtherCostsWhen we fold models for commercial use, we sometimes foldpieces designed by others (with their permission, of course)especiallywhentheirdesignroyalty fee is less than thecost forustodesignanoriginalalternative.Wesimilarlyauthorizeothersto fold and sell origamiworksdesignedbyus, andas a generalrule, the written agreement typically includes a five percentdesign royalty to us. The design itself is worth something, andthatshouldbepartofyourprice.Ifyouaresellingthroughanartgallery,expectthemtomarkupyourcostby100percenttocovertheirtime,overhead(insurance,rentandpromotionalexpenses),andso thatbecomespartofyourprice too.Donot forget taxes.Anyofyourincomewillbesharedwiththegovernment,andsoifyouhaveyoureyeonsomethingyouwanttopurchasewiththe

income from an art sale, be sure you are considering net (aftertaxes)income.

IntangibleRewardsMostpurchasersofmajorworks fromourgalleryaremuseums,andwearealwaysdelightedwhenapieceofourworkisacquiredforpublicappreciation.Ourmost recent showasof thiswritingwasadisplayoforigamiflowersfortheHonoluluMuseumofArtattheirSpaldingHousefacilityinMakikiHeights,aneighborhoodofHonolulu,Hawai‘i. This displaywasMichael’s vision, andhedesigned each of the pieces (albeitwithmyhand in theOhanaOrchidplantandhisPlumeria).Somemuseumskeeptheart forfuture events and shows. Some facilities, such as the Arizona-SonoraDesertMuseuminTucson(andtheHonoluluMuseumofArt)doopttosellsomeoftheirworksbycontemporaryartistsinordertoraisefundstosupportupcomingartist-in-residencies.

BeforeourlasttriptoHonolulu,MichaelandIwerecontactedbyanaccomplishedhandpapermaker,AllisonRoscoe.SheistheresidentpapermakerattheHonoluluMuseumofArt—SpaldingHouse.RatherthanbuildourexhibitinMassachusetts(andthenworryaboutwhatmighthappenwhenitwasshippedtoHawai‘i),wedecidedtotraveltheretomakesomeofthepaperthereandfold it on site.At themuseum,wehad thepleasure ofworkingwithAllisonandseveralother localartists.Wealsoheldfoldingworkshops, and a hand papermaking workshop, together withAllison,sothatotherbuddingorigamiartistscouldmeetherandtrytheirhandatmakingcustom,high-strength,(andexceedinglythin) abaca paper. We back coated, trimmed, folded, andassembled the art for display, right in front of visitors. For tendaysinJanuary,whenourfriendsbackhomewerecopingwithalong and bitter New England winter, we were basking in thebeauty, warmth and fragrance of Honolulu! Re-connecting withour old friends and relatives,making new friends, andworkingwith an accomplished colleague such as Allisonmade our visitdelightful. Such intangible considerationsmight also figure intothepriceofyourart.

AlexanderandLaFossebuildtheirdisplayoforigamiflowersfor“Less=More,”Honolulu,2015.

A

AchievingEleganceinYourFoldedArt

rtful foldersprimarily strive toachieveelegance,whichcanbedifficulttodefine.

We like to consider three aspects important to achievingeleganceinorigamiart.

1) First, youmust be genuinely interested in your subject ANDsufficientlymotivated to strive for improvement. Inexperiencedfolders tendtobe“checklist” folders.They lackgenuine interestand so rarely fold artfully. Study other works that containelements you admire. Envision something better than whatexists. Pre-evaluate the process needed to achieve the desiredgoal.

2) Practice how to best attain that goal. As one learns to writebeautifullyincursive,webeginbythinkingabouteachmotionofthe hand, but when we carefully train and rehearse our arm,hand and fingermuscles to write something as familiar as ourown name, the execution will only become fluid when theprocess becomes automatic. So too can an origami model bepracticed until the folding process becomes a reflex. Tools andmaterials can and do play an important part, but in untrainedhands,eventhefinesttoolsandmaterialsmeannothing.

3) Incorporate post-folding evaluation and critique. The bestartistsstepbackandlookattheresult.Iftheireyeiswelltrainedtocritiquetheirownworks,theywillbeabletoidentifywhattheywant to change the next time they fold the model in order toimproveit.Anhonestandtrustedfriendormentorcanhelp.

Today’ssuper-complexorigamidesignersdazzle their fansatpaperfoldingconventions,buteleganceinorigamiisnotrelated

tothecomplexityofthedesignortothenumberoffolds.Viewersare often impressed with elegant origami sculptures that sporthundreds or even thousands of folds, but while technicallydazzling,we consider fewof themost complexdesigns as trulyelegant.Whilemanysingle-foldorigamisculpturesareelegantintheirsimplicity,itisalsoeasytomakeaone-foldpapersculpturethatmostwouldconsider inelegant.Michael’selegantAmericanAlligator (featured in our book, Origami Art, Tuttle Publishing)took us fifty hours of folding, which was difficult and time-consuming, but not complex. Artful folders must build foldingskills, but a well-chosen lesson may hone a technique moreefficiently.Why continuously repeat an entire symphonywhenyouonly strugglewith a certain arpeggio? Conversely, until youmasterthatriff,itmustbedisappointingtotheaudiencetohearyou muck up the same lick every time you attempt thatsymphony!

Foldingskillfullydoesrequirepractice.Masterycantakeyears(whichmakesorigamiaperfectlife-longpursuit),buteleganceinorigamimayhavenothing todowith the time it takes to foldasubject.

Some think thatelegance isaquality impartedby thepaper.Youngfolderswhoinsistonobtainingsomeofour“miraculous”customhandmadepapercontinuallyclamorformore(apparentlyforgetting what the word “custom” means). Beautiful papercertainly adds to the visual experience in the gallery, becausehuman beings are visual creatures that perceive color, texturesand patterns. An artist’s choice of materials can clearly be animportantpartofthemixneededtoachieveelegance inapieceoforigamiart.Bear inmind thatmanyagolden flutehasmadean awful noise in untrained hands, but if that marvelousinstrument inspires the student to practice more, well then,perhapsthepaperisimportantafterall!

As youwork yourway through the lessons in this book, theeleganceofeachdesignshouldemergealittlebitmoreeachtime

you repeat it. Your skills and sensibilities will also develop byrepeating these études, andwhenyou tackle an inspireddesignwith your expert craftsmanship and an informed choice ofmaterials,everythingwillgel,andyouwillbehailedasanartfulfolder.Enjoythejourney!

Eleganceisachievedwhenpracticedhandsmoldfinepaperintoexpressiveart.

Yourchoiceofpapercanhaveamajorimpactontheexpressivequality of your finished pieces. The right choice canmean thedifferencebetweenaclunkypracticepieceoranelegantworkof

art.

AGuidetoOrigamiDiagramsandSymbolsHere is a basic guide to the diagramsand symbols used to show how the origami modelsare to be folded. Thesemay look complicated— butthey’re not! Spend a little time familiarizing yourselfwith the symbols to understand what they mean.Onceyouget thehangof it, thesymbolsareactuallyveryeasytounderstand.

Forclarity,IoftenusedifferentcolorsforMountainand

Valleydashedlines,whenevertheyareusedinconcertonthesamedrawing.

THEPROJECTS

If

TheJapaneseCranetraditionaldesign

LESSON:COMPARINGTHEFOLDINGPROPERTIESANDLIMITATIONSOFVARIOUSPAPERS

wecouldnominateoneorigamimodelthatwouldbeessentialfor every origami practitioner to master, it would be thetraditional Japanese Crane. When folded well, it embodies thebest of origami’s promise: engineering elegance and a gracefulstyle.Wehavedevelopeda foldingmethodand lesson thatwillimprove your ability to fold wonderful examples of this classicdesign. The lessons hone key folding skills: determining thedirectionof thegrainof thesheetofpaper; installingthecreasepattern;foldingagainstthegrain;accommodatingforthepaper’sthicknessandlayers;skillfullyexecutinginside-reversefolds;andforming precise, beautiful points. Mastering these skills willimproveallofyoursubsequentfolding.

Withthegrain

Werecommendandoftenusethisparticularmodelasatool,not only to evaluate the skill level of an incoming student, butalso to evaluate and learn fromdifferent types of papers. AkiraYoshizawa, considered by many to be the father of expressiveorigami art, once said, “Before you start, you must know thenatureofpaper.”Paperisnotjustonematerialbutahugefamilyof infinitely diverse products. For this exercise, explore foldingthe traditional Japanese Crane several times from same sizesquares,buteachtime,foldpaperwithdifferentproperties.Afterthat, explore folding larger and smaller squares of only one

material.Foldersreferto“relativethickness”todescribethekeyrelationshipbetweenthesizeofthesquareanditsthickness.Youwillbeabletofoldanacceptablecranefromasmallersquareifitisthinner.Soon,youshouldbeabletoevaluatethethicknessofany paper, and instinctively know what size square will workbest.

Properties: Each particular type of paper is engineered andmanufacturedwithapurpose inmind.Specified ingredientsareprocessedinthemannerthatresultsinthedesiredpropertiesforthatneed. In this lesson,youwillbecomefamiliarwith threeofthe most important physical properties of the papers readilyavailabletoorigamienthusiasts:grain,rigidity,andthickness.

Let’sfirstexploregrain.Grainisproducedinthepapermakingprocess,whichstartsbybeatingplantfibertoapulpwhileaddingwater.Thehydratedpulpfibersbecomerandomlyorientedwhensuspended in a vat ofwater. These fibers canbe removed fromthevatanddriedintoanyshape(pulpcasting),butwhenthepulpis removed from the slurry using a flat screen, the process iscalled“sheetforming.”Thedirectionofthemotionofthescreenraisingthewaterypulpoutoftheslurrytankproducesthegrainbecauseitalignsamajorityofthefibersalongthedirectionofthewaterflow.Grainnoticeablyimpactsthestructureofpaperwhenitisdried.Highlygrainedpaperstypicallyfoldmoreeasilyinthedirectionofthegrain,whileresistinganyfoldsattemptedacrossthe grain. Similar looking materials often fold quite differentlybecause of their grain, and so the origami student shouldexperimentbyfoldingafamiliarmodelfromsquaresofdifferentmaterialscuttothesamesize,inordertoevaluatetheeffectsofthegrain.

Againstthegrain

Threesheetsofpaper,soft,medium,stiff.

Different materials and sizes will affect the paper’s foldingproperties.

Nowconsiderrigidityorstiffness.Papermaybesoftandcloth-like,orasstiffasaboard(withthemajoritybeingsomewherein-between). Plant species, age, harvesting, and beating (pulppreparation) may all impact the stiffness of the paper.Varioussubstances commonly added, such as natural glues, syntheticpolymers,mineralfillers,andappliedcoatingsmayalsoaffectthepaper’sstiffness.

Finally, consider the paper’s relative thickness, which

expressesthethicknessmeasurementandthesizeofthesheetasaratio.Atypical6inch(15cm)squaresheetofsolidcolororigamipaper is about 2/1,000 of an inch (or 0.05 mm) in thickness. Asheetofpaper that is four timesas thickwouldalsoneed tobefour times the length to have the same relative thickness.Conversely,asheetofhalf the lengthwouldhave tobehalf theoriginal thickness to have the same relative thickness. Everyorigamiprojectwillhaveanoptimumrangeofrelativethickness,animportantconsiderationwhenscalingthesizeofthemodelupordown.

An Origami Rule of Thumb: Many foldersinstinctivelysharpenthecreasesoftheirorigamiwithafingernailorthumbnail.However,thesharpedgeofyour thumbnail could bruise, mar or even rip thepaper!Youcanavoidthisifyouturnyournailslightlyover to apply pressurewith a smooth portion of theback(top)ofthenail.Useasuitabletool(suchasthebowl of a spoon or a “bone folder”) instead of yourthumbnail if you are folding for many hours, orworkingwithroughorheavypaper.Traditionally,so-called “bone folders”were carved of bone, butmostare now hardwood, metal, stone or molded plastic.Whateveryouchoose,makesurethefoldingtoolwillnotscarordiscolorthepaper.

1Beginwith thepaper right sideup,diamond-wise, andwith thegrain running parallel to the top right edge. (A) Valley-folddiagonallyinhalf.Unfold.(B)Turnover,lefttoright.(C)Rotate45degreesclockwise.

2Noticethatthediagonalcreaseshouldrunfromthetoplefttothebottom right corners, and that the grain is horizontal. (A) Valley-foldinhalf,bottomtotop.Unfold.Here,youhavejustfoldedalongthe direction of the grain. Perhaps you noticed that the paperoffered very little resistance to your effort. (B) Rotate 90 degreesclockwise.

3Noticethatthediagonalcreasenowrunsfromthetoprighttothebottomleftcornersandthatthegrainisvertical.(A)Valley-foldinhalf,bottomtotop.Unfold.(B)Rotate45degreesclockwise.

4 If you have correctly followed the folding sequence andorientationofthepaperuptothispoint,thenthe“wrong”sideofyour paper will display two perpendicularly intersecting valleycreases andonehorizontal diagonalmountain crease. Thegrainofyourpaper shouldbe runningparallel to thebottom rightedge. Ifso, then you are properly set to make your first corner-narrowingcrease, and you will be folding with the grain, which is easiest.Valley-foldtheupperhalfofthebottomrightedgetoalignwiththehorizontalmountaincrease.Stopthefoldwhenitintersectsthe45-

degreeangledvalleycrease.

5Did you feel how easy it was to control the fold cleanly to thecorner of the square? Youwere foldingwith the grain. Unfold thepaperandrotate180degrees.

6Valley-fold the upper half of the bottom left edge to alignwiththehorizontalmountaincrease.Stopthefoldwhenitintersectsthe45-degreeangledvalleycrease.

7Didyoufeelhowchallengingitwastocontrolthefoldcleanlytothe corner of the square? Youwere folding against the grain. Thismustbedonemoreslowly,coaxingthepapertoafinepointatthecorner.Unfold.

8 (A & B) Repeat steps 4 through 7 at the opposite corner. (C)Rotate90degrees.

