Large Origami Table Decorations - Advice Gratefully Received

[ShepherdofShark]

First of all, since I'm a n00b, hello to all.

I've been folding paper for just under a year now, so I'm also a n00b to the art form, but I like to think I've come far in these last 10 months - with so much further to go! That's the beauty of origami, I think; that even the best in the world can still admit there is always room for improvement.

So to the reasons for this thread and for me registering on the forum in the first place. Well, like simple origami, they are two-fold :

Firstly, and generally, I finally realised there must be thousands of people out there, expert and novice alike, who enjoy discussing the art and sharing their creations, so I googled "origami forum" and here I am. Hopefully being on this forum will mean I drive fewer people mad with the subject in real life.

Secondly, and more specifically, I have been charged with the task of making table decorations for my friend's daughter's 21st party. The dad is very clear that he wants them to be big and I went for black/white paper to get a clear two tone effect (where applicable) in the models. This is some of the work so far (some will probably recognise the models from Lang's Complete Book of Origami):











I freely confess I am completely in love with the parrot.

I'm still very much a novice when it comes to paper, and I went to a school supply place to get it. So it's was in a roll which has caused a few problems when it wants to curl up all over the place but other than that I'm doing ok (the dad likes the pictures he's seen, which is the main thing). But I do have a few questions I'd like to ask of any one out there who has experience of this sort of thing:

1) Do you have any tips for performing the initial folds of a model made from a square (or 1:2 rectangle) as large as 760mm?

2) Any tips on accurately cutting such shapes (my board is only 42cm wide )

3) Do you have any suggestions for models that will make good use of the black/white paper I have chosen?

4) (not related to the party decorations) Where do you get your paper?

5) Do you like my parrot?

[Baltorigamist]

To answer your questions:

1) If you aren't doing so already, use thicker paper. Otherwise the models won't be able to support their own weight. Beyond that, just fold accurately.

2) Again, be precise.

3) Not much comes to mind that isn't very complex. It would help to know what books you have as well.

4) It depends on what kind of paper I want. Some comes from art stores, but recently I've been using foil-backed parchment paper, which can be found at grocery stores.

5) From what I can see, yes.

[chesscuber98]

Well for number two I suggest the use of an L square

You can get it in most stationery stores and it is extremely useful.

[ShepherdofShark]

Well, I'll certainly be getting myself an L square first chance I get. It looks like just what I need.

I realised I could get a fairly accurate square if I roughly cut it, then folded the preliminary fold and then cut the raw edges at the bottom to the size I wanted, but this means unnecessary creases if the model doesn't start with a preliminary fold.

To answer your questions:

1) If you aren't doing so already, use thicker paper. Otherwise the models won't be able to support their own weight. Beyond that, just fold accurately.

The paper is certainly thicker than what I would normally use (which is normally just from a standard multi-coloured pack purchased from a craft store) and I have encountered the structural support problem you mentioned. Thankfully, I'm not doing this for a purists' party and I can cheat. I've been experimenting with reinforcing limbs using card which has had varying degrees of success, depending on what proportion of paper goes into the supporting limbs. Even when supported, the legs have a tendency to splay also, which I have managed to solve either with some sort of locking fold or, as a last resort, an adhesive (shudder).

2) Again, be precise.

I think the L square will solve that issue.

3) Not much comes to mind that isn't very complex. It would help to know what books you have as well.

I got a really simple one for Christmas last year which I've now given to my cousin. That one had no written instructions and went as complex as petal and squash folds. I then went on an online mission to find other instructions shared for free and in the process learned how to make the classic bases and a few models from the Star Wars universe and some dinosaurs. Then I got Lang's Complete Book of Origami and that really is the only book of any note that I have with the exception of Origami Design Secrets, which I find utterly fascinating to read but it's a little beyond my abilities at the moment.

I have worked my way through most of the Complete Book and from it I've managed to fold successful tarantulas (I seriously freaked out a girl at work with that one), elephants (lots of them - I love that model), the Viking Ship and turtle. I even did a reasonable approximation of the cuckoo clock, but the cuckoo doesn't move. I think I can express my skill level thusly: I can perform an Elias stretch, but not without a visual aid.

4) It depends on what kind of paper I want. Some comes from art stores, but recently I've been using foil-backed parchment paper, which can be found at grocery stores.

I think we may have a cultural difference here. I'm from England and I've never seen any such paper in a grocery store (not that we call them that here). But I least I can google the term and look for it.

5) From what I can see, yes.

Thank you. I took him from a favourable angle though. He could be much more 3 dimensional, which is something I'm also working on in my progression as a folder. Onwards and upwards!

