The Art of Origami and Paper cutting

The Art of Origami and Paper cutting

Origami first came into prominence in 17^th century Japan with the literal translation meaning folding paper. It is a technique that allows the artist/designer to create basic or complex 3D structures using a piece of paper by the means of folding. The level of difficulty can range from the simple fortune teller/ salt seller structure to more elaborate designs such as these:

There are two folds that you will always use in origami.

A mountain fold:

And a Valley fold:

 

These two folds alone are the basis for every design in origami, they will allow you to start creating structures and textures.

Here is an example of one of the simplest forms of folding. This technique can be repeated on one piece of paper in a grid format, it is however, as I soon learned, technically difficult as the squares become smaller and the numbers of squares increase. I recommend practising and gradually building up your technique before attempting more intricate structures.

Another design, I personally found interesting for textiles, was this piece:

 

There are many variations that you can use for this technique and it produces very bold and effective results.

Paper Cutting or kirigami (literal translation meaning “to cut paper”) is another form of origami yet it involves a variation between cutting and folding. The simplest form of this technique is the basic step structure.

 

From the basic step structure, a design can evolve into a detailed and often elaborate design, for example:

 

I am yet to attempt designs such as those above, but, as I progress and develop my skills it may be possible to create designs up to that standard. As they say practise makes perfect.