9 It is best to first foldwith thegrain; so,wemust begin at thelower half of the left corner, where the grain runs in our favor.Valley-foldthebottomleftedgeupward,makingitperpendiculartothe vertical center crease.Use the pointwhere the intersectionofcreases marks the center to ensure that the angle of your fold iscorrect.

10Unfold.

11(A,B&C)Installtheremainingthreecorner-narrowingcreases.(D)Rotatethepapersothatthediagonalcreaseishorizontal.

12 Use the existing valley (blue) and mountain (red) creases tocollapsetheform.Lookaheadtofigure13fortheshape.

13Rotatethepaper180degrees.

14Oneattime,valley-foldthefrontandthebackflapsup,asfarastheywillgo.Rotatethepaper90degreescounterclockwise.

15Notice that thehorizontal split ison the right.Valley-fold thebottomrightedgeveryclosetothecentersplit.Thisspaceshouldtapertonothingbythetimethefoldreachestherightendcorner.It isbest to leavea small spacebetween the foldededgeand the

split,tofacilitateacleanreversefoldatstep19.

16Turnover,lefttoright.

17Repeatstep15,thenrotatethepaper180degrees.

18Repeatsteps15through17,thenrotatethepaper90degrees.

19Inside-reverse-foldthenarrowpointsdownasfarastheywillgo,aligningtheoutermostedgesofallofthelayers.

20 Valley-fold the front and back flaps up as far as they will go,flat.

21Turnover,toptobottom.

22(A)Inside-reverse-foldthetopofoneoftheverticalpointsforthehead.(B)Bringthewingsup,level.

23TheJapaneseCrane

Takeaways:EvaluationasMeditationPaper folding can be a rejuvenating and meditativeexperience, especially when one has first mastered

the folding sequence of the model. The hands willenjoy a fluid dance with the paper while the mindenjoys a spell of tranquility. Nevertheless, attainingmastery is often fraught with a series of stressfulepisodes and disappointments. Between thesetroubling episodes are opportunities to reset yourcalmbywayofreflectionandevaluation.

Holdthecompletedmodelinbothhands,turningthepiececalmlywhilestudyingeverypartfromdifferentpointsofviewtovarytheeffectof lighting.Trytobecritical but dispassionate, with a mind towardsassessingafairandrationalevaluationoftheresults.Recallyourfoldingexperienceofeachpointdeservingof improvement. For the crane, youmight spend aslongasfiveminutesattheexercise.Moreshouldnotbe necessary. As with all meditations, breathe! Foldanothercrane.

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LessonsfromtheHeartdesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:“DANCINGWITHTHEPAPER”;DRYFOLDINGINTHEAIR

olding against the surface of a table is much easier forbeginners, and it is essential when first learning a model.

However,manyadvancedorigamitechniquesarebestperformedoff the tablewhilesupporting thepapersolelywithyourhands.Michael recalls his first meeting with origami master AkiraYoshizawain1991,atamasterclassheldinOssining,NewYork.Master Yoshizawa shared several nuggets of wisdom with thisgroup of students, and some of it was “tough love” indeed.Michael recalled how the Master railed against folding paperagainst the table, “You do not dance with your back against awall!” Lifting his paper, the master deftly folded the squarediagonally in half. It was perfect. His hands performed thedeceptively simple task with grace and confidence. MasterYoshizawa explained that he thought folding paper against thehardsurfaceofthetableeliminatedthelyricalaspectoffolding,producinga lifelessproduct,andso, inorder tocreate themostexpressiveorigamiart,onemustfoldthepaperoffthetableandintheair.

People rarely use their hands with equal facility: a right-handedpersonusuallyplacesfoldswiththathandwhilesecuringthepaperwiththeleft,whetherfoldingagainstasurfaceorintheair.Thehandthatyouwritewithisalsoyourdominantworking,or “folding” hand; the other is your “holding” hand. And likepartners inadance,one leadsas theother follows.At first, thiscanbechallenging,anditmayfeeluglyandstilted.MichaellikestousehisLesson from theHeart as a practice étude tohelphisstudentsworkthroughtheperformance,developingtherequiredsupport (for the strength and control) necessary for foldingconfidently in the air. He calls this exercise “a conversationbetweentwohands.”Perfectitbyrehearsingoverandoveragain,so that you build a rhythm and cadence. Work to remove anyawkwardgapsinterruptingtheflow.Withpractice,foldingintheair can become an enjoyable experience, andwhen youmasterthisperformance,itwillalsobequitelovelytowatch.

Practice with the common papers that you have, such as 6-inch /15-cmorigamipaper,oreventhelargestsquarescutfromletter-sizeprinterstock.BeginyourpracticebyfoldingtheLessonfrom the Heart against the surface of a table until you have

learnedthesequenceby“Heart.”Onlywhenyouareabletofoldthemodelwithoutreferringtotheinstructionswillyoubeabletoputyour full concentrationon controlling these folds in theair.Use the samesizeand typeofpaper foreachattemptuntil youhavemastered it, and then challenge yourselfwith other paperkinds and sizes.We think you will be surprised at the level ofcontrol that youwill develop, andwe hope that youwill adoptthislittleexerciseaspartofyourorigamiperformancerepertoire.

TakeawaysI love what origami master Akira Yoshizawa oncesaid,asquotedinLelandStowe’sarticle,PaperMagicof Origami, Beacon Magazine of Hawai‘i, 1970: “Forwhen we use our hands effectively, our hearts aremost at peace.” Another quote that I love is onespoken by origami artist, Paul Jackson, in the filmBetweentheFolds,“Theprocessofmakingisthepointof it. The object looks good if the process felt good.Thisneedstobeakindofballet.” Indeed,Yoshizawaoften spoke of folding masterfully as a kind of“dancingwiththepaper”.

Masterthismodel,andthen“perform”itfor,andgiveit to,a friend.Youwillknowifyouhavepresentedaspecial moment by the watching the expression ontheir face,as theywatchyourgracefulhandsfashionthisheart.

As a moment of meditation for yourself, try foldingthis heart to a favorite piece ofmusic. Select a scorethat suits your folding style and one that will allowyouplentyoftimetosavoreverymove!

ThisOrigamiHeartisdedicatedtothememoryofMr.

Yoshizawa.

1Beginrightsideupandwiththegrainrunningvertically.

(A)Valley-foldthecenterhalfofthesquarehorizontallyandunfold.Here,youarefoldingagainstthegrain.Thisisacalculatedefforttomakesteps5and6easierbyfoldingwiththegrain.(B)Turnover,lefttoright.(C)Rotate45degreesclockwise.

2Noticethatthegrainisnowrunningfromthebottomleftedgetothetoprightedge.Valley-foldthebottomcornertothecenter.Usethebottomhalfof thebottom rightedge toalignwith thecentercrease.Youwillbefoldingagainstthegrain.

3(A)Rotatethepaper180degrees.(B)Repeatstep2,makingtheoppositecornersmeetatthecenter.

4Rotate45degreesclockwise.

5Valley-foldthebottom,obtusecornertothecenter.Foldonlyfromtheleftsidelimittothecenter.

Unfold.

6(A)Rotatethepaper180degrees.(B)Repeatstep5.

7Rotate45degreesclockwise.

8Valley-foldthebottomcornerup,aligningthebottomrightedgeto the indicated crease. Fold only from the right side limit to thebottomendoftheleftsidecrease.Unfold.

9(A)Rotate180degrees.(B)Repeatstep8.

10 Your crease pattern should look like this. Use the bottomhorizontalcreasetomovethebottomflapup.

11 (A)Horizontally valley-fold the top corner of the front flap atthe level of the horizontal crease of the back flap. Unfold. (B)Returnthefrontflaptothebottom.

12(A)Rotatethepaper180degrees.(B)Repeatstep11.

13(A)Valley-foldthetopandbottomcornersinward.(B)Rotate45degreesclockwise.

14 Your paper should look like this. Use the existing creases insequence, closing the envelope. Creases at “D” will form uponflattening the model completely. Refer to the following photosequence.

15Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Turnover,toptobottom.

16LessonsfromtheHeart.Ifyouprefer,feelfreetoroundoffthetopcorners.

17Try thissimplevariation: Inside-reverse-fold thetopcorners toformroundingfacets.

18 Complete! Now, try your hands at a mirrored example of thisfoldingsequence!

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AnneLaVin’sSquirreldesignedbyAnneLaVin

LESSON:DESIGNINGMINIMALISTORIGAMI

IntroductionbyAnneLaVin

or me, designing this origami Squirrel was a lesson inabstraction. I created it in response to a challenge posed by

membersofanonlinegroupfocusingonsimpleorigami.Notonlydid we have the basic limitation of origami folded from onesquare with no cuts, but the folding sequence also had to besimpleandshort.

IknewIwasn’tgoingtobeabletorepresenteverythingaboutasquirrel,andsoIdecidedtofocusonlyonthevisualelementsthatdefined“squirrelness”bestforme.DuringthelongwintersinnorthernNew England, I get to know a lot of the local squirrelpopulation— they are usually sitting at our bird feeders withtheir heavy winter coats fully fluffed out, flicking theirwonderfullyexpressivetails—andsoIdecidedtofirst focusonthe tail. The visual volume of a squirrel’s tail is huge (althoughmostlyjusthairandair).Thismeantthatalotofthepaperwouldbecome the tail, and for efficiency, should probably contain asfewlayersaspossible.

Ifonecornerofthepaperwastobecomethetail,thediagonalofthesquarecouldbecomethecentralaxisofthecreature,andso I folded the square in half diagonally. The tail should be abluntpoint,andsoIfoldedthecornersintowardsthemiddle,butwithoutbringingthefoldallthewaytothecorner.Aha!Perhapsasortofmutantfishbasewouldcreateanarrowpointattheotherendtoallowmetoshapethehead,andtheextraflapscouldbeears. (I find the shapeof a squirrel’s ear especially cute, and sothatwould be another fun detail to refine.) After that, I fiddled

withtheproportionsuntilitresembledaseated,fluffysquirrel.

IcarefullymarkedthecreasesandintersectionsoftheversionthatIlikedmost,unfoldedit,andthenIexploredidentifyingthelandmarks thatwould result in thecorrectproportionsduringarepeatable folding sequence. A few weeks later, with Michael’shelp, I was able to nail down the landmarks for the idealproportionssoMichaelcoulddiagramit.

—AnneLaVin

Takeaways:DoNotOverthink!All origami is abstract, so embrace it as such! Howfewfoldscanbemadetoasquare,yetstillproducea

recognizablesquirrel?Howfewtoproduceonewithacharmingcharacter?Whichelementsorspecificfoldscontributetothatcharacter?Theflickofthetail?Cockof the ear? Tilt of the head?Howdid your choice ofpaper affect the “look,” success or the viewers’perceptionofyourcreature?Distill.

1Beginwith thewhite sideup. (A)Valley-folddiagonally inhalf.Unfold. (B) Turn over, left to right. (C) Rotate 45 degreescounterclockwise.

2 Notice the orientation of the diagonal crease. (A) Valley-fold ashort pinch mark at the midpoint of the right edge. Unfold. (B)Valley-foldashortpinchmarkhalfwaybetweenthefirstpinchmark

and the bottom right corner. Unfold. (C) Rotate 45 degreescounterclockwise.

3(A)Valley-folddiagonallyinhalf,bottomcornertotop.(B)Turnover,toptobottom.

4Checkyourpapertobesurethatthetwopinchmarksarevisibleon the right sideof the top layer. Valley-fold the left edgeof thetop layer to align with the top folded edge. Stop the fold at theverticalcentercrease.

5Mountain-fold the square corner inhalf andmove it to the left.

Valley-foldfromtheverticalcentercreasetotheendofthetopmostpinchmarkandflattenthepaper.Thisisaneccentricrabbitear.

6Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Repeatontheotherside.Theseflapswillbecometheears.

7Valley-foldtherightsideofthepaperovertheleft.Settheproperangle by pivoting at approximately one quarter the length of thebottomedge,beginningfromtheleftend,andmakingonepointofthebottomedgeintersectwiththe“V”notch,above.

8 Your paper should look like this. Move the right side flap backdown.

9 Turn the right side of the paper inside out, using the creasesformedinthepervioussteptoguidethefinalshape.Thiswillbethetail.

10 Use the length of bottom horizontal edge to estimate thestartingpointof this fold.Valley-fold the left sidepointed flap totheright.Thefoldshouldbeperpendiculartothehorizontalbottomedge.

11Usethelengthoftopedge,fromthefrontoftheeartotheleftcorner, to estimate the starting point of this fold. Valley-fold thepointedflaptotheleft.Thefoldshouldbeperpendiculartothelineofthetopedge.

12Valley-foldthepointedflaptotheright,allowingashortforwardlengthforthemuzzle.Thefoldshouldbeperpendiculartothe lineofthetopedge.Inside-reverse-foldthetipsoftheears.

13Detailforfoldingintheeartips.

14Moveearlayer“E”tothefront.

15 Valley-fold the front layer ear flap backwards. Use theintersection, marked in the diagram by a red dot, of two foldededgesforthebottomendofthefoldline.

16Noticethatthetopedgeoftheear liesbelowthetopedgeofthehead,indicatedbythe“X”arrow.Foldtheothereartomatch.

17Unfoldtheheadflap.

18 (A) Outside-reverse-fold back. (B) Outside-reverse-fold forward.(C)Inside-reverse-fold.

19AnneLaVin’sSquirrel

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TheGreatWhiteSharkdesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:WET-FOLDINGPAPERMONEY

ere’sadollarbillmodelthatrequireswetfolding.Greatwhiteshark sightings have been in the news regularly, both in

Massachusetts, and in Hawai‘i, and anyone with a toe in theoceanmaybethinkingabouttheprobabilityofbeingmistakenforfood. Humans are awed by the power, strength and violentfeedingbehaviorofhungrygreatwhites,butthisdoesn’texcuseunwarranted fear of, or brutality to them. These magnificentcreatures cruise the waters for hundreds ofmiles, surviving bycullingthesickandtheweak,andinsodoing,makingoursealifepopulationsevenhealthier.

