Online Origami Surfing

The following links are websites that I have found useful, informative, mind-boggling or just plain fun. All links will open in a new window.

For Beginner Folders:

3D Origami Animation Diagrams - It doesn't get easier than this. Just follow along with the animation and you'll create your first Origami Crane in minutes.

General Diagrams:

Origami - Database where you can find folding diagrams for models by name or just surf the database in the subcategories of Simple, Intermediate, or Complex diagrams.

Origami Database - Database of models that can be found in publication.

Origami Resource Center - Wonderfully organized website. Also includes Kirigami, Tea Bag folding (you'll be folding the tea bag wrappers - not the soggy tea bags), and edible origami (hmmm, watch out for paper cuts).

Gilad's Origami Page - Gilad Aharoni's cat creation is one of my favorite felines.

Sy's Paper Folding Page - Sy Chen's designs, some have diagrams. My favorites include his Rose Brooch, Tai Chi (Yin-Yang) Symbol and Can Love be Squashed.

Modular:

Origami - Meenakshi's Modular Mania - Meenakshi Mukerji's website, author of Marvelous Modular Origami. Many free diagrams of her own beautiful creations and links to dozens of modular diagrams that she has personally used.

Money Folding:

Money Origami - Clay Randall's dollar bill folding include the very cool serpent roll and spider. I also like his sense of humor.

Steve Hecht's Web Site - My favorites include his one-way arrow, flower (with stem) and elephant. 

Dollar Bill Polyhedra Sonobe Module - Photo steps for creating a Sonobe module from 3 dollar bills. Also known as Toshie's Jewel, Crystal or Hexadron.

Tessellations:

Ravi Apte's Gallery - Excellent photo style walk-throughs of how to fold several tessellation based models.

Origami Tessellations - Blog style page by Eric Gjerde.

Crease Patterns:

Ben's Crease Patterns Page - The link for "Crease Pattern Info" contains a tutorial to get you started with learning to read and fold from crease patterns. (Site has some navigation problems.)

Design in Origami - Besides standard Crease Patterns, this site offers a new way called "Progressive Crease Patterns." It's a nice new approach, which is somewhere between regular diagramming and crease patterns. Since some cps are nearly impossible to follow, this is a great idea.

Wet Folding:

Who's afraid of wet-folding? - Excellent article by Gilad with helpful photos, almost makes me want to try it.

British Origami Society - An article that introduces folding with dampened paper.

Wet Hand Towel Origami - Oshibori Origami is origami made from... wet Japanese hand towels! Very funny and well made website by Nick Ramsay.

Origami Humor:

Toilegami (toy-lu-GAH-me) - A practical bathroom book. What can you make with a single square of toilet paper?

Origami Folding Robot - OK, this isn't a joke, but it is humorous: Projects grad students come up with to justify their folding habits.

Origami Music:

Papersonics Paper Music - Origami Artist Paul Jackson has created music from paper!

Nick Robinson's Music - Origami designer/teacher/author Nick Robinson has combined his musical and folding talents to create paper music. Be sure to check out the rest of his website while you're listening.

Some Origami Artists:

- Joseph Wu -

 

- Robert J Lang - Video for his Turtle is here
 

- David Brill - Video for his (miniature) Book is here

- Ronald Koh -

 

- Brian Chan - Besides loving Brian's Guy Fawkes mask (from V for Vendetta) you must see Brian and Jason Ku's Origami Ultimate Challenge video.

Societies and Clubs:

OrigamiUSA - Headquartered in New York City's American Museum of Natural History. They publish a quarterly magazine and hold an annual convention. Local/International Area Groups include:

BARF Bay Area Rapid Folders - Even if you don't live in California, you'll enjoy this site, heavily influenced by Jeremy Shafer and his astonishing/amusing origamical mind. (Yes, I just made that word up.)

LIFE Long Island Folding Enthusiasts - My local group's page at Rachel Katz' great website. LIFE sponsors the Origami Heaven event at Stony Brook, NY each year.

PALM Paperfolders Around the Lower Mainland (Vancover, Canada) - Joseph Wu's area.

Listing of all OrigamiUSA Area Groups - Find one near you! I just love the acronyms.

British Origami Society - Be sure to click on the picture of David Lister (Origami History) for a wealth of topics he has written about.

Blogs:

The Fitful Flog - Open origami. Open source origami advocate.

Have Paper, Will Travel - The WordSmith from Nantucket.