a humble gallery

Evilameba · Post by **Evilameba** » August 5th, 2008, 11:49 pm

Jonnycakes · Post by **Jonnycakes** » August 6th, 2008, 3:02 am

Very interesting-this reminds me of my folding during high school-you mostly doodle, correct? You have some very creative interpretations of your subjects-I particularly like the phoenix. Try to find some different paper to use (you are using copy paper, right?)-it makes all the difference. There are commercial papers available for pretty cheap prices (kami (traditional origami paper), American foil, and Japanese foil (my favorite of the 3)). Those come in a variety of sizes, 6" and 10" being the most common.

One thing that could use improvement is your photography. Some of your models are obscured by glare-the white paper doesn't help this, but that is not the problem. Flash tends to ruin pictures of origami. The lighting is important-make sure that there is no glare on your model-it needs to be well lit, but not overly lit. Natural light is my preferred lighting. Also mess around with the settings on your camera until you find something that works. Some of your pictures are a little blurry, so make sure that the shutter speed isn't too slow-if it is, the shaking of your hands will blur the shot. You could also use a tripod (or improvise one) to keep the camera steady. The black background is a nice contrast to your models, but the camera might automatically adjust for that and make your photo too bright-you can avoid this by manually adjusting the settings for the shot. You may want to toy with different backgrounds, especially if you plan to use different paper, as the color of the background should complement the color of the model. Also try to keep your hands out of the photo-you can make a simple stand out of wire for most, if not all, models.

As far as designing goes, learn about the structures of origami models and how parts fit together-what paper is used to make an arm (or a wing, or any specific body part) and how does it fit together with the rest of the model? The thing that really improved my designing skills is the book Origami Design Secrets by Robert Lang. It is a bit expensive (around 50 US dollars), but it contains a huge amount of information. It is a large paperback book and 600+ pages long, all about designing origami. It covers a range of modern design techniques from simple to complex and covers how to interpret CPs, how to make your own, box-pleating, circle-packing, and more.

All this might be a bit much all at once, but take it slow-one thing at a time. You show a lot of potential-your models are very creative. I would love to see what you will be creating in the future!

Brimstone · Post by **Brimstone** » August 6th, 2008, 3:02 am

Your models are not bad but since you requested advice, here is my input. Find better paper, that's it. Don't say you can get paper better than copy paper, go comb the paper shops in your town and surely you'll find something. Or just make your own tissue sandwich paper. Good paper makes a big difference in the final result.

Evilameba · Post by **Evilameba** » August 6th, 2008, 10:07 pm

thanks so much! the problem is that i had to use the crappy camera cause the good one's batteries were dead

and with that camera i cant figure out the settings!(and i dobt they are all that great anyway..)
i will get some REAL paper as soon as i can!!
i was thinking on getting it but maybe wait untill the price goes down.....lol
i wonder if there are any more designing books(just not so expensive..)

Evilameba · Post by **Evilameba** » August 6th, 2008, 10:41 pm

You have some very creative interpretations of your subjects

what do you mean by this?

Jonnycakes · Post by **Jonnycakes** » August 6th, 2008, 11:13 pm

In origami it is not possible to get an entirely realistic representation of a subject-it is indeed not desirable to do so from an artistic standpoint. So some interpretation is needed to represent something in origami. These interpretations are indicative of a person's unique style, and your stylistic interpretation is creative and works very well the way you implicated it into your designs.

Evilameba · Post by **Evilameba** » August 7th, 2008, 1:18 am

wow,thanks!!
but why is it "not desireable to o so from an aristic standpoint"?
isnt that an opinion because it could be argued that we strive for realistic models?(or am i just babbling?)

Jonnycakes · Post by **Jonnycakes** » August 7th, 2008, 1:40 am

You are not babbling-the Western style of origami design is generally very complex and realistic, and many people strive to design things that look as realistic as possible (insects are a popular subject in this regard), but making a realistic copy of something is not necessarily art. To make it art, a message needs to be sent about the subject, which is not done just by recreating it-you need to interpret the subject, bring out its essence, and convey more than just physical appearance, which is a hard thing to do.

Posture is a very important thing-in Daniel Robinson's design class at the OUSA convention, he discussed this, using his stag beetle as an example. It was excellently folded and very realistic, but was posed as a typical dead beetle on display was, with th legs perfectly symmetrical. Beetles, he explained, are very awkward creatures and never look so refined and graceful as they do posed like this, and it would be more artistically sensible to pose the legs in a way that would be actually found in nature.

This is just one example, but the main point is that there is more to origami than just complexity and realism. The more important thing is to bring out the essence of what you are folding and breathe life into the paper.

Evilameba · Post by **Evilameba** » August 7th, 2008, 5:02 pm

ahh.i get it