The quality of the paper used for US currency is superbbecauseitisdesignedandformulatedforstrengthanddurability.It folds best when moistened slightly, as do other papers ofsimilarqualityfibersandblends.Moisteningthepaperbeforeorwhile it is being folded is commonly called “wet folding.” Thisleadstomisunderstandingbecausethepaper isnotsoakingwet— only slightly damp.Wet-folding offers several advantages tothe origami artist: Once dry, the project will retain its physicalformindefinitely(untilit ismoistenedagain);wetfoldingmakesthickerandstifferpaperseasiertofold;wetfoldingpreservestheintegrity of the fibers. (Dry folding, on the other hand, breakssome of the fibers and that damage weakens the paper. Wetfoldingallowsthefiberstogentlybendinsteadofbreaking.)

Whenwetfolding,addjusttheleastamountofmoisturethatwillmakethepapersoftandyielding(moreeasilyfoldable).Thepapershouldneitherlookwet,norfeelwet,butitwillfeelcooltothetouch.New,crispbillsarethefirstchoiceformoneyorigamiprojects, but youmay partially restore a bill’s foldabilitywith awarmclothesiron.Whenselectingdollarbillsfororigamiart,itisgood to be fussy. Since individual bills are trimmed from largesheetswithahigh-speedcuttingmachine,themarginsareoftenuneven,andsobillswithperfectlysymmetricalmarginsarehardto find. If you are folding a model that requires printingsymmetry, select a bill with equal margins on the short ends.Some origami designs show both back and front (reverse andobverse) sides of the bill, and somedesigns look bestwhen thetwodesignsareregistered.Alignmentoftheengravingplate’sdiestrikesfromfronttobackiseasytocheckbyholdingthebilluptothelight.

1Valley-foldinhalf,shortedgetoshortedge.Unfold.

2Valley-foldeachof thebottomedgehalvesup toalignwith thecentercrease.

3Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Unfold.

4Turnover,toptobottom.

5 Valley-fold the left and right short edges to align with the topedge.

6Turnover,toptobottom.

7Valley-foldtheleftandrightfoldededgestoalignwiththecentercrease.Allowthehiddentriangularflapstocomefromthebackandlayontop.

8 Valley-fold the bottom left and right edges to align with theverticalcentersplit.

9Openapocketattheoutside,topright—indicatedbythewhitearrow — while valley-folding along the base of the associatedtriangular-shapedlayer.

10Openapocketinsideofthetoprightlayerwhilecontinuingtovalley-foldtheassociatedtriangularlayerdownward.

11Repeatsteps9and10toformanopenhoodshapeatthetopofthemodel.

12Valley-fold tocollapse the right sideof thehoodshape to thecenter.

13Repeatstep12ontheleft.

14Turnover.

15 Valley-fold the bottom left and right edges to align with theverticalcenter.Unfold.

16 Use the creases to perform a petal-fold of the horizontal rawedge.Lookaheadatthenextdiagramfortheshape.

17 Rabbit-ear the triangular flap andmountain-fold themodel inhalflengthwise.Rotate90degreesclockwise.

18Pullout thehidden flap(“X”) tomake ready thepaper for themouth. Valley-folds will form inside as your complete this step.Firmly flatten the model at the front to secure the hidden valleyfolds.Lookaheadatthenextdiagramfortheresult.

19 Inside-reverse-fold the topmost triangular flapat thebackendofthemodel.

20 Valley-fold the top edge of the hind triangular flap into thechannel.Mountain-foldthelowercornersinside.

21 Reverse-fold the tail flaps together. Valley-fold the fin flapsupwards.

22 Valley-fold the leftmost flap down. Valley-fold the fin flapsdown.

23Formthemouthbyopeningoutthesidesslightlyandpushinginatthecenter.

24TheGreatWhiteShark

Takeaways:WetFoldYourPaperMoney!Wetyourpapermoney, itcantake it!Haveyoueverforgottenabillortwoinyourpocket,onlytofindthattheyhavegonethroughthewashingmachine?

They emerge usable (and clean). Not a problem. In

fact,yourpapermoneywillenjoyalittlesipofwaterbeforeyourbegintofold,andwillbecomesuppleandmore relaxed. You too will be more relaxed as youfold, as you find the currency more compliant,especiallywhenaddingdetailswithsmall folds.Andwhen layersbuildup, theaddedmoisturehelpsyoucompressthemwithonlymodestpressure.Thedriedbill will hold the new form that you so carefullycraftedwhileitwasmoist.

Imust say thatwehaveencounteredagooddealofresistancetotheadoptionofwetfoldingfromamongbeginnertointermediatepaperfolders.Perhapsthereis a perception of inconvenience; perhaps it is thedifferenceinthefoldingexperiencethatlacksappeal.We hope to change this attitude. The pros faroutweighthecons.

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TheElegant—SimpleHummingbird

designedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:DESIGNSIMPLICITYWHENFOLDINGFOILSANDPLASTICIZEDPAPERS

his gem resulted from one of the many large commercialcommissionsthatfellthrough.Amajorcorporateclientasked

ustoquotefoldingthousandsofhummingbirds,buttheywantedus to replicate or approximate another artist’s design withouttheir permission, and so we refused. We also felt that theirproposed designwas needlessly time-consuming and inelegant.Michaelsetouttodesignadifferentapproachtothesubjectinaway that better captured the spirit of this wonderful creature,while also reducing the folding time. When we proposed hisdesignsolution,thejobhadalreadybeenfarmedouttoafoldingfactory.You can’twin themall, and their loss is your gain!Weknowyou’lllovetofoldthiscutietograceyourcheerfulgreetingcards, table place cards and scrapbook entries. We think itperfectly embodies origami elegance and simplicity — thecharacteristic hallmarks of the time-honored and best-lovedtraditionalmodels.

Takeaways:TakeitStepbyStepOneofthemostusefultoolsthatourstudentsenjoyis

makingscrapbooksoftheirfavoritemodels.Wehaveahugesupplyoftinyorigamipaper:1½”,1¾”,and2”squares(oftensoldtobefoldedintoindividualflowerpetals). Each time a student progresses to the nextstep,theybeginagainwithanewpieceoftinypaper.Attheend,theyhaveasequenceof“stepfolds”thatareeasy topaste inadecorativearrangement intoascrapbook. When the model produces a three-dimensionalobject, theysimply inserta snapshot inplace of the 3-D object. What a great memory jog!Thisisasusefulforseniorsandolderbeginnersasitisforouryoungestfolders.Tryit!

1Beginwiththe“wrong”sideupifusingpapercoloredortextureddifferently on each side. Valley-fold in half diagonally, bottomcornertotop.

2(A)Valley-foldinhalfandunfold.(B)Turnover,toptobottom.

3 Valley-fold the bottom square corners to the middle of the topedge.

4Unfoldthetriangulartoplayerflap.

5Movethetriangularflapofthetopmostlayerupandbeyondthetop edge. Align the short horizontal crease from the base of thetriangular flapwiththe long,horizontal foldededge.Valley-foldtoflatten.Lookaheadtoseetheshape.

6 Valley-fold the bottom corner to the lowest intersection ofcreases.

7Valley-foldthetopleftandrightedgestoalignwiththeverticalcentercreases.

8Turnover,toptobottom.

9 Valley-fold and unfold the bottom left and right edges to thecentercrease,installingtwoshortcreasesinthebottomcorner.

10Use the vertical center crease to valley-fold themodel inhalf,lefttoright.Allowtheattachedwingtomovetothefrontasyoudothis.Rotatethepaper90degreesclockwise.

11Valley-fold the bottom right edge to alignwith the horizontaltopedge.Repeatbehind.

12Unfoldthefrontandbackflaps.

13Inside-reverse-foldthefrontandbackflaps.

14Valley-fold to align thebottomedgesof the left sidepoint tothefoldedfrontedgeofthewing.

15 Valley-fold the pointed flap down, pivoting at the leftmostcorner.Lookaheadfortheshape.

16Unfoldtheleftpoint.

17Valley-fold thewings forward as indicated. Look ahead for theshape.

18 (A)Valley-fold thebottom left edgeof thewing to alignwiththe vertical crease.Repeatbehind. (B) Inside-reverse-fold the tail.Notethereddotsinthediagram:Apointonthetopedgeofthetail(upper dot) should become aligned with the crease-end that isindicatedbythelowerdot.Lookaheadatthenextdiagramforthealignment.

19(A)Usetheexistingcreases tocrimpthehead intoshape. (B)Valley-foldeachhalfofthetaildownontheoutside.

20Detailsforfoldingtheneckandbeakwillbeinclose-up.

21Mountain-foldtheneckpaperin.

22Flattenthebeak.

23Beakcomplete.

24TheElegant—SimpleHummingbird

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TheDimSumBundesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:APOEMFORTHEFINGERS

his little origami bunnymakes your origami juices flow theway you salivate when the Dim Sum cart, fresh from the

kitchen, approaches your table at a Chinese restaurant. ThisplumpandtastymorselrepresentsastyleoforigamithatMichaelcallslittle“PoemsfortheFingers.”Theseareorigamimodelsweenjoy folding again and again, and because they are short andsweet, we love to share themwith others. Just as a poem is adistilledandmuchshorter formofprose, this simpleandquickcompositiondisplaysahighlevelofabstraction.Thegeometric3-Daspect,combinedwithachoiceofcuteposes,allowsthemtobedisplayed in interesting ways, particularly when folded in arainbowofcolorsandsizesorarrangedinactivegroups.

Takeaways:MakingLegendsMichael and I once rescued a pair of baby bunniesandreleasedthemaftertheywerestrongandhealthy.Years later, “Nibbles” and “Walnut” were frequentvisitorstoourfrontyardatnight,andifwereturnedhome after dark, wewould often catch them in ourheadlights while they were grazing on the lawn.Sometimes they would have company, such asAmbrosetheSkunk,whoappearsinournextorigamiétude.NibblesandWalnuthavegrownandprobablyhopped away, but their progeny abounds. We stillhave the fondmemories of rescuing them, and thendriving 20 miles to find canned cat milk and aneyedropperatapetstore,inordertoraisethem.Theirromping and racing around the deck and into ourflower pots, and their uncanny ability to strike andpatiently hold a pose for a clumsy photographer,inspiredseveraldelightfulorigamidesigns.

1 Begin with the “wrong” side up if using paper that is coloreddifferentlyoneachside.Valley-foldinhalfedgetoedgebothways,unfoldingaftereach.

2(A)Valley-foldthetopandbottomedgestothehorizontalcentercrease.Unfold.(B)Rotate90degrees.

3Valley-foldthebottomedgetothecenter.Unfold.Mountain-fold

thetopedgetothecenter.Unfold.

4Younowhavea16squaregrid.Valley-foldeachofthefourcornersquares in half diagonally. Notice the location of the horizontalmountain(top)andhorizontalvalley(bottom)creases.Preservethisorientation,relativetothefoldinginstep5.

5 (A) Valley-fold the bottom left and right folded edges to thenearest vertical crease. (B) Use the existing vertical creases to

Valley-foldthesidestothecenter.

6Turnover,lefttoright.

7 (A) Valley-fold the bottom half diagonally both ways, unfolding

aftereach.(B)Valley-foldthetopedgedowntothecenter.

8Turnover,lefttoright.

9 (A&B)Valley-foldeachof thebottom two45-degreeangles inhalf,unfoldingaftereach.(C)Valley-foldthetwotopcornersdown.

(D)turnover,toptobottom.

10(A)Usetheexistingmountainandvalleycreasestocollapsethetop,squareareaintoatriangularshape.Lookaheadatstep11forthe shape. (B) Valley-fold the bottom corner of the bottomtriangularareaone-thirdup.Unfold.

11Movethebottomsquarecornersoutfromtheback.

12 Valley-fold the top triangular area in half to the right, whilepushingthebottomedgeofthetriangleup.Usetheexistingcreasestoperformthismaneuver.Mountain-foldthebottom layers inhalf,totheleft.Rotate90degreescounterclockwise.

13 Your paper should look like this. Open the front of the ear.Valley-folddownatthebottomlimitsofthetoplayer.Squash-fold.Lookaheadatstep14fortheshape.Repeatbehind.Mountain-foldthebottomhindcornersin.

14Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Pulltheearsup.

15Movetheendofthenosedownandinbetweenthelayersofthefront legs.Mountainandvalley-fold the layersof the lowerhalfofthehead so that thepaper is flat andwell creased.Pushdown toflattentheback.Mountain-foldalongthesuggestedlinestomakeasaddle-shapewiththetailpointingup.

16Pullthenosecornerupandsettheangleforthehead.

17TheDimSumBun

A

AmbrosetheSkunkdesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:ORIGAMIINSIDE-OUT;MAKING“DUOPAPER”USINGBACKCOATING

s you fold a piece of paper, you can create a series ofenveloping layers, which gives you the potential to reveal

someoftheinside(reversesideofthepaper)ontheoutsideofthesculpture. Imagine this skunk folded from a single, solid colorpaper(withoutacontrastingwhitesideonthereverse).Itwouldbe impossible to evoke the same reaction in the viewer, whichaffirms the power of designing so called “duo”models.Michaellikestothinkoftwotypesof“Inside-Out”origamimodels.Oneis“Obligatory”orconsequentialcolor-changeorigamidesigns, thatresultinbothsidesofthepapershowing,regardlessoftheintent—thereissimplynowaytoproducethatparticularformwithoutshowingbothsidesofthepaper.

He calls the other type, “Opportunistic” or creative choicecolor-change models, because they allow the designer to takeadvantageofshowingsomeofthereverseside(ornot),athisorherdiscretion.

Thisskunkisagoodexampleofthelatter.ItallowedMichael

to “play” with the amount and shape of the white paper thatfinally shows, by changing the landmarks to balance the effect.Thisprovidedtheopportunityforhimtorevealjustenoughwhitetomakethecreatureimmediatelyidentifiableandendearing.

Whenlookingforanopportunitytodisplaythereversesideofthepaper,lookforrawedges.Inthoseplaces,atleastaportionofthereversesidecanbefoldedovertotheoutside.

