Origami And Folded Paper | Origami And Folded Paper Guide

Pure Origami:

You might have heard people mention (especially on forums and comments) about 'pure' origami and the like. Then stood and wondered what on earth it is?

Essentially, 'pure' origami refers to folding that requires:

Only a square sheet of paper be used No decoration be done post the completion of folding That no tape, glue, or scissors be used in the folding process.

So given the above criteria, not all origami models out there in the world today are considered 'pure' origami designs. Designs such as Neal Elias' 'The Last Waltz', Llopio's moment of truth', etc require rectangular pieces of paper whereas tessellations can also be made from pentagons and hexagons.

Pureland Origami:

Another type of kind referred to is 'pureland' origami. So, what kind of Origami is this? Pureland origami refers to those models, which conform to the restriction of using only mountain and valley folds (hence the reference to 'land' in the type of origami) in addition to pure origami rules. This would mean that since only 2 types of folds are required, the folding process cannot be complicated with sinks, folds and the like.

Origami tessellations:

These origami designs are made from different paper shapes such as Pentagons, Hexagons and squares and involve repeated patterns being folded all over the paper used. The inspiration for these patterns came from the artistic designs such as Islamic motifs, and art, which are commonly found. A new trend in these designs is to folds these patterns on cloth and can make pretty decorative items for your home or as a gift.

Strip folding:

The most famous design in strip folding is the 'lucky star'. I am sure most of you would have folded these at some time or the other. Other strip folding patterns also exist and one of the designers - Heinz Strobl is well-known for them. It consists of using strips of paper to make various modular designs such as spherical globes etc. the lucky star makes use of just one strip of paper which is wound round and round to form the star and then puffed up from the sides. Whereas, Heinz Strobl's works mostly consists for multiple paper strips that are folded (and color coordinated, too) to form various designs such as his Origami Icosahedrons and Sphere 94.

3D Origami:

These designs make use of multiple pieces of paper that are folded into triangles and inserted or connected to form 3D or 'solid' pieces of origami art. The most common design is probably the swan which looks very pretty when completed. Other designs are also possible using this technique.