Origami, Kirigami and Papercrafts

Origami: The art of paper folding

In Japanese, the word "oru" means "to fold", and "kami" means "paper". Hence "origami" means “to fold paper”. But there’s more to origami than its name.

The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns. Origami is made preferably without gluing or cutting the paper, and is best using only one piece of paper. Origami only uses a small number of different folds, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. So intricate, that this art form is qualified to have its own field of mathematical study.

There's also branch of origami known as Technical origami. It is s a field of origami that has developed almost hand-in-hand with the field of mathematical origami. In the olden days, creating new designs was largely a mix of trial-and-error, and luck. With advances in origami mathematics however, the basic structure of any new origami model can be theoretically plotted out on paper before doing any actual folding. This method of designing origami allows for the creation of extremely complex models such as many-legged centipedes, human figures and creatures with details of fingers, claws, etc.






Kririgami: The art of paper cutting

In Japanese, "kiru" means "to cut", and "kami" means "paper". Kirigami is similar to origami in that it is a form of paper art. The major difference is that in origami, you fold paper whereas in kirigami, you fold and cut paper.

It is a variation of origami where the you are allowed to make small cuts in the paper. This enhances the visual presentation of the artwork, at the expense of simplicity.






Papercrafts: 3D paper modelling

Papercrafts, also called paper models or card models, are constructed mainly from sheets of heavy paper or card stock as a hobby. It is a form of crafting in which paper is used to create 3D objects such as models or sculptures. Unlike origami, papercraft involves cutting up paper or cardboard and gluing it back together, although some folding and bending may be involved.

Paper sculptures can get quite elaborate, from replicas of large objects to miniture models of things like trains, boats, and planes. Papercraft objects can sometimes be made with moving parts, which requires a good concentration and a lot of patience.

The structure of the three dimensional object may be supported with stiff paper, cardboard, or even wood, to ensure that it will not collapse, and it may be painted, dyed, or textured with applied materials as well. To prevent warping, some papercraft is covered in a protective coating which will make it even sturdier.





Free stuff:
Canon Creative Park
Papercraft Central