Whilethisskunkcanbesuccessfullyfoldedfromcommercialorigami paper, this design presents a wealth of possibilities forexpressive,artisticexploration,andyoumaywanttocreateyourownorigami“duo”papersbyusingmethylcellulosepastetobackcoatafinepieceof light-tonedpaperontoafinepieceofdarkerpaper.Let these skunks, foldedof fancy-patternedpapers, livenupyournextpartytable.

Takeaways:TwoSidesoftheSameCoinIfyouconsidercolor-changedesignsasfunpuzzlestosolve,makealistofbi-coloredsubjects,andthengivedesigningthematry.Don’trestrictyourlisttowhite-bellied critters; even popular symbols, shapes, andalphabetlettersappearingonawhitebackgroundarefair game. Chances are good that other origamidesignershavetakenawhackatdesigningsomethingto fill the bill, but don’t let that stop you. There ismorethanonewaytoskinaskunk.Whenyoubeginto design for color change opportunities, try foldingfamiliardesignsfromlargersheetsofduo(two-color)paperthathasfirstbeenblintzed(cornersfoldedintothecenter,eitherallononesideoramixtureoffrontorback).Anotherhandytrickistoformasquarefroma 2:1 rectangle by folding the end quarters over(perhapsonequartertothefrontandtheoppositeto

the back). US paper currency is also great “duo”paper,withblackprintingononeside,andgreenontheother.Whenyou find thatyouhavedevelopedaknack for bringing certain colors exactly where youwant them, then do the same with images on thepapermoney.Itisfuntodesignorigamianimalsthattake advantage of the little swirls as eyes, or thewhorlsashorns.

1 Valley-fold diagonally in half, both ways, unfolding after each.Turnover,lefttoright.

2 Valley-fold the bottom corner to the center where the creasesintersect.

3Turnover,lefttoright.

4Valley-foldthe leftandrighthalvesofthebottomedgetoalignwith the vertical center crease. Stop each fold at the horizontalcentercrease.

5Unfoldcompletely.

6Usetheindicatedcreasestocollapsethebottomarea,usingbothmountain-andvalley-folds. Lookaheadat thenextdrawing for theshape.

7 Mountain-fold the left and right corners in half and pivotdownward.Valley-foldfromeachpivotpointtothetopcorner.

8Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Valley-foldthetopcentercornerdown, folding at the level where the corner’s edges intersect withtheinneredgesoftheleftandrightflaps.

9 Swap layers so that the left and right flaps lay underneath thepaperforthehead.

10Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Headfoldingdetailstofollow.

11Valley-foldtheleftandrightcornerstomeethighonthevertical

centercrease.

12Valley-foldtherighthalfoftheheadtotheleft.

13 Valley-fold the top edge of the top layer to align with theverticalcentercrease.

14Valley-foldthetoplayertotheright.

15Repeatsteps12through14ontheleft.

16Valley-foldtheindicatedcornersout,usingthelimitsmarkedinthedrawing to form theears.Valley-fold thebottomcornerup forthenose.

17Thecompletedhead.

18Valley-foldthepartiallyhiddenlayersdownsothattheverticaledge of each layer lies horizontally at the level of the top of thehead.

19 Mountain-fold in half lengthwise, and rotate 90 degreesclockwise.

20 Inside-reverse-fold the tail, pivoting at the top of the head,markedbythe“X”arrowhead,andstoppingwhentheinside-reverse-foldededgeintersectsthecornerofthehindfoot.

21 Inside-reverse-fold the tail up, hinging between the pointsmarked by “X” arrowheads and stopping when the inside-reverse-foldededgeintersectswiththepointatthetopofthebackwherethefrontlegsoriginate.

22Pulloutthetrappedlayersonbothsidesofthetail.

23Mountain-foldthebackcornersinsidethetail.

24Inside-reverse-foldthetopfour-fifthsofthetail.Lookaheadtoseethe90-degreereferencemarkinred,inthenextstep.

25Valley-foldahingingcreaseonbothsidesofthetail,spanningfromthebaseoftheinside-reversedowntothebaseofthetail,attheleveloftheback.Openthetopofthetail.

26Make angled sets ofmountain folds and on the left and rightsidesofthebody,definingthefrontandhindlegs.Makethesefoldsthroughalllayersoneachside.

27Liftuptheears.Makeangledsetsofmountainfoldsontheleftand right sides of the neck, up along the jaw line and down toconnectwith thecreaseend, indicatedby the reddot. (Acutawayviewof theoutermost layerof legpaper reveals thehidden layer.)Curlthetipofthetail.

28AmbrosetheSkunk

S

ASeahorseforAlMiyatakedesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:DEVELOPINGFINEMOTORCONTROL

eahorses are remarkable creatures that have nothing incommonwithhorsesexceptfortheshapeoftheirheads.Even

thosehead featuresmake them look like caricatures or cartoonversions,carvedincuteness.Nobodyeverygotbuckedbyabrinybronco, nor stampeded by a saltwater stallion. We hope everyreaderhasachancetowatchthebehaviorofrealliveseahorses.Themales“givebirth” to theyoung,andthere isnoshortageofvariety in size, appearance or favorite habitat. If we discoveranything like these creatures on another planet, we would nodoubt write books and make movies about them. We dependupon our oceans for food, recreation, transportation and evenclimate moderation, but the oceans’ health requires healthynursery reefs and coastal wet-lands. Millions of tropical fishfanciers decorate their homes with saltwater tanks populatedwith colorful and fascinating fish. When they purchase wildcreatures,itputsimmensepressureonthenaturalpopulationsofseahorses.AlMiyatakeisalong-timefriendandsupporterlivingontheKonacoastoftheBigIslandofHawai‘i.Alpointedoutthataquaculture has come to the rescue, and they now have aseahorsefarmtosupplytheaquarist’sdemandfor“reefponies”!

Thisétudeexposesyoutoa foldingalgorithm, thesequentialcrimpingpatterntoproduceaspiraltail.Origamispiralsarefunto fold, and they produce beautiful, interesting angles andshadows. We participated in an exhibit called “SpiritualGeometry,” where artists contributed works that explored“magical” relationships of shapes and proportions that havefascinatedartistsandmathematiciansforcenturies.Origamicanbe a useful tool for understanding some of these relationships,

such as the Pythagorean theorem, and various spiral foldingalgorithms,suchastheoneusedtoshapethisSeahorse’stail.

Takeaways: The Power of Art to ChangeBehaviorWe are often invited to discuss the possibilities ofincorporating origami into an educational programabout the Earth’s unique habitats and their iconiccreatures.Beingbiologistsbytraining,wearealwayseagertoparticipate.Museumshavehiredustodesignorigamiversionsofcreatures fromNewEngland, theSonoran Desert, the polar extremes, East Coastflyways, the Florida Everglades and our fragile reefsandoceans.Ineverycase,thehopeisthatbyfolding

origami versions of these subjects, youngsters willtake a closer look at those creatures and theirhabitats, develop an understanding of the issuessurrounding their very survival, and hopefully seekout more information about how they can make apositivedifferenceforourfuture.

Evenmoreengaging iswhentheorigami ismadebythe visitor’s own hands, because Origami renditionsofsubjectspeciesbecometangible iconsthatvisitorsfold,holdandkeep.Origamiarthas recentlyprovento be an engaging way to raise the level of publicawarenesstothependingextinctionofthepolarbear,elephant, rhino and several endangered butterflies.Can you identify a creature or plant, struggling forexistence, thatmightbehelped ifpeopleweremadejust a little more aware about how their choicesimpact the lives of the other inhabitants that sharethis special speck in the universe? It need not berocketscience:wedesignedorigamidogstohelpraiseawareness (and money) for a local no-kill animalshelter. Go local and start small. Have fun whilehelpingacritter!

1Begin “wrong” sideup.Valley-fold inhalf diagonallybothways,unfoldingaftereach.Turnover.

2Valley-foldthetopandbottomcornerstomeetatthemiddle.

3Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Turnover,lefttoright.

4 Valley-fold the top and bottom edges to meet at the middle,allowingthebacksidetriangularflapstocometothefront.

5Valley-fold the left corner in.Valley-foldandunfoldeachof thefouredgesofthecentersquaretothehorizontalcenter.Valley-foldthetopandbottomrightedgestomeetatthehorizontalcenter.

6Bringthetopandbottomrightedgesofthecentersquaretothehorizontalcenter.

7Mountain-fold the top and bottom square corners in half whilefoldingthemflatandtotheright.Mountain-foldtheleft-sidesquarecornersbehind.

8Detail:Squash-foldtheindicatedcornerintotheshapeofakite.Unfold.Repeatwiththecornerabove.

9Valley-foldthetopandbottomedgesofthe leftsidetomeetatthecenter,allowingthetriangularflapsatthebacktocometothefront.Valley-foldtheleftandrightedgesoftherightcornertomeetatthecenter.

10Headdetail:Valley-foldthetopandbottomleftedgestomeetatthecenter.

11 Mountain-fold the tip of the corner behind. Valley-fold thetopmostsquarecornersout.

12Mountain-foldasmallportionoftheleftendbehind.Valley-andmountain-fold the indicatedportionof the triangular flaps to formtheheadfins.

13Valley-foldtheentiremodelinhalf,lengthwise.

14Outside-reverse-foldthemodelatthebackendofthehead.Lookaheadfortheshape.

15 Inside-reverse-fold the body and tail section forward, aligningwiththebottomedgeofthehead.

16Inside-reverse-foldback,pivotingatthefrontoftheneck.

17Re-squashthefoldedcenterflapforafin.Repeatbehind.Inside-reverse-foldthetailforwardanddown.

18Inside-reverse-foldthetailbackward.

19 Inside-reverse-fold the indicated top layer, pushing the paperforwardandupward.Repeatbehind.

20Inside-reverse-foldthetailforward.

21 Inside-reverse-fold the tail backward, pivoting from the front.Lookaheadforthealignment.

22Inside-reverse-foldthetailforward.

23Repeatsteps21&22until thetailpaper is foldedtotheend,

formingagracefulcurl.Hereisabalancechallenge:Considerfoldingthemodelsothatoneofthetail’ssegmentsformsabase,andthemodelwillstandwithoutanyadditionalsupport.Note:Thebalancedversionmayrequireadditionalmountainfoldstomakethetailtrim.

24ASeahorseforAlMiyatake

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Humuhumunukunukuapua‘adesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:OBSERVINGANDTRANSLATINGKEYPROPORTIONS

ftendiagramswillillustrateamaneuverononesideonlyforefficiency, and then indicate (with just an arrow) to repeat

thesameontheotherside.Thisoftenrequiresfoldingthemirrorimageofthemaneuver.Somestudentsstrugglewiththis,andsothis model will exercise spatial recognition and translation, inordertoproducethemirrorimage.Whywouldyouwanttolearnthis?Inthiscase,thefishisswimmingtotheright,buttheremaybe reasons that youwill want to frame another fish facing theother way. How about making origami jewelry — a pair ofearringsforinstance?

Tropical fishare the showy “butterflies”of the reef. Bothareintricately beautiful, and when folded of brilliant pearlescentpapers,willevokethecomplexityandflamboyanceofwhatthesecreatures choose to “wear.” Upon closer inspection, there areusually only two or three colors, but with a high contrast,accentuatingthesimplelayouttotheir“graphic”designs.

Fromanorigamidesignpointofview,thedistinctiveanglesofthis fish’sbody, foreheadandstripesprovideachallenge toourabilitytomimicwhatweobserve.Theeyesalsoseemtobesetinapeculiarposition.Tous,thefishseemsto“leanback”anddeferto themore aggressive-looking creatures. Sometimes the “bodylanguage” of a body plan accurately describes the creature’scharacter, as with the gentle, rounded, slowly-swimmingmanatee.

Whatmakesthispeculiarfishsocompelling?Foronething,ifyouswimtooclose, itgrunts likeapig!Alsoknownasthe“reeftriggerfish,” the Humuhumu (for short) has a piggy snout and

bright red on its undersized pectoral fins. The Humuhumu is ahighlyterritorialandsolitaryfeeder,oftenseendartinghereandthere,suckingupandsquirtingoutsandfromitsdistinctive,bluelips.Whenthreatened,itcanchangecolorsorwedgeitselftightlyinto crevices. Those distinctive lines form a bright yellow-outlineddirectional arrowonHumuhumu’sback. If youhappentobefancy,itsbesttohaveothersurvivaltricksupyoursleeve!

Takeaways:ObservingPatternsinNatureWhatchildhasn’tponderedthedistinctivestripesofazebra? From the youngest age, we humans arefascinatedbypatterns.FriedrichFroebel, theGermaninventorofKindergarten,spentmuchofhischildhoodinthevastwoodsnearhishome,andwascaptivatedby the patterns he saw in nature: seed pods, floralwhorls, tree branching and even the angles of rockcrystals.Heworkedhardallofhis lifetounderstandthe underlying causes of patterns. As acrystallographer, Froebel understood that thestructure of atoms and their numbers of electronsdictates how they can pack together, combine with

otheratoms,oraswithwater,formalighterexpanseofsolidcrystalswhenfrozen.

Biology uses patterns too, the most commongenerated by cell growth around parent cells.Fibonacci described the pattern that creates spiralswhen the last two cells create another by doublingtheir sum. Charles Darwin was responsible fordeveloping thoughts about how individuals withslight differences were sometimes favored whenconditions changed, and how this natural selectionnudged along the success of species displaying thevariety of patterns and forms that we see on Earthtoday.Biologyexploitsshape,whetheritisthesticky,spikeysurfaceofavirusparticle,or the light-hungryreach of a giant oak tree’s leafy branches. We alsorecognize pattern similarities between biological andnon-biological entities, such as the whorl ofmicroscopicmollusksandofspiralgalaxies.Itseemsfitting that we are entertained by forming pleasingpatternssimplybyfoldingpaper:weapproximatethepatterns thatmattermakesof itself— both invisiblysmallandincomprehensiblygrand.

1Beginwiththe“wrong”sideup.Valley-foldinhalfedgetoedgebothways,unfoldingaftereach.

