Who is your favorite origamist?

[Trekker_1983]

1. Hideo Komatsu
2. Eric Joisel
3. Satoshi Kamiya
4. Hojyo Takashi

[qtrollip]

I have replied to this topic before. Changed my mind since seeing Eric Joisel's stuff. Amazing. I think his stuff is excellent. His detail and efficiency is something very few designers and folders can compare to.
And then also Dr. Bernie Peyton. He's working on a book, and when it's out, I will definitely get it!

[Finward]

My favorite origamists... Well, here is my list (I can't numerate them... I can't put anyone over another, they're so cool)
Sipho Mabona - I once thought that he would never pass from the octopus, now I swallow my words.... His creations are so cool, he has such an hability for sculpting paper, and, the most important, is the only master that has helped me with a creation, talking face to face.
Eric Joisel - Marvelous sculpting ability, although I’ve heard some bad stuff....
Robert Lang - He has a brilliant technique, despite his mathematical complexity....
The Vietnamese guys – Sorry, I can’t remember their names, but I really think that the future masters will be Vietnamese.
Brian Chan/Satoshi Kamiya/ Hojyo Takashi - Hummm, what can I say, they're just great
And another guy from Mexico, that, with a little more practice, he will rule.... jejeje

[Foxglove]

What bad stuff have you heard about Joisel, Finward?

[Finward]

Well, I know I'm no one to judge people, and I also know that in this forum thare has been problems before for this topic, but I heard that he published once the CP for his cat in the web for French speaker origamists (i know this is not the correct word, but i dont know the correct one....), and when a non French folded it, he got so angry that he removed it. He may be right, but not for my judge. However, you dont have to believe me, it was a rumor from the GOP.

[origamimasterjared]

I heard that he published once the CP for his cat in the web for French speaker origamists (i know this is not the correct word, but i dont know the correct one....), and when a non French folded it, he got so angry that he removed it. He may be right, but not for my judge. However, you dont have to believe me, it was a rumor from the GOP.

Here's what happened.

I was checking out his gallery at the French forum website. I saw a cat that looked decent, with a set of step-folds (similar to the hedgehog, but a little less detailed as I remember). I folded it, took a picture, and posted it here, in the ever-long WHYFL thread.

Someone with dual membership commented on the French forum, something along the lines of, "Wow your work spreads fast. Someone on the English forum already folded it." And then he went off on a rant about Brits stealing, or just taking, not giving or something, used some obscene words. He also said it was horribly folded (yes, I didn't put much work into it--it wasn't very good--the hind legs were too short. Besides, I've seen much worse.). Of course, none of this to my face--I was just alerted to it by members of both forums.

So yeah, not too fond of him.

[araknoid]

oh.
i'm precreasing as an exercise a moorcock version of his barbarians... maybe it's not such a good idea.

[jojotoar]

My favorites are Sipho Mabona, Eric Joisel, Robert J. Lang, Tomoko Fuse, Brian Chan, Kawasaki.

[Adam]

1. Satoshi Kamiya. Most of his models look simply marvelous. I really like the fact that he creates most, if not all, of his models from a square.
2. Quentin Trollip. Excellent designs. The models look elegant and realistic.
3. Kawasaki. I can't remember how often I've folded his rose, but it never gets boring.
4. Eric Joisel. His designs look more like real sculptures than origami. Quite amazing.
5. Robert Lang. ODS is a great book, and his designs look very impressive. To bad he relies on software ( i.e. Treemaker ) to design something..

Also, nice bump, jojotar

[mrsriggins]

1. Joisel
2. Kamiya
3. Lang

[origami-artist-galen]

Oh my, that's a hard one, after much deliberation I would say that the cleanest, best shaping and designing is done by Kamiya, Lang, Mabona and Chan, in no particular order. But there are so many origami artists and I deeply respect everyone's work.

[ahudson]

IMHO Kamiya is a little overrated. He's good at what he does, but he has no breadth of skill. I'd like to see him start using color-changes, more tessellation grafts, or curved folds. All he seems to do is complex animals with super-thin paper, he doesn't seem to be capable of creating simple or geometric models. He also has very little artistic vision, most of his subjects come from anime/manga or an insect book. That's a pretty common problem with complex origami though, maybe I shouldn't hold it against him.

