Hi, Thanks for visiting my website. My name is Will and if you have questions
or would like to
contribute projects or ideas you can contact me
How to Make an Origami Crane
This is a fun and relatively easy origami project. It is a very traditioal origami fold and it builds on a couple of the standard origami folds. (The preliminary base and the bird base). This project was submitted to the website by (Hamza Sardar) My thanks to him for this terrific tutorial.
I used paper that I purchased in Japan but you can use just about any paper including printer paper. Just cut yourself a square of paper almost any size from four inches square to eight inches square.
I have more Origami Projects, and I have a lot more coming. I have an Origami Home Page here so you can view the projects. On that Page I also have resources to buying books and paper and I have information and projects on the Japanese art of Tatebanko which is the art of paper dioramas. I also have a page of Origami Books and Papers.
According to an ancient Japanese Legend anyone who folds a thousand Origami Cranes will be granted a wish. They are often given as a wedding gift to wish a thousand years of happiness and prosperity on the couple. And are gifted to new born babies good luck and a long life.
According to an ancient legend if you make 1,000 Origami Cranes you will have a wish granted, and you will have good luck. I am doing 1,000 cranes and started the project on April 19, 2010. You can see pictures and check on my progress here: The 1,000 Crane Project
This video shows you how to fold an origami crane.
This is a popular origami, and is a good starting point for anyone looking to develop their skills from beginner, to intermediate/lower intermediate.
Fabulous Origami Boxes - Imagine a box made of paper! Boxes are one of the most popular formats of the age-old papercraft of origami. This delightful book is entirely devoted to the creation of origami boxes-plain or fancy, playful or practical, and elaborate boxes topped with cranes, butterflies, lilies, stars, and more.
FABULOUS ORIGAMI BOXES includes designs for nesting boxes, simple triangle and square boxes and more complex hexagonal and octagonal boxes. Detailed illustrations provide step-by-step instructions on the correct way to crease and fold origami paper. Many of the designs are made of one sheet of paper, but some combine individual units with intriguing results.
Both practical and lovely, these boxes can be used for gift-giving, storing trinkets, or simply for display.
About Origami Paper - The quality, color and texture of the paper makes all the difference in the world when it comes to origami. When you are first starting out you should work with inexpensive paper. But as you are making better and better things I recommend you start thinking about some beautiful high quality paper like these below. I have purchased two of the following three recommendations.
I like the size of this paper (8 1/4 inches) It is good for big hands and for small hands. It comes in six different patterns and is double sided in that there is a pattern printed on both sides. One side is a pattern and the other side is the same pattern with the colors reversed. See my accompanying picture for the patterns. This package also comes with a small booklet that shows you how to fold six different items like (see my accompanying picture) a kimono, crane, Star box,lantern, fishing boat,and Hashi Wrapper which is good for holding chopsticks or pencils . The paper itself is pretty good and it holds sharp creases and is durable. So, if you are a beginner this is a good paper for you. It is also good paper for kids because of the durability and the larger size. And as a little bonus you also get a nice sheet of gold paper which you can save for a special project.
This is a decent little selection of very vibrant and fluorescent colors. You get 51 sheets and a generous number of them are metallic which are my favorites. This comes in a nice little box that has a string seal on it which helps to keep the paper safe and organized. It also comes with a little stapled booklet that shows you how to fold five different projects: Airplane, Swan, Fortune Cookie, Wishing Star and Inflatable cube. See my accompanying picture to view these five projects. The paper is okay. But it is pretty durable which is good for learning, refolding and working at the projects. It is colored on one side and white on the other. I love the bright colors, but some of the colors will bleed through to the white just a little bit and will leave a bit of smudging on your fingers. So, that is why this is only four stars. The instructions are pretty clear but I had trouble with the swan. I couldn't quite get it right. Nonetheless it is a nice little kit that gives you the paper and folding instructions for a good start. I like the star and the inflatable cube the best.
A new idea for classic origami projects. Super-sized sheets make folding 3-D figures easy for beginners. The beautiful double-sided designs are based on traditional patterns. Experienced origami artists will enjoy the variety of designs. 6 different prints.
I like this paper. It is thin yet durable and it has a little bit of a vellum feel to it similar to the outer wrapper on a chocolate bar. Not quite but similar. It comes in a variety of colorful small print repeating patterns and on the opposite side of each sheet is the corresponding solid color. The picture on the cover shows patterned color on one side and blank white on the other but this isn't what I got. Being almost seven inches square means it is a little bit easier to work with. It comes with a fold out booklet that gives you some introductory folding instructions and six different projects: Swan, Pig, Tortoise, Samurai Helmet, Rowboat, and Star Box. One nice thing about these folds is that they have a Japanese Origami feel to them; The folds in the booklet would be a bit of a challenge for absolute beginners but if you have done a little origami you will get them. The picture below shows some of the paper and the six projects in the booklet.