2Valley-foldthreecornerstomeetatthecenteronthefrontside.Mountain-foldtheremainingcornertothecenteronthebackside.

3 Be sure that your paper is oriented as shown in this drawing.Valley-foldthebottomcornertothecenter.Unfold.Turnover, lefttoright.

4Again, be sure that your paper is oriented as shown. Valley-foldthebottomleftandrightedgestothecenter,unfoldingaftereach.

5Usethemountainandvalleycreases tocollapse thepaper.Lookaheadatthenextdrawingfortheshape.

6Valley-foldtheleftandrightedgestomeetattheverticalcenter.Allowthetriangularflapstocomefromthebackanddisplaybehindthetopmostsquare.

7Foldingdetailstofollow.Thisareawillformthetailfin,andthedorsalandventralfinslocatedattheback.

8Squash-foldtherightsideofthetopmostsquarearea.

9Valley-foldtheleftflaptotheright.

10Repeatsteps8and9ontheleft.

11 Your paper should look like this. Mountain-fold the bottomcornertotheback.Youwillnoticethatasyouproceedwiththefold,anatural,centeringlimitwill formastheinside layersemergeandformpockets.Lookaheadtothenextdrawingfortheshape.

12 Valley-fold the bottom edges of the left and right pocketsupwardandsquash-foldthepockets.

13Valley-fold the bottom corner to touch the intersection of thefoldededgesabove.

14Notice that the foldededgeat thebottomof the tail findoesnotmeetwiththeleftandrightcorners.Thiseffectmakesthelobesof the tail fin look slightly rounded. Turn the model over, left toright.

15 Valley and mountain-fold to trim the fins, tucking center-aligningflapsunderthetoplayersofthetailpaper.Movetheedgeslabeled “A,” first, then those labeled “B.” Look ahead at the nextdrawingfortheshape.

16Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.

17Valley-fold the topcornerdown.There isno landmark for this.Copy the proportions approximately. Valley-fold the short edge ofthe square cornerof the top left layer toalignwith theouter leftedge.Unfold.

18Mountain-foldthesquare-corneredflapunderthetoplayer.

19Valley-fold thetop leftand rightedges tomeetat theverticalcenter.Rotatethepaper90degreesclockwise.

20Inside-reverse-foldtheobtusecornerofthetopflaptopreparepaper for theeye.Mountain-andvalley-fold the triangularplaneatthefront,formingthemouth.

21Openthetoplayeroftheeyepaperandsquash-foldslightlytorounditout.

22Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a

T

YellowTangforMarikodesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:PREPARINGPAPERSWITHPEARLESCENTANDLUSTERPAINTS

hewestcoastoftheBigIslandofHawai‘iwasoncecalledthe“GoldCoast,”notbecauseofanypreciousmetalslyingabout,

butbecauseofthebountifulschoolsofyellowtang, little fishsonumerousthattheymadethesurfzoneappearyellow.Thescalesofthetangaretiny,andphotographydoesn’tdotheirtruebeautyjustice. For this model, we use paper doped with pearlescentluster pigment to mimic the sheen produced by the animal’sminiaturescales.

Nowthatyouhavetriedwetfolding,wehopeyouappreciateits many benefits. There is another handy method that ourstudentsenjoythatavoidssomeoftheproblemsoffullywettingthepapers—especiallymachinemadepaperswithpronounced,oftentroublesomegrain.Wecallit“ZoneFolding,”anditinvolvesapplyingmoisture only where you need it, and only when youneedit.Weoftenuseafoldednapkinorpapertowel,butevenamoistened cotton swab works well because there is lesslikelihoodofadding toomuchwater.Thisdesign for theYellowTangforMarikoisabitunusualbecauseitwasplannedforonlyoneside to show,as if itweredisplayedonaChristmas tree. Itworkswellwhenmounted ina shadowbox frame,oronapin-back to be worn as a brooch. Challenge your brain by foldingother-handedexamplesfromthesamesetofdiagrams!

First, learn thismodelbypracticingwith letterprinterpaper.(Trimoneendtomakethe largestsquare.) Itmightalsohelp topractice thismodelwithapieceofgoldoryellowfoil.Afteryouare satisfied with your knowledge of the folding sequence, wetfoldanotherfromapieceofyellowtantorsimilarpaper.

BackcoatingtolaminateasheetoflusterpaperOnce you have rehearsed this model sufficiently,prepare a special piece of back coated yellow lusterpaperforyourdisplaypiece:Lightlymoistenasheetofthin, white washi, and then brush a coat of yellowlusterpigmentedpaint (fromthecraftstore)ontooneside.Allow it to dry fully.Moisten it once again, butthis time, brush the reversewithmethylcellulose gelandfolditinhalf.Restrainthefoldedsheetwhileitisallowedtodrybypastingfouredgestoarigidsurface.Trim to the desired square size and wet fold theYellowTangforMariko.

Takeaways:PaperCanBeLikeaSkinOrigami subjects depicting creatures from the river,pond, lake or the sea look wet when folded frompapermadewithjustahintofmica.Butterflies,birdsand other natural history creatures folded frompapersmadewiththeselusterpigmentsalsoseemtolove the gallery lights. Acrylic-based luster paintsavailable in craft stores are formulated for airbrushapplications, but they also work just fine whenapplied topre-moistenedpaperswithaconventionalpaintbrush. Try several brands and colors to seewhichoftheseproduceyourfavoriteluster-enhancedpapers.

1Valley-folddiagonallyinhalfbothways,unfoldingaftereach.Turnover,lefttoright.

2Valley-foldinhalfedgetoedgebothways,unfoldingaftereach.Rotate45degrees.

3Usethemountainandvalleycreasestocollapsethepaperwithallfourcornersmeetingatthebottom.

4Pullthetoplayerupandmoveittotheright,diagonallyfoldinglayer“A”inhalf.

5Valley-foldthetopedgetoalignwiththecreasebelow.

6Squash-fold.Lookaheadforthealignment.

7Squash-foldthetopmosttriangularflap.

8Mountain-foldthesquarecornerofthetoplayerinside.

9Valley-foldthetoplayerinhalf,righttotheleft.

10Valley-fold the top left edge to alignwith the vertical center.Valley-foldtheoutertopedgetotheverticalcenter.Unfold.

11 Valley-fold the bottom corner of the top left flap to the left,formingonelobeofthetailfin.Inside-reverse-foldthetoplayersontheright.

12Valley-fold the center flapover. Repeat steps 9 through12ontheleft.

13Valley-foldthetailflapup.

14Mountain-foldtheindicatedcornersbehind.

15 Valley-fold the bottom left flap up, making it touch thehighlightedcrease.Lookaheadtostep16fortheangle.

16Mountain-fold thebottomcornerof the triangular flapbehind.Rotate90degreescounterclockwise.

17 Valley-fold the top right flap to the left, making the bottomedge intersect the top front cornerof thebody,whileguiding thebottomofthefoldtothefrontedgeofthepectoralfin,markedherewithan“X”arrowhead.

18Valley-foldaportionofthetriangularflapdownandforwardoftheleading,foldededge.Lookaheadfortheproportionandangle.

19Mountain-foldtheexcessofthetriangularflapbehind.

20Rotate90degreesclockwise,andturnover,lefttoright.

21(A)Mark thecenterbyvalley-foldingthebottomcorner to thetop,makingashortpinchmark.Unfold.(B)Valley-foldanewpinchmarkhalfwaybetween the firstpinchmarkand thebottomcorner.Unfold.(C)Valley-foldthebottomcornertothebottompinchmark.

22 Valley-fold the bottom left and right edges to meet at theverticalcenter.

23Mountain-foldthebottombehind,foldingatthelevelwherethevertical folded edges diverge. Valley-fold the square-cornered flapsout.

24Valley-andmountain-foldtheleftandrightflaps,formingdetailpleatsinthefins.

25Valley-foldtheoutsideedgeofeachfintoalignwithitsnearestfoldededge.

26Valley-foldtheobtusecornerofeachfinstraightintotouchthesamefoldededge.Rotateandturnover.

27Detailsforfoldingthemouthtofollow.

28Slidethetoplayerofthebottomhalfofthemouthforwardandsquash-fold.

29Slidethetoplayeroftophalfofthemouthforwardandsquash-fold.

30Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.

31Openandroundtheeye.Makegracefullycurvedmountain-folds,narrowingthesnout.

32YellowTangforMariko

F

Foley(orFOALie)thePonydesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:SERENDIPITYANDHAVINGFUN!

oley (namedafterthegreatHollywoodsound-effectspioneer,JackFoley)isatalentedpony.Althoughhehasonlythreelegs,

hecandosomethingthatfewotherorigamiponiescando:makehisownsoundeffects!Thischaracteristic isachievedwhenyoufold Foley from brightly-colored “origami papers.” This paper isgoodfodderforfoldersbecauseitismadefrominexpensivewoodpulp.Nowfoundinlargedepartmentandcraftsupplystores,itisthemodern-day descendent of the first commercially packagedfoldingpapersusedinKindergartens.Itisidealfordesigners:Itispre-cut perfectly square in handy sizes, and comes in a widevariety of colors and patterns. The majority of simple tointermediate origami designs work well when folded from thispaper simply because the designer probably used it whendesigningthemodel.

Make the soundof the clackinghooves of a gallopinghorse byrepeatedlymovingthelegstogetherandapart.

Puristsmaycomplainabout thismodelwithonlythreelegs, because of course, a real horse has four. Toparaphrasethe thoughtexpressedbyorigamiprofessorPaul Jackson, from his interview in Between the Folds,VanessaGould’s Peabody-Award-winning documentaryfilmaboutorigami, “Isanorigamihorsewith four legsreallybetterthanonewithonlythree?”Thatdepends:Ifthefour-leggedversiondoesn’tmakeagallopingsound,we’d rather fold a three-legged version that does! Wefondly remember origami designs of the 1960s, whenthree-legged renditions of quadrupeds were common.Therewassomething innocentanddelightfully fancifulaboutthosedesigns.

Takeways:SerendipityFoldingOne satisfying feature of this model is the clickingsoundthat“Foley”makesasthelegsareflexedbackand forth. This effect will be produced only whenFoleyisfoldedfromacrispsheetofpaper—notfromsofter papers, such as fine handmade long-fiberwashi. Iwould love tobeable to tellyouthat itwasforethought and great intelligence that led me todesign origami that produces a sound like a horse

trot,butitwasasimplecaseofserendipity.

When designing new origami, I take intoconsiderationmanyfactors:willthismodelbeforanexhibit,orjustforfun?;isitintendedforthebeginner,intermediateor for theadvancedstudent?; is it tobeanabstractionorhighlydetailed?;isittobepublishedin a book, taught in a classroom or posted to theInternet? Theweight of these factors dictates whichpaperstouseinmyfoldinginvestigations.Inthecaseof Foley, I thought that it would be best to use anythin, crisp paper, widely available to the hobbyist.That’s when it “clicked.” The cheap, crisp paperspontaneously produced the wonderful sound effectwhen Imoved the horse’s legs into the final stance.Brownwrappingpaperworksgreatforlargermodels.

1Usepaperthatiscoloredthatsameonbothsides.Valley-foldinhalfdiagonallybothways,unfoldingaftereach.Turnoverandrotate45degrees.

2Valley-foldinhalfedgetoedgebothways,unfoldingaftereach.Rotate45degrees.

3 Use the existing creases to collapse the paper, making all fourcornersmeetatposition“A.”

4Valley-foldcorners“C”and“A”down.

5Valley-foldtheindicatedtopflapsdown.

6(A)Foldthetriangular flaptotheback.(B)Bringthetriangularflapup.(C)Valley-foldinhalf,cornertocorner,andunfold.

7Alignthecrease,indicatedinred,withthetop,horizontaledge.Valley-foldtoflatten.

8Pulltheflapup.

9Opentheflap.Usethecreasesformedinstep7tocrimptheflapdown.Lookaheadfortheshape.

10Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Valley-foldtheindicatedshortedgetothehorizontalcrease.Repeatbehind.

11(A)Valley-foldalongtheleftsidefoldededge.Thenreversethisfoldtotheback,makingitflexible.(B)Valley-andreverse-foldalongtherightside,foldededge,makingitflexible.(C)Valley-foldashortcrease that bisects the right half of the bottom square corner.Reversethisfoldtomakeitflexible.

12Unfoldtheindicatedsmalltriangularflaps,frontandback.Pullthelargetriangularflapuptounfoldit.

13Movethetoplayersoftherighthalftotheleft,liketurningthepageofabook.

14Yourpapershoulddisplaythesymmetricalcreasepatternshownhere in blue. (A & B) Valley-fold and unfold to install these fourconnectingcreases.(C)Valley-foldthetop layerof the leftsidetotheright.

15Movethetoplayersofthelefthalftotheright,liketurningthepageofabook.

16Valley-fold the top corner to thebottom.Return the corner tothetop.

17Valley-foldandunfoldtobisecttheleftandrighthalvesofthetopsquarecorner.

18(A)UsetheexistingcreasestoformaRabbitEar,centercornerpointingup.(B)FormaRabbitEar,centerpointup.Lookaheadatstep19fortheshape.

19UnfoldbothRabbitEars.

20 Valley-mountain-valley-fold (radial fan pleat) the squarediamond, moving the paper to the left side to collapse the form.Lookaheadfortheshape.

21 (A) Inside-reverse-fold the top left layers to narrow the point.Repeatbehind.(B)Reinstallthecrimpforthetoprightflap.

22Yourpaper should look like this. (A)Crimpthe lefthalfof thepaper.(B)Inside-reverse-foldtheindicatedflaps,frontandback.

23(A)Pullout.(B)Valley-foldtheindictedflapup.Repeatbehind.

24 (A) Inside-reverse-fold for the tail. (B)Mountain-foldanarrowportionofthehorizontalleftedgedownward.Repeatbehind.

25 (A)Pull the tail flapup. (B)Reinstall crimpwhilepushing thehorizontalfoldededgesdownandinsidethemodel.

26Detailoftheheadtofollow.

27Outside-reverse-foldthelong,centerpointtoformthehead.