I'd have to say one of my fav. folders is Joel Cooper. In terms of complexity, he ranks up there with Lang, but a) he doesn't use a computer and b) he's a better figure sculptor. He also has more originality of style than most of the other complex folders out there.

[Oruhito]

I completely agree with ahudson - there is a syndrome of the new origami world which I hate: The lack of vision: most of Satoshi's compositions and others designs are from an anime or manga book with a disproportionate busty female with five meter legs and choppy asian hair.... In my opinion its not nice to look at, and it certainly isn't art. It's designing something complex for the sake of making something complex.

My favorite origami Artist, is definitely Michael Lafosse. Not only is he a gifted folder but wonderful teacher and mentor. He also is very artistic - as is say, Joisel who was a bronze sculptor before his discovery of paper. I also appreciate them not only for their work and philosophy but because I relate to their folding style. I have similar taste in aesthetics and my models will often have great influences from them. So roughly, Michael Lafosse, Eric Joisel, Akira Yoshizawa, Paul Jackson, and definitely Daniel Robinson ( in no particular order).

[origamimasterjared]

most of Satoshi's compositions and others designs are from an anime or manga book with a disproportionate busty female with five meter legs and choppy asian hair.

Uh, what? Most of his works are animals, mythical creatures and insects. He's not at all known for anime stuff. Brian Chan and Naoto Horiguchi are the ones who do way too much anime stuff. Trust me, if that were the case, I wouldn't like his stuff.

One of the main things I love about Kamiya's work is the beautiful underlying geometry. All the flaps (even those you don't see) line up perfectly, and the layering is near flawless. Granted he's not the only one who does that. Maekawa is very well-known for, and takes great pride in doing it too. Komatsu too, but his design method is quite different. Also, Kamiya's pieces are NOT complex for the sake of being complex. Not at all. Sure, they are extremely detailed, and often have quite long folding sequences, but they are really not that overly difficult or annoying. Large paper is only needed for the tiny details, fingers/claws, facial features etc.

He's come up with many very interesting techniques, and even y'all can't deny the ingenuity behind his asymmetrical approach to making his symmetrical Ryu-zin so long. And those scales are a tessellation!

Also, I find that as complex and detailed as his works are, the detailing is still tasteful folding. That is, not squeeze and wet-shaping etc.

And he certainly has done some geometrics. Here are a few:
http://www.folders.jp/b/box/geometry.html
http://www.folders.jp/b/box/cp.html (about 2/3 of the way down)
http://www.folders.jp/g/2002/0223.html (warped cube)
http://www.folders.jp/g/2002/0236.html (diamond)

And who can forget his hyperbolic paraboloid contained in a tetrahedron:


(as folded by Artur Biernacki)

Kamiya's got game. And he's got a decent amount of variety. Yes, his main focus is on representational origami. And his mythical stuff tends to get the most attention. And I will be one of the first to criticize his Phoenix. Very interesting geometry. Very poor foldability.

I agree that he could do more in the way of color changes. Sure, there are the color-changed wings on all those insects, the belly on his Orca, his Swan on a Lake, etc. But he could add a bit more to his repertoire.

[ahudson]

Huh... Ancient Dragon, Bahamut, and Phoenix are all directly from Anime that I've seen or heard of, and they're Satoshi's most famous models I think. This page breaks down some of his creations into categories: http://www.folders.jp/b/index.html. Final Fantasy and Romancing Saga are the two biggest categories.

Regardless, most of his depictions are in a style very similar to anime, even if they can't be traced directly.

I didn't mean to imply that he used complexity for its own sake, I just meant that was the only thing he did: purely representational, complex, animal/insect creations. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that genre, I just prefer folders with more imagination. Jeremy Shafer is a good example, although his sculptural abilites don't compare to folders like those Oruhito mentioned.

Although I would interject that Anime styles can be art, they're just often not very good because the subject and interpretation is a blatant copy. When a piece in that style is done with originality and purpose it can be quite effective. See Hokusai's sketchbooks if you don't know what I mean-- he's the one that really started the style, or so I've been told.