Customer Reviews

Advanced Origami: An Artist's Guide to Performances in Paper

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since learning how to fold fortune-tellers in second grade, I've fallen in love with origami. Until this book, I mostly made cranes and boxes, and avoided books because they all seemed to have variations of the same 10 or 15 shapes.

This book was, however, intriguing at first sight. The hummingbird on the cover looked almost impossibly complex to me, and even the comparatively simple butterfly is more impressive than your average paper crane.

Enough background: what about the actual content?

If you're looking for a quick-and-easy origami book, you're going to encounter a few difficulties:
-As with many step-by-step origami books, there's a complex notation that is sometimes vague. For example, the first hummingbird I made from this book took two hours from start to finish - a combination of misreading the instructions and miscreasing very small folds.
-Many of these shapes simply don't work with standard "printer paper", which tends to miscrease or tear, especially with the more repetitive folds.
-There is a large section of this book devoted to making (e.g., mixing, pressing, and drying) origami paper, which some might find unnecessary.

However:
If you're ready to challenge yourself, and perhaps drive yourself crazy rereading instructions (well-written but never-the-less complex) in pursuit of some really astounding origami, this is THE book you want. From wet-folding (wetting the paper for softer/ sturdier folds) to making very, very small toes on a frog's leg to sharpening a hummingbird's beak to a needle point, the attention to detail is unsurpassed. I haven't tried the origami papermaking myself, although I have made paper in the past, and the instructions in the book seem to be a good quality.

A one-sentence summary: Although frustrating at first, this book has allowed me to appreciate origami on a new level, and the finished pieces make WONDERFUL gifts.

I ordered this book expecting a collection of fairly advanced diagrams. I was particularly interested in the Cattleya orchid model and the frog, two of my favorite subjects to fold. I was very pleasantly surprised with the book for a number of reasons. The quality of the printing and binding is superb. The diagrams are easy to follow and very thorough. The information on how to produce your own paper to achieve the most aesthetically pleasing results for any model is very nice.
I do have a few very minor issues with the book. The first is that the models designed to be folded with duo colored paper do not have two-tone diagrams. Even though you may be folding with duo paper, it makes folding easier to have a diagram with a two-color scheme. The second issue is more of a personal one. To really achieve the best results from any of these models they need to be wet folded from handmade paper. Standard origami paper or paper foil simply will not produce the results you are looking for. That being said, I am very happy I purchased this book and would recommend it to any origami enthusiast.

I bought this book this past week, not really sure whether the "advanced" in the title of the book would put me off folding any of the projects within it. I tried the "Koi" as a first model from this book, and even tried my hands at wet folding! The result was great!!

The author has taken pains to explain the steps in detail and has even jotted down points for tweaking the end result and coming up with your own perfect little model.

This book has easily become one of my favorites and I enjoy folding the designs in it. It even has a section on making your paper. Tips on the sizes, colors as well as type of paper to use for folding each of the projects are clearly mentioned. The expected size of the final model is also given, which makes it a lot easier to choose.

The book contains instructions (in the form of diagrams) to fold the following models - north American cardinal, origamido butterfly, koi, sea turtle, squirrel, toco toucan, frog, ruby0throated hummingbird, goldfish, horseshoe crab, cattleya orchid, happy good-luck bat, big brown bat, praying mantis and the panther mask.

My favorite out of these is the cattleya orchid which is a dead ringer for an original, and with the right kind of paper and wet folding, you can do wonders with it!

This book is one for experienced folders and beginners should first try their hands at folding other models / easier stuff before attempting models from this book. The designs in this book range from intermediate to complex.

If you love origami and are keen on having an origami book collection or for that matter want to try your hands at some amazing life like deisgns, this book is a definite 'must-buy'. The designs in this, when combined with the right kind of paper can produce the most captivating models which will leave you satisfied after all the effort you have put it.

This is a nice book. Beautifully printed and interesting projects. However, it's truly for advanced folders. I have not been folding that long but have succeeded folding models rated difficult. In this book some step could do with more explanation, and even when you fold to instruction, the models don't always come out like the photograph, simply because the folds in the instructions don't end up looking like that. It takes some additional creativity to make it look better, which in itself is not a bad thing.

great for the origami enthusiast. Best for older students. an art educator is using it for an after school origami club. super great/

This is a good book for those looking for advanced designs. The book presents a number of remarkable patterns. What is nice is that this does a good job of presenting wet fold techniques. Every design is a wet fold work. The book does have a small section on paper making, but don't think this will be a complete description. It may help you begin crafting your own paper. Not a book for beginners.

I looked at several books and found this one on Amazon. Great gift for someone who has busy hands. He loved it and was suprized with it.Written well and shows how to make your own paper. He loves it.

This is such an awesome book. It really goes into detail about making paper and
the different types of paper to use. This author is one of my heroes when it comes to
my Dollar bill folding obsession. He is an Origami Master and I would love to meet him
some day to give thanks to his brilliant designs.

An excellent book, every page a pleasure to read, impeccable diagrams, A most for anyone who love origami!!

I just loved the book. Beautiful models. A lot of advices about paper handling. Surely this is a must have origami book!