28Pulloutthetwohiddenlayers.

29 Valley-fold the revealed layers up on each side of the head,slidingpapertotheright.

30Mountain-foldtheindicatedflap.Repeatbehind.

31Inside-reverse-foldasmallportionoftheheadpoint.Lookaheadfortheshapeandproportion.

32Valley-fold and tuck the point up inside the head to form themuzzle.

33Thecompletedhead.

34Rotatetolevel.

35(X-RayView)Valley-foldthebottomedgeofthetail insidethemodel.

36Thetailisnownarrowed.Repeatwiththeotherbottomedge.

37Usetheexistingcreasestomovethelegstogetherandtopushthebottomcenterpaperupinsidethebelly.

38Sharpenthefolds.Movethelegstoanormalstance.

39Foley(orFOALie)thePony

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TheHappyGood-LuckBatdesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:UNDERSTANDHOWTHEPAPER’SGRAINIMPACTSFOLDPLACEMENTDURINGWETFOLDING

hecommercialartpaper thatwerecommendfor thismodelis readily available in a wide variety of colors. It is

inexpensive,andfuntofold,but italsohasapronouncedgrain.Thisisneitherbadnorgood,butdobemindfulofitwhenyouarewetfoldingany“grainy”typeofpaper.Grainisacharacteristicofallmachine-madepapers,andofmanyhandmadepapers.Ifyouthink of fiber strands and their component cellulose fibrils asanalogous to cooked spaghetti in a pot, and then imagine thepaper making screen as the fork-like device that grabs at thespaghetti to pull it out of the water, it may be easier tounderstandhowfiberswill“lineup”sidebysideonthescreenasit ispulledoutofthepaper-makingvat.Thisalignmentorgrainwouldnotmatter,butforthefactthatthecellulosefiber’swidthincreases more dramatically than the length whenever themoisture content increases. Imagine how an emaciated cactusswells after a rainfall. Paperwith grain is like a row of saguarocactuses standing side-by-side. Add water, and none get taller,buttheyallgetwider.

Because we wet fold our sculptural pieces, water is beingevaporated throughout the folding process, causing the fiberwidthstochange,andsowatermustbeaddedperiodically.Whenthismodeliswetfolded,itwillmakeabigdifferencewhetheryouplacethefoldsbymatchinglandmarkpoints(asbeginnersoftendo), or by bisecting angles (which produces sharp points at thevertices). If the paper is cut when dry (as is recommended) tryfolding the first few steps after wetting, and you will soon seethat the trianglehas grown in onedimensionmore than in the

other. This model will help you think differently about wetfolding,makingyoulesslikelytouseonesideofthemodelasaplacementtemplatewheneveryouareusingmoistened, thicker,machine-made,highlygrainedpapers.Itwillhelpyouplanaheadinthefuturewhenlocatingpointsandhandlingflaps.

Takeaways:TheStyle’stheThingItispossiblethatbeginningpaperfoldersrarelythinkmuchaboutthewaythatorigami,asotherartforms,has a variety of distinct styles. When you have

explored a subject by approaching it in severaldifferent styles, you might be surprised what youlearn when you compare how the results differ. Anartist’schoiceofstylegreatlyaffectsthespiritofeachpieceasperceivedbytheviewer.

Consider this simple bat folded in the style of thetraditional, Japanese origami crane, displaying onlyflatplanesandstraightedges.Tryfoldingoneofthesebatsthatwaytocomparethevisualimpact.Whichdoyouprefer? Forme, the geometricallyplanar versionlooks rather severe compared to the more lyrical,puffed-up,round-chested,jovialbat,whichappearstodelightinitsflight!

1 Cut a square of suitable paper diagonally in half. Each right-isoscelestrianglemakesonebat.Usingamoistenedclothorpapertowel,swipethebackofatriangle.

Notice how the paper curls as moisture makes only the wet sideswell.

Repeatthemoisteningsteponthereverseside.

Ina fewmoments, thepaperwill softenuniformly, and feel likeapieceofcoolleather.

2Valley-fold the two bottom acute corners to the top right-anglecorner.

Notice how the length of one flap is longer. Thatmeans that thegrainrunsperpendiculartothelengthoftheflap!Don’tworry.Whenthepaperdries,allwillbewell.Unfold.

3Valley-foldthetwobottomacutecornerstomeetatthemiddleofthebottomedge.

4(A)Valley-fold the topcornerdown.Besure that the foldspansbetween the two corners indicated by the “X” arrowheads. Unfold.(B)Turnover,lefttoright.

5Valley-foldtherighthalfofthebottomedgetoalignwiththe45degree-angledcreaseontheleft.

6Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Unfold.

7Valley-foldthe lefthalfofthebottomedgetoalignwiththe45degree-angledcreaseontheright.Unfold.

8Valley-fold the leftand rightverticaledges toalignwith the45degree-angledcreases.Allowthehiddentriangularflapstocometothefront.

9Valley-fold the leftand rightverticaledges toalignwith the45degree-angledfoldededges.

10Valley-foldthetopmosttriangularflapsinhalf,longestedgetothesecondlongestedge.

11Turnover,lefttoright.

12 Use the 45 degree-angled creases to valley-fold the topmostflapsinward.

13Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Inside-reverse-foldeachofthefourdouble-layeredcorners.

14Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Openthewings.

15 Use the existing crease to valley-fold the top triangular flapdown.

16 Valley-fold the triangular flap up. The correct amount can bedeterminedbyplacingtheendsof the indicatedcreases(reddots)uponthetopfoldededge.

17Valley-foldthetopcornerdown,justabitbelowthelevelattheblack line, which represents the level of the hidden folded edge,behind.

18Valley-foldthecornerupatthelevelofthehiddenfoldededge.Fold corner down to touch the middle of the folded edge, below.Mountain-foldtheindicatededgesunderasfaraspossible.

19Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.

20Usethepleatsinthewingstocloseandflattenthemodel.

21Mountain-foldalongtheedgesofthewings,fromtheiroutwardcorners down to the creases on the body. Move these mountain-foldededgesofthewingsuptothetopcornersofthehead,valley-foldingbetweentomakethebodyplump.

22Openthewings,slightly.

23Mountain-foldalongthecutedgesofthetoplayerofpaperonthehead,stoppingatthemouthcorners.Foldthetopcornersoftheheadovereachotherandraisethemstraightupfortheears.

24Twisttheearstofaceforward.

Openthemouth—youmayusethepointofaskewerorpentodothis.Becreativeandformthebat’sexpressionwiththesefolds.

25Detailofthehead.

Curlthethumbsinward.

26Openthewingswide.

27 Make graceful curves in the outer edges and the scallopedunderlineofthewings.

28TheHappyGood-luckBat

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TheAlexanderAztecSwallowtailButterfly

designedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:WET-FOLDINGWITHDUOPAPERS

iger swallowtail butterflies were always my favorite, andwhen Michael began to explore variations of his origami

butterflydesignsystem,Iwasparticularlytakenbythebeautyofa version that he later dubbed the “Alexander Swallowtail.” Atabout thesametime, Ihadbeen teachingmy fancyvariationofthethree-piece,six-facetboxbyMollyKahn,andIfoundthatbyfan-foldingtheinnerflaptotheoutside,mystudentshadamucheasier time assembling the three pieces. I named it the “FiestaBox” because the resulting triangular spots remindedme of somanypopulardecorationssouthoftheborder.Itdidn’ttakelongfor Michael to adopt fan-folded, triangular spots to grace thewingsofhisorigamibutterflies.Wehappened tobeworkingonupdating our video butterfly lessons, and this version, sportingmyfavoriteswallowtailwingtreatment,wasrealized.AswithmyFiesta Box, this butterfly looks great when folded from thickerJapaneseduo-colorfoil.Ifyouusefancypapersinstead,itisbesttowetfoldapastedduo-colorlaminate.

• Back coating is an essential technique that separates the moreserious origami artists from the casual folders. Back coating doesmuch more than make thicker paper, or make paper that has adifferentdesiredcoloroneachside.Itcandobothofthosethings,butitalsoallowstheartisttocreateamuchstrongerlaminatethatincludesanimportantlayerofinternalsizebetweenthetwosheets.Thismethylcellulosegel is an archival,water-soluble adhesive thatlubricatesthe fibersandallowsthe layerstoslide imperceptiblyas

the model is folded and shaped. It sets when dry to retain thedesired pose or position. Back coating fine papers withmethylcellulose provides exceptional strength during complexfolding, allows more artful shaping possibilities, and produces amoredurablefinalproduct.

• It is easier to back coat the two different papers if one isslightlylargerthantheother.Mostlaminatesdryproperlywhenatleasta¾”marginabouttheperimetercanbepastedontothedryingboard.(Thismeansthatyoushouldtrimonepiecetobe1½”shorterineachdimension.)•After trimming, use a spray bottle and a brush to addmoistureevenlytobothsidesofeachsheetthatyouwillbelaminating.Addmethylcellulosetothelargestsheetonly.Brushtheadhesivealongone diagonal, and then from the center to each of the remainingcorners.Workingtheadhesivewiththebrushfromthecentertotheedges allows the paper to “grow” as the cellulose fibers swell andrelax with the addition of the moisture and adhesive. Moremethylcellulosewill requiremore drying time. An uneven coatwilldry unevenly and pucker, so work the layer long enough with thebrushtoensureanevencoating.Ifthegelisadjustedtotheproperconsistency, itwill relax on the surface and look glossy and even.Too thin, and it will disappear into the fibers. Too thick, and the

blobswon’tspreadoutandlevelintoaglossyglaze.

• Add the second moistened sheet, centered on top of theapplied gel. You might want to have somebody help you byholding two of the corners. Lower one end first, and gentlyadhere the loweredsheetonto thewetadhesive.Usingawide,drybrush,workanytrappedairbubblestotheedgeswheretheycanbereleased.

•Teara¾”x1½”“tongue”(orgate)ofscrappaper to layacrossthegooeyperimeter.Thiswillpreventthepaperfromstickingtothebacker(dryingsurface)atthatonespot,whereaknifecanlaterbeinserted to release the pasted perimeter from the backer. Transferthewetlaminatebyflippingitontothebackingsurface.Allowthepapertodry.Asmoistureleaves,thesheetswillshrinkandtighten.

•When dry, release the paper from the backer by inserting aknifeatthe“tongue”(orgate).Trimsquaresforyourproject!

1Beginwith the “wrong” side up. (A) Valley-fold in half, bottomedge to top edge. Unfold. (B) Valley-fold the bottom edge to thecentercrease,makingonlyashortpinchmarkattherightedgeofthe paper. Unfold. (C) Valley-fold the bottom edge to the bottompinchmark,makinganewpinchmark.Unfold.

2Laythebottompinchmarkupontheoneabovetovalley-foldthe

distancebetweentheminhalf.

3Valley-foldeachofthetwofreecornersofthebottomflaptoaligntheirshortedgeswiththebottomedge.

4Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Turnover,toptobottom.

5 Valley-fold the bottom edge to the crease,making only a shortpinchmarkattherightedgeofthepaper.Unfold.

6 Valley-fold the bottom edge to the pinchmark, folding the fulllengthofthepaper.Unfold.

7Valley-fold the bottom corners up, aligning their short edges tothecrease.

8 (A)Valley-fold thebottom flapup.Rotate thepaper 90degreesclockwise.

9Valley-foldinhalf,bottomshortedgetotopshortedge.

10Squash-foldthesmallerrighthalfofthemodel.

11Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Turnoverfromlefttoright.

12Pullouttheflapsmarked“a”and“b”andvalley-foldtoflatten.

13Squash-fold.

14Valley-foldthebottomcornertothetopofthesplit.Unfold.

15 Squash-fold the top left and right quadrants, hinging at thehorizontalcentercrease.Lookaheadfortheresult.

16Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Thisisoneofmymanyorigamibutterflysystembasic forms.Hundredsofnew“species”oforigamibutterfliescanbedevelopedfromthesebases.Let’sgoontorefinetheforewingsandhindwingsfortheAlexanderAztecSwallowtail.

17 Valley-and mountain-fold the lower edge of the hindwings,formingfanpleats.

18Unfoldthepleats.

19Pullupthetoplayerofthehindwingsandmountain-andvalley-foldalongthecreasestocollapsethefan.

20Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.

21 Sharply mountain-fold the horizontal center crease, indicatedherewithan“X”arrowhead,andmoveitdownward,pullingthetopedgeof the forewingdownwith it.Valley-foldunder themountainfoldandatthetopofthewingtoflattentheshape.Lookaheadatthenextdrawingfortheresult.

22Valley-foldthesquare-corneredflapsovertheforewings,aligningthetopedgeoftheflapswiththeirassociatedcrease.

23Valley-andmountain-foldthe remnantof the flapsthatoverlapthetopmostlayersoftheforewings,makingatwo-coloredborderoftriangles. Inside-reverse-fold the indicated corners at the outsidebaseoftheforewings.

24Theforewingsshouldlooklikethis.

25 (A) Mountain-fold the indicated vertical edges behind the toplayerofeachhindwing.(B)Mountain-foldthebutterflyinhalf,wingtowing.

26 Valley-fold the left edge at an angle, pivoting at the top leftcornerandmakingthebottomcornertouchthetrailingedgeofthetophindwing.Allowthefullwingatthebacktoswingintoviewontheleft.

27 (A) Form the head: Squash-fold the center rib flat, thenmountain-fold the flattened flap behind. (B) Gently fold thebutterflyinhalf,wingtowing,beingcarefulnottopresstoofirmlyatthehead,lestittear.

28Adjusttheheadangletopreventthepaperfromsplitting:Pushthe indicated folded edges, front and back, down simultaneously,making the bottom edge of the head jut out slightly. Valley-fold

firmlytoflattenthenewlyformededges.

29 Taper the underside of the abdomen by mountain-folding theshort,hindedgesinsidethemodel.

30Valley-foldeachwingdown,foldingbetweenthepointsmarkedwith“X”arrowheads,spanningfromthetopoftheheadtothewing-lockingpointneartheabdomen.

