Paper: Fold it, cut it, glue it, show it off
Ancient Dragon via Mabona Origami on Flikr
A brief paper-hat-making session in the office today reminded me of an origami class I took as a child. I didn’t become amazingly gifted with paper-folding skills, but I had lots of fun.
You don’t need a class to get started, though. If there’s one thing the Internet has taught us, it’s that everyone wants to show off their hobbies. Tons of places demonstrate orgami online and (rightfully) brag about other impressive papercraft creations. (Papercrafts can include cutting and tabs-and-glue approaches, too; they aren’t limited to folding.) Here are a few of the most handy collections so you can get started and hit the highlights:
If you’re looking to try paper-folding yourself, the Origami Club is a good place to start. Need a frog, a dog or a hog in a hurry? How about a shuriken to annoy your cubicle-mate? The Origami Club provies detailed diagrams and animations to help novice paper-folders. Creations are star-ranked by level of difficulty, so you’re sure to find something you can make and keep finding ways to challenge yourself.
This blog highlights the work of amazing papercraft artists and links to exhibits, kits for sale and free instruction downloads. It’s not for noobs, but it shows off people who push the boundaries of their art. Sometimes, you really do have to see it to believe it.
The guy behind Paperkraft says his goal is to help people find excellent and free papercrafts they can try. The site is a great resource for geeks and Japanophiles because of the many examples of video game and comics-related papercrafts. I know I have a friend who’d squeal with delight over this Hello Kitty creation. Hmm … inexpensive Christmas gift, maybe? (Note to self: Work on paper skills. Develop system to ship completed gift safely.)
Oldies but goodies
Paper Robots 1999’s Optimus Prime shifts from robot to truck form.
Watch Ben Millett construct Howl’s Moving Castle in an amazing video.
I suspect any number of Lord of the Rings fans (myself included) wouldn’t mind living in this fantasy-style city made of paper.
— MEL BARBER