Origami, Origam-you!
This is my very first attempt at a hobby blog post, which means it’ll probably also be my very worst.
It’s difficult for me to start with ‘square one’ with origami, as I’ve been doing it on and off for about 25 years. I will say that origami is a great reflection of something that I, personally, look for in a hobby: strict, unbreakable rules and precise construction. (Translation: I suck at drawing, painting, carving, and pretty much anything else that requires creativity and skill).
So perhaps it’s no surprise that origami drew me in as a kid. It has very clear rules, loads of free pattern books at the library, and (perhaps best of all), I didn’t need to ask my mom for any craft supplies. I’d just rip a page out of my notebook, square it up, and voila, a crane!
The Briefest of Histories
I don’t want to bore you with information that you can find on any origami site, but the basic run down is this: Origami is a combination of ‘ori’ which means to fold, and ‘kami’ which is paper. Yep, thrilling stuff. It’s been around since paper was first invented, approximately 1900 years ago. The first patterns weren’t published until the late 18th century. It gained a bunch of popularity and blahblahblah. Actually, the most interesting thing about origami is not its past, but its future. The art of folding has become a significant aspect of research for space centers around the world. Here’s an excitingly nerdy video about it:
The Projects
Well, let’s get started with my projects. As always (although this is technically the first), I will do one easy, one intermediate, and one complex project of each hobby.
Easy Pattern
I was about to write “I could make a basic paper crane with my eyes closed.” But then I said, “Screw it, let’s walk the talk!” So I closed my eyes and got started.
I don’t know about you, but I am impressed. Also, I found doing origami without looking at it quite meditative. It could be a whole hobby in itself.
Moderate Pattern
Okay, so maybe folding a crane with my eyes closed isn’t the best way to help you to judge if origami is the hobby for you. Let’s try a pattern that actually puts me to the test a bit. I chose a “High Intermediate” bunny pattern. After 15 minutes, I had this:
I guess I am not as practiced in origami as I had thought. When I said that I’ve “done origami for twenty-five years,” I really meant “for one or two weeks every six years for the last twenty-five years.”
I was also reminded of one of the interesting quirks of origami. All instructions are done as images. There are few words (especially at higher levels). It’s basically the Ikea flat-pack dresser of hobbies. If you are a person who needs written instruction, you may get burned out on paper folding very quickly.
After my melted bunny, I thought I’d take a step down and try a good old “Intermediate.” I must admit, I fared better.
Note: This is not filtered. I am just really bad at building light boxes.
The struggle with this piece, and it’s sudden changing from art project to cat toy, was not the result of confusion, but of poor tools. Paper can really make a difference in the quality of your origami. As you start out, by all means, use some notebook paper licked into a square. But, as you progress and need finer points and more accuracy, the ‘Origami Paper Mega Pack’ you bought in the discount bin for $1.99 just won’t cut it. I gave up on the above not because the directions got hard, but because the paper was constantly ripping at the points (you can see this in my paper crane, too). I’ll go in to this a bit more in to this in ‘Start Up Costs.’
Anyway, I went to Local Chain Craft Store to buy what I assume to be lower-mid range origami paper (as opposed to the super-low range from before) and went back to work. There was some success.
I did promise to try three projects for each category, so I guess that only leaves me a ‘challenging’ one.
Challenging Pattern
To be honest, I tried the bunny again. It remains melted.
I was going to leave it at that, but felt this was unfair to you, dear reader. So I decided to try this beetle.
I failed.
Twice.
That’s it, I’m done. Next hobby.
The Analysis
Start-Up Cost and Cost per Project/Event 10/10
For this project, I am combining the first two categories, since they are really one and the same. I decided to play a game and find the most expensive paper 6″ x 6″ square available. It pretty much topped out at around $0.20. So even if you screw up something ten times, you’re still only out the cost of a soda. And really, that’s the expensive stuff. Go online, buy 500 sheets for $12.99, and I guarantee you that you’ll be set for months or even years.
Focus Needed-Level 6/10
You could certainly do basic origami at a restaurant, while chatting with friends, or during your morning commute (as long as you aren’t the one driving). However, this hobby gets difficult at an exponential rate. It’s all frogs and planes on day, and melting bunnies the next. Once you move on to advanced instructions, you’ll probably need to start tuning out other parts of your life.
Time Needed 9/10
- Set up time is negligible. Basically just grabbing your paper and your pattern, which is, I don’t know, 12 seconds? How messy is your house?
- In-the-Shit is also not too bad. It takes me about 15-30 minutes to complete an advanced origami pattern, however, I have in the past spent hours on one. While perusing the origami Reddit page, someone said a piece took them over 20 hours. Modular patterns that use numerous pieces could take days.
- This means that typically Delay-of-Gratification is also minimal. You’ll have something in minutes to be proud of!
Giftability 1-5/10
This is a hard one for me to grade, because I do not think that origami is a good ‘traditional’ gift. No one is going to start crying when they unwrap the paper Pikachu you made them. (Or maybe they will. I don’t know your people). However, while working on the above pieces, I thought of a view scenarios where origami would be a cute “mini gift.”
- For small children at parties-A lot of people tell me kids make them nervous, and they just don’t know how to interact with them. Well, if one is staring at you at a barbecue and it gets uncomfortable, fold up a jumping frog and Boom! You got a new friend, 20 more children wanting frogs, and something to distract you from the fact that your sister-in-law is on her fourth margarita and giving ever-more-increasing glares to your mother.
- As little surprises before dates-This, of course, is not for the man or woman expecting diamonds. However, if you’re meeting up with someone for a casual date, a little origami might be nice. Of course, it should be either personal or romantic, don’t give them a crane. Everyone can make cranes.
- As a little pizzazz to actual gift wrapping.
Finally, this isn’t so much a gift as a ‘usability’, but origami can be really cute decor for dinner parties and the like.
Admit it, that’s adorable as hell.
I put this origami vase together just for this picture, and it’s still sitting on my table because I love it.
Space required 10/10
- You’ll need to clear a space on your table and/or lap at least the diagonal lengths of your paper.
Down the Melted Rabbit Hole
You can quickly get ‘in the weeds’ with any hobby, as every craft has fascinating hidden depths. I shove these at the bottom of my posts as they can overload the casual reader. I’ve always found the best place to learn about the more complex hobby topics is through internet forums. Someone on the Quilting Reddit said recently that “craft communities are the only places that are friendlier online.” I’m tend to agree.
There is a debate about what constitutes ‘origami.’ What’s known as “Pure Origami” must be one piece of uncut square paper. In this case, money folding would not count. There is an additional level called “Pureland Origami” which has the same rules, with the addition that you can only use mountain or valley folds. Golden Venture folding uses a repeated, modular shape to create 3D sculptures.
Other types of folding are wet folding, which is exactly what it sounds like. It allows things to look softer and a bit more natural. Wet folders then use a glue called methyl cellulose to make it easier to fold and hold in place afterwards. I thought of trying this for your benefit, but then I realized there are other hobbies waiting, and I really didn’t feel like buying methyl cellulose for one project.
When you get to Stupid Advanced Level in origami, you no longer get folding instructions. Instead, you get ‘Crease Patterns.’ They look like this.
Finally, there is a tradition in Japan for to fold 1,000 paper cranes for good luck. There is no tradition for making them all with your eyes closed.
Origami Links I Found Useful While Creating This Post That I Thought I Would Share With You
Origami Reddit Page
A great place to get inspired, ask questions, and show off your work.
Origami.me
A well organized site that’s great for beginners and experts alike.
Origami Forum
Not quite as active as the Reddit page, but still has consistent updates and some higher-level questions.