Customer Reviews

Brilliant Origami: A Collection of Original Design

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don't get me wrong, these are 5 star designs. The horse especially is a masterpiece, created from a single uncut triangle it has perfect proportions and looks virtually alive. Brill's unusual style involves creating very solid, 3D models and tricky modular geometric shapes.

However, these are very ambitious models, and the generally poor quality of the diagramming means they are very difficult to fold, even for a fairly experienced folder. The book would have benifited greatly from either photos or clear and well explained diagrams, as found in the 30+ year old "Best of origami".

Oh, and one more thing. It's mearly a biproduct of the complexity of the models, but most of them are impossible to fold from normal sized origami paper. I have found that a roll of parcel wrapping paper is ideal for these projects.

Brill's book contains many wonderful designs, some truly extraordinary. His best models -- impressive for their highly unusual 3-dimensionality, exceptional for their dignity and seriousness -- transcend origami's benign, disposable cleverness. Brill's work is Art. St. George and the Dragon, the foxes, the hounds, the rabbit are all superb creations, as are the lioness and cub. But it is the lion who, in his 3-D splendor, stands as the single most exceptional work of paper folding I've ever seen. BUT! The diagrams do serious injustice to the designs: coarsely drawn, often confusing, poorly annotated, offering least assistance where most is necessary, they present an unnecessary and unwelcome challenge to the student. But those designs! Genius!

TedReinert@nyc.rr.com

Brilliant Origami is truly a work of art. David Brill's creations display a "lively element" missing in many other works. The biggest reason for this is his extensive use of wet-folding, however, these models can be folded without wet folding. This book is worth buying for a few models in particular. Everyone should make the Ship-in-bottle and the Ring Box, both truly spectacular pieces of art. Brill has also included many animals, some modular, and some holiday/theme related pieces/sets. The biggest drawback for this book is the directions. All of them are handdrawn, and sometimes certain lines, folds, etc. are missing, which can be aggrevating to the beginner. The diagrams in this book are not like the diagrams in Montroll's newer books, but nonetheless, the models are equally (if not more) spectacular.

Bottom Line:
Great for a non-beginner. Hand drawn diagrams only problem.
8.5 out of 10

I went to Kinokunya (Japanese book store) in NYC and browsed about hundred books in origami. I ended up buying this book.

Diagrams in this book are complete, but are hard to understand. Everything you need is in the book, but you need to have some prior experience, before you tackle this book. Otherwise, you've gotta be a patient person (like myself).

The book does not contain color pictures as many other beginner origami books do. It only has 8 pages of color pictures. These pictures show: Gifg box, dodecahedron, Lioness, Lion, Lion Cub, Rhinoceros, Horse, Elephant, Fox Hunt (group), Boat Race, Geppetoo, Pinocchio, witch, Wise Men, Fairy, Show Jumper, Father Christmas, Reindeer and Sleigh.

If you are into solid-looking origami, this is the book you want to buy.

This excellent origami book consists of a selection of original models designed by David Brill, Chairman of the British Origami Society and one of the most talented origami creators and folders in the United Kingdom.

Many of the pieces in the book are advanced but they are clearly diagrammed and will provide plenty of scope for creativity as many of the forms will be suitable for wet folding. Some can be worked in ordinary origami paper but many require very large sheets and I remember one year cutting a 20 inch equilateral triangle of foil for the Christmas Tree Fairy which in fact produced quite a small figure about six inches high!

This is therefore not a book for the beginner but it is certainly one which should be on any origami enthusiast's bookshelf. Models range from Mr Brill's Ship in a Bottle and the Lidded Box, to the Cigarettes in a Box and other geometric forms. There is also a whole variety of folds which are used in scenes in the photographs. These include St George and the Dragon and a wonderful Santa in a sleigh complete with reindeer!

This book will provide some fantastic / lifelike models. This is not, however, a beginners book. A novice will be frustrated over the difficulty of the models. Montroll's "Teach yourself Origami" would be more advisable for people looking for innitiation in this elegant art form. The scene of St George and the Dragon, the Lion family, the Nativity, etc. are true works of art! I deffinitively recommend this book for anyone who would like to become an accomplished Origami artist.

The Good:
- Positively beautiful models
- All models can still be folded in less than 10 minutes if you are fairly good with origami (no 10 hour projects here)
- Fairly clear hand drawn diagrams
- Some quick suggestions from the author for help on folding
- This is "real" origami - no gluing, no scissors, no multiple sheets for a single model (except for the geometric design section, where this is expected).
- most models can be done with almost any kind of paper

The Bad:
- Numerous typos, they don't make the book unreadable, but do give it a very unrefined feeling. (Author states at one point that he had found a better way to make a certain model, but had already finished drawing the diagrams for the book - things like this add to the feeling of "incompleteness")
- Some diagrams are so small they are hard to read - Brill gives large diagrams for the easy steps, and then squishes 2 dozen detail fold lines into a single tiny diagram later on
- One or two diagram mistakes found, should not be a problem for the target audience of this book
- Some non traditional starting shapes, such as triangles and rectangles, though usually with basic proportions (no 2.7172 x 1 rectangles needed here). I don't consider this to be a violation of the origami "rules" at all, especially when the finished result warrants the different starting shape, but some people might have a problem with this
- recommended starting paper sizes and type are sometimes given, but no indication is ever given of the size of the pictured models, nor the start-finish size ratio

Other:
- Not for beginners, some fairly difficult pieces, you should be able to do complicated petal folds and sinks in your sleep with no instructions, though a few easier models are included too
- Many of the models focus on a 3D effect - even someone experienced in origami may have trouble with this at first if not used to giving models depth. "Wet folding", a technique to overcome the difficulties in making a 3D model, is described briefly, but is difficult to master.

Overall:
- 5 stars; despite some of the significant flaws in the book, the models here are too beautiful to deserve any other rating.

The models in this book seem a little too easy for experienced folders, but indeed it contains some unexpected models. For example, "nut and bolt", a match box with matches in it(one single paper,surely), a bravo true woven dodecahedron by an A4 paper, etc. Besides, in my opinion, the lion families and rhino are the best models owing to their simplicity and beauty.

I love this book. David Brill has achieved a style of origami that is as beautiful as it is complex. Each of his models possesses great charm, and the animals are especially evocative. These models are not only technically difficult, but they also require shaping and attention to detail in the final stages to bring the model alive. Brill goes beyond the simple "geometry" and "design" of origami to create true art.
His hand drawings may be slightly difficult to follow, but once the models are within your scope the instructions will suffice. Plus they contribute to the feel of the book.

Don't get me wrong here. This book has the most detailed, true to life 3-Dimensional models around, including the dragon, horse, box of cigarrettes, nut & bolt (harder than it sounds) but there are very few intermediate and beginner material. Get this book if you want to see some of the great things Origami is capable of. Get this book if you want to try some really challenging pieces of work. But don't get this book to learn how to fold paper.