The Origami Forum

Hello,
I recently got back into origami after a very long layoff ( 7- 8 years!)
and am enjoying it a lot - Are there any models which you would consider "essential" to fold - ive already done the kawasaki rose

Probaly Jun Maekawa's Devil,and some of the General Satoshi Kamiya works.

http://hugo.pereira.free.fr/origami.html
You can find the diagrams for Maekawa 's Devil here.

I guess putting together an "essential" list would probably be exactly like making a list of one's favorite models.

I'd also sugges Mark Kirchenbaum's "Fluffy"
http://marckrsh.home.pipeline.com/

And almost anything from
http://www.pajarita.org/pajaritai.htm
(The Spanish Origami Association"

John Montroll's Zebra http://www.themountainfold.com/paul/MOM/0404/0404.htm

First, I would like to disagree with the comments above.
I, for one, do not think that ANY super-complex fold is a must-fold. If someone could explain to me why any of Satoshi Kamiya's work is "must-fold", I would be delighted to know.

In fact, in my opinion, "must folds" are folds that EVERY paper-folder should have in his repertoire, whether (s)he is an advanced folder or not. These are "good", classic folds. In my opinion the list includes:

(*) Yoshizawa's butterfly from a waterbomb base
(*) Fujimoto's cube (again - it has this most wonderful folding sequence).
(*) The Chinese Junk
(*) The classic crane and/or the flapping bird.
(*) Kawasaki's rose
(*) Sonobe cube
(*) Omega star

Eileen Tan made a list of "1001 models you must fold before you die"

Wolf wrote: * 1 – 1000: traditional crane
* 1001: flapping bird

the f-22 by Rafa Hendrix is also a necessity. The model is simple (the most complicated fold is an internal crimp) and ends up 3D.I will review the model soon.

Jackson's Nodding Dog.

Rather than trying to pick models, I think it'd be easier -- and better representative of the breadth of origami -- to know or have folded at least one model by particular well-known folders that best exemplify each folder's particular style and approach to folding. Granted there will be a lot of convergence, particularly these days, and this would be an ever increasing list as new folders become well known, but...

Alternatively, one could pick one representative of each style, regardless of authorship. I like this option less, myself, because I don't like modular or other compound origami models, but it could be a choice!

I expect that traditional models are a must, too, to exemplify the evolution of origami through time. Actually, that could be another option, too: know/fold models exemplifying something typical of (or several models within a range) a particular time period.

Just thoughts!

Some classics include:

1. Scarlet Carp - Traditional - p. 90 The Art of Origami by Randlett
(Pulling the Tail and Mouth apart is more advanced for the beginner)

2. Bug by George Rhoads (or any beetle variations) - p. 130 Best of Origami by Randlett (Uses a Blintz BIrd Base)

3. Full-Rigged Ship by Crawford - p. 75 Origami Step By Step by Harbin
(A CP, before people knew what crease patterns were)

4. Baby Grand by Crawford - p.83 in Origami 4 by Harbin
(BLintz Bird Base pushes the limits of non-box pleating, pre-modern)

5. Jack In the Box by Max Hulme - p. 31 Complete Origami by Kenneway
(Gentle Intro to Box PLeating and to the Elias Stretch)

5. The Last Waltz by Neal Elias (Elias Stretch, Pushes limits AND, Because everyone should get one for their wedding)

6. Mooser's Train - p.422 by Lang
(Box PLeating and Crease Pattern ... Because everyone should have one.)

7. Dog - p. 70 Dollar Bill Animals by Montroll
(Example of Montroll's Dog Base Good example of Dollar Bill folding ...
Makes a Great Tip)

8. Dwarf - Joisel (Crease Pattern experience with lots of room for creativity)

8. Phoenix by Kamiya (CP - because everyone should have one)

9. Wall-E by Chan (CP - Great model, quickly designed for pertinence)

10. Horse or Bear by Trollip (modern master using standard techniques for striking and adaptable models)

11. Dreaming Dog by Giang Dinh (Emerging Style of Origami)

Meant to be Neither exclusive nor exhaustive, only exemplar...
I duplicated numbers... only because I forgot, while I was typing....

I know there are others.... I chose these as methods to learn technique, rather than individual style... for the most part.

- Hank Simon

hm I want to know what would be a list of any kind of origami to show the variety of origami. HankSimon models are only "normal" origami models without tess. and modulars for example. Good would be the most famous model of every kind.

There is no such thing like the most famous model of each kind.
If you want to represent different folding styles you have to define those styles first.
For a speech at school I chose the following topics to show the diversity of Origami: purism (cuts, glue,...), different starting shapes (square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon...), modular (polyhedra, boxes, animals,...), multi piece (Halle), wetfolding (tools, results,...), tessellations (regular, irregular, representational,...), crumpling (Floderer), curvigami (dry tension folding). There are of course several more techniques and criteria to differentiate Origami.
To represent those styles I'd go after availability. I know for example that there is no diagram for "Attack of the Kraken" available so if I want to represent a ship I'd maybe take the full rigged ship by Patricia Crawford, that also is a very nice model but with easily available diagrams.