[bethnor]

for display grade models, really feel free to slather on the glue and wire. rest assured that the pros do all the time. it's really nothing to be ashamed of. the "life-size" origami models you occasionally see are without a doubt supported by wire. floral wire is readily available at your local craft stores. the fact of the matter is, most modern origami is so complex that even when you DO use a foil based medium, the final product is so thick that limbs and such won't stay in place without some encouragement. if you peruse through people's flickr accounts, the most beautiful folds usually do have this kind of "help." kamiya even has a pictoral guide of where to put glue and wire in one of his books.

i imagine parchment foil to be fairly ubiquitous at this point. just go to any grocery store in the aisle where they sell foil and baking paper. it should be there. the caveat is that, as far as i know, it does not come in rolls larger than 30.5 cm width.

[Forum_Lurker]

I'm a big fan of the origami gemsbok model by Quentin Trollip, it's not super duper complex, and looks great in black and white. You will probably need to wet-fold or wet-shape the final product though.
Also, I use almost exclusively tant (from origami shop, the website), either by itself, or with a piece of tissue glued to it.
Actually... The tissue thing? I only did that once, for the aforementioned gemsbok

[al-black]

@ paper: try canson mi-teintes or ingress -- enough strength to support the weight of bigger models, easily available at art stores.

@ accurate cutting: you might also try a carpenters square one with mm might be a better size and cheaper (ymmv on that one). A fine exacto knife, or a rolling cutter will help too.

models: Try looking at Roman Diaz -- lots of simple elegant models that would work well in a bigger sizes...

Have fun, sounds like a neat project!

al

[ShepherdofShark]

Thanks for the feedback.

re: wet folding - I'm interested in the idea but I don't think I have the time to learn and then apply it to this project (Party day: November 9th looms)

re: Roman Diaz - loving his style; it would appear to be just the sort of thing I'm going for. I'm looking forward to making some of the models (especially the penguin) from Origami Essence, now purchased.

[ShepherdofShark]

Sorry for the double post. Party night has been and gone and here's what my girlfriend and I managed to cobble together:



There were a significant number of "wow"s that came my way - never been so smug in my life. And as always, I was my own biggest critic - I flat out hate the penguins; never got the feet right.

[al-black]

Nice work on those!

[Mir Numaan]

keep goin!

[ShepherdofShark]

Oh, I intend to. In fact, I'll have a chance to show off the tree centrepiece to a guy who organises corporate functions when he comes to review the pantomime I'm in in early December. I might even be able to get a little sideline business going from this sort of thing.

Unless it's illegal to use other people's designs for personal gain. Out of interest, does anyone know if I would have had to pay Diaz and Lang if I'd made any money out of this function?

[al-black]

Hmmm... I'm not a lawyer and don't know the details of their publishing contracts, but the copyright for those models most likely rests Lang and Diaz. The convention generally is that you contact the author for permission to teach the model, or if you were selling the model for money.

Regardless the right thing to do is contact them directly and talk about it --- its their intellectual property. My guess is they'd be glad to hear from you.

al

[HankSimon]

Yes, this topic has come up a lot in the past. It is very important to contact Lang and Diaz, when you cross the line to personal gain or public use. Make sure that you have all the details available. They are very nice gentlemen, and I'm sure they will do what they can to work with you and accommodate your effort.

On a different note, your models, especially the parrot look terrific! There are frequently multiple designs for a given subject, so you might consider searching Google (especially Google images) for the different penguins to find another one that you like and might fold better. And, you might explore parrots to see other characteristics that you might like and synthesize into your current approach ... to help you grow as an artist.

[origamipete]

for display grade models, really feel free to slather on the glue and wire. rest assured that the pros do all the time. it's really nothing to be ashamed of. the "life-size" origami models you occasionally see are without a doubt supported by wire. floral wire is readily available at your local craft stores. the fact of the matter is, most modern origami is so complex that even when you DO use a foil based medium, the final product is so thick that limbs and such won't stay in place without some encouragement. if you peruse through people's flickr accounts, the most beautiful folds usually do have this kind of "help." kamiya even has a pictoral guide of where to put glue and wire in one of his books.

i imagine parchment foil to be fairly ubiquitous at this point. just go to any grocery store in the aisle where they sell foil and baking paper. it should be there. the caveat is that, as far as i know, it does not come in rolls larger than 30.5 cm width.

speaking of life-sized models...

...self plug sorry, but I had to do it. this is one of my biggest accomplishments so far and a thing I've always wanted to do. It's Diplocaulus. this animal fascinated me for years, and was finally able to display this monster for the first time in 2013.

I didn't use any wire, but I definitely should have. it would make the body a whole lot sturdier, if i created a "skeleton" for it to go on the inside. When put on a flat surface, the neck would buckle and break. This is something I definitely need to fix before i put in on display another time. this model is created from four layers of various papers and a layer of foil in the middle, so the paper itself was very thick and sturdy, but not sturdy enough to support its own weight quite yet.