31Open and set thewings, as shown.Hindwing folding detail tofollow.

32 (A) Mountain-fold the indicated edge behind, narrowing thepoint. (B) Inside-reverse-fold the bottom edge of the upper layer.(C) Mountain-fold the point in half and give the point a gentle,outwardlysweepingcurve.

33TheAlexanderAztecSwallowtailButterfly

Takeaways:MetamorphosisinOrigamiMichaelisfondofcallingorigamia“metamorphicartform.” A sheet of paper is transformed, only byfolding,intoasculpturalpiecewithenhancedbeautyormeaning.Withitspaperywingsandmetamorphiclife cycle, what better subject could there be torepresent origami than the butterfly? This example,the Alexander Aztec Swallowtail, is only one ofhundreds of origami butterfly designs that Michaelhascreated,andtheyareallbaseduponahandfuloffolding routines that constitute Michael’s creativeorigami butterfly designing efforts. These foldingroutinesmaybemixedandmatchedinthousandsofways to produce new “species” of butterflies. Since1992, I have helped him explain and share hisorigami butterfly design system in several videos,booksandkits, and I consider it hismost important“gift” to theworldoforigamibecauseMichael’sbaseis fun, simple and quick, yet it allows stunninglycreative variation. In that way, it reminds me ofSenbazuru, the first published “system” of creating“thousands” of interesting variations of Japaneseorigamicranes.I(RichardAlexander),amparticularlyproud that Michael named this variation of hisorigamibutterflyforme.

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TheWeddingOrchiddesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:MULTI-PIECEFOLDINGANDTRANSPORTATION

ichael was encouraged by the popular response to hisorigami butterfly design system. He wanted to follow up

withasimilarapproachtofoldingavarietyoforchidsthatwouldbe manageable to the average folder. While he has designedsingle square orchid blossoms, their huge variation andcomplexity seemed better served by a multi-piece approach.Compoundorigamimodelsallowedhimtocreatedifferenttypesof orchid blossoms with interlocking (and interchangeable)components. While he was working on these designs he wasasked to recommend an origami orchid design that could befolded by a recently engaged couple for their upcoming specialday. The result: The Wedding Orchid! It is a three-piececonstruction, an example of multi-piece or compound origami.(Although it is quite possible to design a complex origamiflowering plant that is folded from a single, uncut square, theprocessoftenrequiresacostlycompromiseinelegance.)

Inthiscase,eachsquarecontributesonesepalandonepetal.Foldtwo2½”squaresofbackcoatedpaper,asamirrorimagesetofthesamedesign.Athirdsquareprovidesthestrikingsplashofcolor at the center (folded from another 2½” square of “duo”paper).Thethirdsquareisfoldedquitedifferently,whichenablesittolockintothecomponentsoneachside.

Takeaways:TheConcertBecause compound origami uses multiple sheets,each folded to participate as one part of the wholecomposition,nootherstyleoforigamiremindsmeasmuch of the orchestra: each component individuallyaccomplished, yet each may be a frustratingly

unintelligible fraction until it is united uponperformance inconcertwithothers.Eachpiecemustbefoldedpreciselyforagoodfit.Manyviewerswon’tevenrealizethatthereareindividualparts.

1Let’sfirst learnhowtofoldthePetal/SepalUnit.Beginwiththe“wrong” side up if using paper colored differently on each side.Valley-foldinhalfdiagonally,bottomcornertotop.Unfold.

2Turnover,bottomtotop.

3Valley-foldthebottomleftedgetothehorizontalcrease.

4Turnover,bottomtotop.

5Valley-foldthebottomleftedgetothetopfoldededge.

6Valley-fold aportionof the right sideup.Be sure tomake your

foldintersectthetopcorner,markedherewiththe“X”arrow.Lookaheadatthenextdiagramfortheshape.

7Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Noticethattheverticalcreaseisset 90 degrees to the bottomhorizontal right side edge. Youmayexperimentwithotherangles.Turnover,toptobottom.

8 Valley-fold each of the two indicated corners in to touch theindicatededgesofpaper.Youmayexperimentwithvaryingamountsandangles.

9Valley-foldandunfoldalongtheindicatedpath.

10Turnover,bottomtotop.

11Openthesepalbyvalley-foldingthebottomflapup.Lookaheadatthenextdiagramfortheshape.

12ThecompletedPetal/SepalUnit.Rotatetoviewthepetalattopleftandthesepalatbottomleft.

13HerearetwoPetal/SepalUnits:oneLeftandoneRight.YouwillneedtwoPetal/SepalUnits.Youmustfoldtheotherunitinreverse!Notice the tab and hinge line on each unit. You will use thesestructurestoattachtheunitstothecentral,Sepal/LipUnit.

14Let’snow learnhowto foldtheSepal/LipUnit.Beginwiththe“wrong”sideupifusingpapercoloreddifferentlyoneachside.(A)Valley-fold the top edge in half. Unfold. (B) Valley-fold in halfdiagonally,bottomrightcornertotopleft.Unfold.

15Valley-foldthebottomrightcorneruptotouchthetopcrease,whilemakingsurethefoldbeingformedintersectsthebottomleftcorner.

16 Valley-fold the left edge to align with the only folded edge.Rotate45degreescounterclockwise.

17Valley-foldinhalf,bottomcornertotop.Unfold.

18Unfoldthepapercompletely.

19Thecreasepatterninyourpapershouldlooklikethis.Valley-foldthe bottom left and right edges to align with their nearest radialcrease.

20Usetheexistingcreasestovalley-foldtheleftandrightfoldededgestotheverticalcenter.

21Valley-foldthefreecornersoftheleftandrighttriangularflapsout.Usethe indicatedcornersandcrease,markedwith“X”arrows,toobtainthecorrectshapeandsizeforeach.

22 Your paper should look like this. Mountain-fold in halflengthwise.

23Inside-reverse-foldthetoptriangularflap.

24 Note the alignments for the previous step. Inside-reverse-foldthelongedgeofthetriangularflap.

25 (A) Inside-reverse-fold a portion of the long edge, making apoint of it intersectwith the corner indicatedwith the “X” arrow.(B)Movetheindicatedflapsup.

26Outside-reverse-foldthelongpointtoformthesepal.

27Viewingfromthetop,openthesepalandlipslightly.

28Noticetheparts:SepalandLipPetal.Therearetwopockets intheSepal.YouwillattachthePetal/SepalUnitshere.Asideviewisnext.

29NoticetheindicatedouteredgeforaligningaPetal/SepalUnit,anditsassociatedpocket.Thereisanothersetontheotherside.

30 Assembly: First, align the hinge of a Petal/Sepal Unit, thenmountain-foldthecornerofthetabintothepocket.

31OnePetal/SepalUnitattached.Turntotheotherside.

32AttachtheotherPetal/Sepalunit.

33Pushdownatthecenterandvalley-foldthecentersepaltosettheshapeandfurthersecurethePetal/SepalUnits.Rotatetoview.

34TheWeddingOrchid

Here are three crease patterns, representing the left, center, andrightunitsoftheWeddingOrchid,respectively.

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EnoughofthisCat!designedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:CHOOSINGPROPORTIONS,IMPACTSOFVARIATION

his rascal is fun to fold and to pose in different ways, toexplore a wide range of attitudes. Michael prefers the

countenance of the abstract seated cat, to that of so manystandingfour-leggedcounterparts.Thisétudeisdesignedtohaveyou explore different ways to convey your cat’s mood orpersonality with subtle folds: tweaking the ears, adjusting itsposture,andexploringthevarietyofexpressiononitsface.Theseallworktogethertoconveyacat’smood.Acatalsousesitstailtoexpressemotions,sohavesomefunwithexperimentation.Yourchoices will determine if it appears relaxed and friendly, orthreatening. (Itmaybetheonlycattoeverobeyyou!)Foldedasdiagrammed makes an adult cat. What proportions could youchangetoproduceakitten?It’smoreinvolvedthanjustselectingasmallersquare—italsohastodowiththelineoftheback,theproportion of the head to the body, and other factors. A crimpplacedbetween thebackof theneckand thearmchangesboththeattitudeand theproportionof thehead to thebody.This isjustonewaytomakeyourcatappearyounger.

Alsotrydifferenttexturesofpaperstomatchthismodeltoyourvision. Some cats are slender and sleek.Others aren’t:MyAuntKatie had a monster cat named Smokey, who terrorized andattacked any visitors. For Smokey, I would fold a big square ofrough-surfaced,grayartpaper(perhapsroughingitupevenmorewithakitchenscrubber).MyfavoritecatwasZeek,ahalf-Siamesevocalcompanion,sobesuretogivehimanopenmouth,becauseZeeklovedtospeak!

Takeaways: Don’t Smash a Square Peg into aRoundHoleOrigami canbe auseful answer to a problem,but itshouldn’t be expected to solve every problem. Wewould loveeverybody tounderstandorigamienoughto find it interesting, entertaining and enjoyable. Alittle knowledge helps us appreciate what goes intodesigningandfoldingapieceoforigamiart.Here’sadesignthatwillpermityoutoshapethepegtofitthehole.

This lesson is about taking charge of artisticdecisions,suchasselectingthedegreeofcomplexity,andcontrollingthesubject’spoisethroughjudicious,subjective folds that dictate critical ratios andproportions. Michael’s simple, yet versatile origamicatbasecanbequicklyfoldedtograceagreetingcard,or itmay be further developed in a host ofways tocommunicate a wide variety of felines of different

agesanddemeanors.

Thename,“EnoughofthisCat!”,impliestheutilityofthisorigamicatdesign,whichwebelievewillprovide“justenoughcat”tobeusefulinmanywaysduetoitsadaptability. Our video shows several jumping-off-points, fromsimple andquick, to advanced versionsthat incorporate added detail, color changes, anddifferentpostures.We letyoudecide justhowmuchcatmeetsyourneeds.

1Beginwith thepaper right sideup,diamond-wise, andwith thegrainrunningparalleltothetopleftedge.(A)Valley-folddiagonallyinhalf.Unfold. (B) Turnover, left to right. (C) Rotate 90degreesclockwise.

2 (A)Valley-folddiagonally inhalf.Unfold. (B)Rotate90degreesclockwise.

3Checktoseethatthehorizontalandverticalcreasesaremountainandvalleyrespectively,andthatthegrainisrunningparalleltothetoprightedge.

4 Valley-fold the bottom right edge to align with the horizontalcrease. Stop the fold at the vertical center crease.Here, you havethe chance to employ both hands and focus your attention oncoaxingthepapertoafinepointattherightcorner.

5Mountain-foldthecentersquarecornerinhalfandpivotittotheright.Valley-fold thebottom leftedgetoalignwiththehorizontalcrease.Here,yourhandshavemultipletasks.Nevertheless,youwillnoticehoweasilythissetoffoldstakesshape.Thisisnoaccident!Yourcarefulpreparationoforientingthevalleycreasevertically,and

thegrainparalleltothebottomleftedge,combinetoconditionthepapertoeasilyacceptthisotherwisetrickymaneuver.

6Rotatethepaper180degrees.

7Repeatsteps4and5onthebottomhalfofthepaper.

8Valley-foldthebottomflaptotheleft.

9Valley-foldthelongestedgeoftheflaptoalignwiththeverticalcrease.

10(A)Valley-foldthelongestedgeofthetopflaptoalignwiththevertical folded edge of the bottom flap. (B) Valley-fold the leftcornertotheobtusecornerofthefoldedflaps.

11 Unfold the top and bottom flaps to make them point to theright.

12Noticeandrememberthepositionoftheleft-sidetriangularflap.Turnthepaperover,bottomtotop.

13(A)Valley-foldandunfoldalongthetopandbottomoutlinesofthe hidden, left-side triangular flap. (B) Unfold the hiddentriangularflapoutandtotheleft.

14Usetheindicatedmountainandvalleycreasestoinside-reverse-fold the left corner upward, valley-folding the paper in halflengthwise.

15Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.(A)Valley-foldthetoplayeroftheleftendofthepaperupwardandtotheright.(B)Valley-foldthelongestedgeofthetriangularflaptoalignwiththeverticalcentercrease.Repeatontheflapbehind.Thesewillbecomethecat’sfrontlegs.(C)Rotatethepaper45degreesclockwise.

16 Open the top layers of the rhombus form and move the topcorner to the bottom, folding the area in half and forming apentagon. This area will become the head. Folding details for theheadfollow.

17Valley-foldthebottomcornerofthepentagonuptothemiddle

ofthetopedge.

18 Valley-fold down about one-third of the top corner of thetriangularflap.

19 Valley-fold up about one-third of the square corner of thetopmost triangular flap. Inside-reverse-fold the sides of the head.Lookatthenextdrawingfortheshape

20Valley-foldthesquarecornerofthetopmosttriangularflapdownfor a nose. Inside-reverse-fold the left and right flaps behind thetriangular-shapedlayeroftheneck.Mountain-foldtheleftandrightcornersoftheheadtoformthechin.

21Mountain-andvalley-foldthetop leftandrightcornerstoformtheearsandtoroundthetopofthehead.

22Thecompletedcat’shead.

23Valley-foldthebottomright-sidecornerup,foldingatthelevelofthebottomedgeofthecat’sfrontlegs,topreparethepaperforatail.

24Valley-foldthecat’slegsover.Unfoldthetailflap.

25Valley-foldtheobtusecornerofthecat’slegflaptothebottomendofthehingecrease.Repeatbehind.Inside-reverse-foldthetailtopointup.

26 Valley-fold the cat’s legs down. Valley-fold the long, outsideedgeofthetailtonearlyalignwiththetail’sspineline.Noticetheindication to stop the fold short of the tip. Repeat on the otherside.Unfold.

27Inside-reverse-foldthefrontandbackflapsonthetail.

28Atthispoint,youmaybesatisfiedandhavehadenoughofthiscat.Ifnot,turnover,lefttorighttolearnhowtochangetheshapeofandtolockthebackclosed.

29Valley-foldthecornerofthetopmostlayerdown.Makethefoldspanthebaseofthetailuptotheneckjoint.Unfold.

