7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some repetition of Advanced Origami, but a beautiful book nonetheless, July 8, 2010
This review is from: Origami Art: 15 Exquisite Folded Paper Designs from the Origamido Studio (Hardcover)
I give this book 4 stars with reservations. Many of the patterns are VERY similar to those in Advanced Origami. However, between the two books, I'd advocate buying this one, so, hence the four stars.
LaFosse's books are unique in that they focus on paper and on wet folding. He empahsizes the art of folding, not intricate folds. His patterns tend to have a fairly low number of steps, but in order to generate the desired final product, a lot of time will be spent finishing.
The repetition starts in the "Techniques" section at the front of the book when he talks about making paper. Identical photographs are used in multiple cases between this book and Advanced Origami.
Entirely new patterns not similar to those found in Advanced Origami include a lobster, a fairly weak monk seal design, a great manatee fold, a cormorant, a great penguin, a modular flower requiring several sheets of paper for an un-extraordinary result, a fairly mundane fighter jet, and an amazing alligator. It's basically worth buying the book just for the alligator. Folds that gave me deja vu included the grackle, whale, butterfly, turtle, and orchid. (Sound familiar?)
Anyway, it certainly seems worth having one of LaFosse's books in your library if you're an origami enthusiast. If I had to choose, I'd pick this one. If the first one totally rocked your world, then you'll want to pick this one as well.
These books are for an intermediate or better folder, in my opinion. Complete beginners will probably find them a bit frustrating.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Origami art, June 5, 2011
This review is from: Origami Art: 15 Exquisite Folded Paper Designs from the Origamido Studio (Hardcover)
This book is fantastic for advanced origami or paper artists. If you are a newbie or even intermediate folder, than this will be a book of inspiration; you will probably not be able to complete any of the designs, however. La Fosse is an amazing artist and author.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
By far the best origami book I've found, March 11, 2011
This review is from: Origami Art: 15 Exquisite Folded Paper Designs from the Origamido Studio (Hardcover)
'Origami Art' is by far the best origami book I've ever found. Before I came across this book, I had no idea that origami could even be more than flat, 2D characters, never mind that an amateur like me could attempt to produce it.
Michael LaFosse is an origami genius, as far as I'm concerned. In this book, he's created not only exquisite, original designs of creatures and objects that have be done many times, but also startlingly novel pieces that no one else has done. This book includes favorite animals such as lobsters, manatees, and birds, which have been done before, but have never looked so lovely. It also includes surprises such as the Luna moth, banana slug, and orchid, which are exciting enough in their originality, while also looking fantastic.
Mr. LaFosse and Mr. Alexander are biologists as well as origami enthusiasts, which makes the pieces even more exciting, since they are often nearly anatomically correct. For example, the slug is equipped with special folds for its breathing area. When you flip the turtle over, the underside looks as realistic as the top shell.
The book also contains much useful, interesting information of making paper, formatting and adjusting paper, preparing origami paper, dyeing paper, wet folding, designing origami, marketing your work, and so on. Basically, everything you ever wanted to know about origami is contained in this book. There are also quick, fascinating blurbs about each project, explaining why they were created, and how, which endears you to the project even more. Paper suggestions are also given. Yet, with all this information, the book never feels crowded or overwhelming. It's laid out simply, and I felt comfortable flipping back and forth through it to find whatever I needed at the time.
As I said, I'm an amateur folder. Many of these projects are intermediate or advanced. The instructions are clear and well written, though, and I was able to create all of the projects. Wet folding is recommended. I often started by dry folding the project, learning the steps, before wet folding. As I didn't have the correct paper, not all of my projects looked as spectacular as the ones in the book, but I was able to play with and tweak them. This is another wonderful thing about these designs. Creativity is encouraged. Each project looked better and better after each attempt. Patience is needed, but it's well rewarded.
I did not feel like this book overlapped on projects from any of Mr. LaFosse's books that I've seen, such as his 'Advanced Origami.' I highly recommend this book. It offers a plethora of knowledge and will give you a new enthusiasm for origami.
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