30 Push the corner inside, sinking the triangular flap to form apocket.

31Valley-foldtheexposedcornertightlyinsidethepocket,closingtheback.

32Turnover.

33Gentlycurvethetail.

34YoumaybesatisfiedwithEnoughofthisCat.Ifthisisnotquiteenoughofthiscatforyou,followalongtoaddapairofhindfeet,andsomecolor-changepaws!

35 Follow this alternate plan, beginningwith step 23.Unfold thefrontandbacktriangularflaps.

36Openthetriangularflapfromthebottomedgesandsquash-foldtoformakiteshape.Repeatbehind.

37 Valley-, mountain-and valley-fold the base of the tail flap,makingthe firstvalley foldat the levelof thebottomedgeof thekite. Look ahead at the next drawing for the proportions of thesefolds. Are they of a reasonable size, relative to the length of thehindfeetandthelengthofthetail?

38 Valley-fold a small portion of the square corner of the kite.Repeatbehind.Unfoldthetailflap.

39Pullthekiteflapdownwardandmountain-foldthetop layer inhalf.Repeatbehind.Lookaheadfortheshapeoftheseflaps.

40Valley-foldthelongedgeoftheflaptothecreaseline,formingthe front legpaper, then repeat steps24 through26 to refine thefrontlegs.

41Thefrontlegsshouldlooklikethis.Tailfoldingdetailsfollow.

42Openthecenterateachendofthevalley-mountain-valleycreaseset. Crimp to flatten the set, forming a parallel set of new flaps.Lookaheadatthenextdrawingfortheconfiguration.

43 Your paper should look like this. Fold the bottom half of thecrimpedflapuponthebackside.

44Inside-reverse-foldthetailflapup.

45 Inside-reverse-fold theouter edgesof the tail and thebackofthehindfeet.

46Youmayhavehadenoughof this catbynowand so youmaystophere. Should youwish to continue, youmaymovedirectly tostep48fromheretomakeakittenbychangingproportionsoftheneck.Or,youmayrepeatsteps29through32tochangetheshapeof and to lock the back. If you do, you should be careful to firstnoticethe“X”arrowheadinthisdrawing,whichindicatesthelimitforthebottomendofthefoldfortheback.

47Here is the lockedbackversion.Gentlycurvethetail ifyousodesire.

48Makeakittenstyleversionusingpaper foldedthroughstep46andwithout locking theback. It is all aboutproportions:Your catcan lookyoungerby shortening the lengthof theupperback (justbelowtheneck),makingtheheadrelativelylargerforthebodysize.Valley-foldandmountain-foldasetofprecreasestoenableacrimptoshortenthesectionofthecat’sbackclosesttotheneck.

49Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Pullthepleatsopen.

50Usingtheprecreasesthatyoujustmade,crimpthemodelinsidetoshortenthelengthoftheneckandtheback.

51Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Turnoverlefttoright.

52Valley-foldthetoplayersdownatthetoptotheback,fromthehead,tothe“X”arrow.Unfold.

53Let’stakeacloserlookattheback.

54 Inside-reverse-fold the indicated corner, pivotingat the creaseline formed in step 52, indicated by the “X” arrow. Repeat behind(andbythesameamount).

55Mountain-foldtheindicatedflapinside.

56 Sink the flap (form a pocket), using the indicated crease linefromstep52.

57Valley-foldtheindicatedflapinsidetheback-neckarea.

58Foldandtucktheindicatedflapintotheopenpocketformedbythesinkinstep56,lockingtheback.

59Theflapislocked.Turnthemodelover,lefttoright.

60Bynow,youmusthavefoldedEnoughofthisCat!

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TheLeatherbackSeaTurtledesignedbyMichaelG.LaFosse

LESSON:PRE-PAINTINGANDWETFOLDING90-POUNDCOTTONWATERCOLORPAPER

hesemassiveturtles’elongated,ridged,teardrop-shapedshellprovides an exciting form to approximate in folded paper.

Smoothandroundedturtlesrequirebigcompromisesfororigamiartists,butthisspeciessportsstructurallyreinforcingribsthatarehighly satisfying because they are so doable with folding. AsSCUBAdivers,we lovetocatchaglimpseofanyseaturtles,butwemustadmitthatwewouldbebothhighlyexcitedandatleasta little bit frightened if we came across a huge, ten-foot longleather-back sea turtle. We prefer to fold this model from 90-pound (fairly lightweight)commercial,coldpress90%cottonragwatercolorpaper,andthischoiceworkswellforsuchastructuralmodel.Watercolorpaper containsanadditive similar to gelatin,whichmakesthepaperstiffwhenitisdry.Thishelpstocontrolthe migration of watercolor paints and pigments, and so wedecided to color the paper with a mottled blue pattern beforefolding the model. The additive is water-reversible and so thepaper foldsmore easilywhen it is slightlymoistened.Althoughthesepapersare relatively thick, the cotton fibersare still quitecompressible.

Whynotcoloryourwatercolorpapertoexactlytheappearanceyoudesire? It isnotdifficult, and it isquite fun! If youwantyourworktolast,remembertousethebestfineartist-qualitypigments, papers andmaterials that you can afford. For thisproject,usethetoolsinthephoto:spraybottle,brush,archivalinkandadish!

Here is a selection of tools and materials for painting thewatercolor paper. Paints may be mixed in a flat-bottomedglassorplasticpan.Thinwithwatertomakethepainteasytospread. Place protective materials under and around thewatercolor paper to prevent paint from getting onto surfacesthatyouneedtokeepclean.Repeattheprocessto“relax”thepaper.

Materials:• Acrylicpaints (BlueandBlack)pluswater formixingandthinning

•Paintmixingtray•Three-inch-wideacrylicpaintbrush•Spraybottlefilledwithwater•Wide,softbrushorclothforspreadingwateronpaper•Papertowels

• 80-or 90-pound weight rag content watercolor paper,trimmed to the largest possible square, approximately 22inches(56cm),fromthefull-sizesheet.

Spraywatergenerouslyover theentiresurfaceofonesideofthewatercolorpaper.

Useasoftdrybrushorclothtospreadthewaterevenlyacrossthepaper.

Applypaintwithawideacrylicpaintbrush,brushingparallelto a side of the square and in the samedirection, creating astreakygrain.

Workquickly tocoat theentiresheetso that theentiresheetwillbefreshlywet.

Fold a piece of paper towel into a pointed shape and touchrepeatedlyovertheareaofthefreshlypaintedsurfacetomakeapatternofsmallwhitespots.

Letthepaperdrycompletely.

Paint a border of color on the backside of the sheet. Let drycompletely.

There is a huge Leatherback Sea Turtle specimen, preservedandmountedat theentrance to theMuseumofComparativeZoology at Harvard University. The Boston Malacological(mollusk) Club meets monthly in the classroom near wherethis mounted creature has been proudly on display fordecades.ProfessorGeorgeBuckleysaysthatitwasoneofthelasthugeindividualseverseen.Eventherelativelytiny,2-foot“babies”seenoccasionally intheGulfofMainearequiteraresightings today.A fewof these join themore commongreenseaturtlesinstrandingsontheinnercurlofCapeCodalmostevery year, especially if bitter coldweather comes early andcatchesthemduringtheirmigrationbacktowarmersouthern

waters.

1Begin right sideup.Valley-fold inhalf edge toedgebothways,unfoldingaftereach.Turnoverandrotate45degrees.

2 Valley-fold in half diagonally both ways, unfolding after each.Rotate45degrees.

3Collapse the square into a layered triangular shape, open at thebottom.Notecarefullythepositionofthecornersandthelayering.

4Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.

5 Valley-fold the left (A) and right (B) corner flaps to overlap inequalthirds,withflapBontop.

6Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.ReturnflapBtothebottomright.

7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 on the other side. Be sure to organizecorners C and D correctly, then return the paper to the positionshowninstep8.

8Valley-foldthetopleftobtusecornertotouchtheverticalcentercrease, folding at an angle that will leave the top corner slightlyblunted.Noticewherethefoldstopsatthetop,markedbythe“X”arrowhead.Repeatbehind.

9Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Unfoldthefrontandbackflaps.

10Inside-reverse-foldthefrontandbackflaps.

11Valley-fold the top triangular flapof the rightside to the left.Repeatbehind.

12Usetheexistingvalleycreasestofoldthelargetriangularflapsover,oneinthefrontandtheotherintheback.

13 Valley-fold the top right obtuse corner to touch the verticalcenter crease, folding at an angle that will leave the top cornerslightlyblunted.Noticewherethefoldstopsatthetop,markedbythe“X”arrowhead.Unfold.Repeatbehind.

14Unfoldthefrontandbacktriangularflaps.

15Valley-foldtheleftedgeoftheleft-sidetriangularflaptoalignwiththeverticalrightedge.Repeatbehind.

16Movethetopendofthetriangularflaptotheleft,pivotingatthepointindicatedbythe“X”arrowhead,andsquash-fold,formingthefrontflippers.Repeatbehind.

17Wrapthetoplayeroftheflipperovertotheotherside.Repeatbehind.

18Mountain-foldthebottomedgeoftheflipperupandunderwhilevalley-foldingtheverticalrightedgeoftheassociatedlowerflaptotheleftedge.Repeatbehind.

19Move the top left half of the paper to the right and the backrighthalftotheleft.

20 Your paper should look like this. Valley-andmountain-fold thetopcorner,toprepareforfoldingtheheadandneck.

21Yourpapershouldlooklikethis.Unfold.

22Turnover,lefttoright.

23First,noticethepentagonally-shapedcreaseoutline,highlightedin red.Thisareawillbecomethedorsal shell.Lift the top layerofpaperupandtotheright,mountain-foldingitinhalf.Lookaheadtothenextdrawingfortheshape.

24(A)Installmountainandvalleycreasesonthedorsalsurfaceoftheshellthataredetailedinstep25.(B)Movethetoprightlayertotheleft,returningthedorsalshelltothecenter.

25Detailforstep24-A:Pinchtriplecreasesets—valley,mountain,valley—that span from the frontof thedorsal shell to theback.Youshouldinstallfivesets:oneatthetopcenterandtwoeach,on

thefrontandthebacksidesofthemodel.

26Move the top left half of the paper to the right and the backrighthalftotheleft.

27Usetheexistingvalleycreasestofoldthelargetriangularflapsover,oneinthefrontandtheotherintheback.

28 Valley-fold the top edge of the triangular flap to the bottomrightedge.Repeatbehind.

29Valley-fold the bottom right edgeof the triangular flap to thetopedge.Repeatbehind.

30Squash-foldthetopmosttriangularflaptoformthehindflipper.Repeatbehind.

31Usetheexistingcreasestovalley-foldthetoprightflaptotouchthe center crease. Repeat behind. Valley-fold the flipper along theverticalcenter,totheleft.Repeatbehind.

32Valley-foldtheindicatedcornerovertotouchtheverticalcenterline, making the fold stop at the overlapping layers of the hindflipper.Repeatbehind.

33Valley-foldtheoutercorneroftheflipperover,makingasinglefolded edge that spans from the top limit to the bottom corner.Repeatbehind.

34Movethetoprighthalfofthepapertotheleftandthebacklefthalftotheright.

35Crimp thehead into the shell. Reform the leadingedgeof theshellwithanM-shapedmountainfold.Pinchthetailendoftheshelltorabbit-earthepoint,makingitslender.

36Putyourthumbsontopoftheheadandyourindexfingersintothe sides; pull open the paper tomake the head rounded, uprightand three-dimensional. Gracefully mountain-fold the left and rightmargins of the dorsal shell to make them rounded. Mountain-andvalley-foldthehindflipperswithradiatingpleats.

37Turnover,lefttoright.

38Gracefullymountain-foldthemarginsofthehead,neckandtheplastron(ventralshell)tomakethemrounded.

39Turnover,lefttoright.

40TheLeatherbackSeaTurtle

AcknowledgmentsWewishtoacknowledgeAnneLaVinfor her generous contribution of her elegant origamisquirrel design. We thank our friends at the HonoluluMuseum of Art, Education Director, Aaron Padilla; andhandpapermaker/artist,AllisonRoscoe,whohelpedtomake our origami art contribution to the exhibit,“Less=More” at Spalding House such a grand success.The Kondo and Miyatake families contributed incountless ways and over many years. We must alsoacknowledge the inspiring works of the late AkiraYoshizawa,eachskillfullyinfusedwiththespiritandthelove of the artist through his talented hands. We alsoowe our gratitude to the late Lillian Oppenheimer, theGrandmotherofOrigamiintheUSA,whoseviewsaboutteaching still resonate with hundreds of others like uswhocontinuetoshareorigamiwithyoungstersofeveryage. We thank Elaine, Sidney and Donna Koretsky ofCarriage House Paper, for helping us gain command ofpapermakingfibersandpigmentsthroughtheirdecadesof research, publications, workshops and materials.Finally,wethankoursteadyandintrepideditoratTuttlePublishing, JonSteever, forperseveringwithus throughso many original origami and folded art publishingproductions.

Richard L. Alexander and Michael G. LaFosse, Origamido

Studio

PublishedbyTuttlePublishing,animprintofPeriplusEditions(HK)Ltd.

www.tuttlepublishing.com

Copyright©2016byMichaelG.LaFosseandRichardL.Alexander

These origami models may not be used for commercial purposes without writtenpermissionfromtheauthors.

All rights reserved. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced or utilized in anyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData

Names:LaFosse,MichaelG.,author.|Alexander,RichardL.,1953-author.Title:LaFosse&Alexander’sessentialbookoforigami:thecompleteguideforeveryone

/byMichaelG.LaFosseandRichardL.Alexander,Origamido,Inc.

Other titles: Essential book of origami | LaFosse and Alexander’s essential book oforigamiDescription:Tokyo;Rutland,Vermont:TuttlePublishing,[2016]Identifiers:LCCN2016006735|ISBN9784805312681(pbk.)Subjects:LCSH:Origami.Classification: LCC TT872.5 .L3325 2016 | DDC 736/.982--dc23 LC record available athttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016006735

ISBN978-4-80531268-1;ISBN978-1-4629-1887-4(ebook)

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