Customer Reviews

Ornamental Origami: Exploring 3D Geometric Designs

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

 

 

I never thought I'd find any modular origami books to rival Tomoko Fuse, but Ms Mukerji has created a fantastic book!

Off the bat I have to say, this is not the ideal primer for early beginners. However, there are plenty of beginner tips, basic fold instructions, and even a little modular history. So, if you're diligent (and patient) you will eventually succeed. And you'll definitely have fun and learn a lot!

For the more experienced folder, this is a great book for broadening your modular repertoire. You can definitely tell Ms Mukerji has a math and science background, as pearls of mathematical wisdom are peppered throughout the book. Her comfort in that field served her well in designing some truly gorgeous models. I like how some of them lead to variations, with room for you to input some of your own ideas.

Also, some of the designs feel feminine, with a softness you don't see very often in mod origami books. There are waves and curves, and the flowers seem to be in the process of blooming!

The designs are organized in chapters by the kind of base used. The illustrations are numerous, but the descriptions and directions are brief. That won't pose a problem for the more experienced folder, but the beginner made need some trial and error to understand the process. (Remember to look one step ahead if you get stuck!)

In short, this a great book to add to your collection. It is different enough from previous books for you to feel entertained, if not challenged. But hey, even the best folder has to take a deep breath before merging in that last unit!

Check your copy, I bought this book new when it was published in 2008, and the book is defective; after page 62, it repeats pages 52-62 then skips to pages 79 and, this is the clincher, Amazon won't replace it because I purchased it from them over 30 days ago. I have to purchase a new copy (yes it's still in print, yes, they can return it to the publisher, it is like new and defective, no, they won't do it because they expect everyone to read every book cover to cover within 30 days); and,
the customer service talks about high quality customer service and making Amazon better. Yes, better without customers like me who want an undefective book and a retailer that will stand behind it's customer service and quality products. The book is defective, Amazon's product was defective. The book contents are great if you can read them and get a complete copy. Amazon, you can serve your customers better and more honestly and fairly. Show them you are a quality retailer and value loyalty and good quality customer service that is truly high quality.

It's a quite good origami book, many models and the instructions are pretty clear. The book not only shows how to make origami models it has also a small mathematical appendix and some exercises to think about how to create your own models.
It's good for intermediate origami enthusiasts.

The increasing complexity and resultant beauty of origami designs continues to amaze me. When looking at the end result, it is hard to believe that the object was constructed by executing a series of simple folds and bends of paper. The designs illustrated in this book are complex and when done, create objects that look very much like flowers. The title is very appropriate; the end results of the operations are very ornamental in appearance.
Explicit instructions for each of the designs are given, yet while they are reasonably easy to follow, that trait is relative. By that, I mean that the experienced practitioner of origami will find them easy to follow; novices will be forced to take some time to learn the details. Nevertheless, this book is a valuable container of some exquisite designs for origami objects.

This is the second book I have of the author and I am loving it. I have folded only one model so far from the book and the result is great-looking but easy to fold.

Some of the designs in this book are enhancements of designs from her first book but mostly they are new. Like her first book, this one too is one in category with variety of simple to complex modules, clear diagrams and specially the beautiful color photographs of the finished model which instantly catches the eye.

She also recommends the paper size and type for different models and the size of the finished model, which makes it much more easier than deciding on your own. I sometimes have not been too happy with a finished model because I had started with the wrong paper size. So her recommendations are very helpful for the less experienced folder like me.

Also her first chapter about modular origami basics and the mathematical relation to the modular origami is a good summary for a beginner. Overall, an excellent book for a new folder with patience and ready to explore the modular origami world as well as a modular origami enthusiast.

This is a great book to branch our in to the geometric shapes of Origami. It is for people who have been folding and doing Origami for several years as some of the instructions are truncated since it is assumed you know different beginning folds. Still an excellent book to expand your knowledge and Origami collection with.

It took me a while to decide what I wanted to write about this title. In some ways I was very impressed, but in others I wasn't. The book itself is interesting, as it discusses Origami in terms of geometry; something that I had understood from my reading on the art that it had been used to teach children in Japanese schools. The notion of three dimensional forms, their edges, faces, and points, is explained and may help the student visualize geometric concepts more clearly.

If you are an average practicioner already, the book's simpler designs may give you some concept of how modules are used to create larger products; some of the flower designs are lovely and not out of reach of those who've already done origami with some frequency. Better and simpler books with delightful designs based on this technique are available, like those of Fuse, Fabulous Origami Boxes, Origami Rings & Wreaths: A Kaleidoscope of 28 Decorative Origami Creations and others Origami Jewelry: More Than 40 Exquisite Designs to Fold and Wear and might be a simpler place to start.

For the more advanced practice origamist, this book may be very enlightening if you feel you have run out of challenges. Certainly if you wish to design your own models, it would be helpful, especially those using multiple parts in one or more shapes. Visualizing the part that such shapes take in the final product will definitely take a little practice as it isn't necessarily quite as straight forward as one might think. Developing the skill to see a module in a different light might help one create other novel patterns using it.

This is not, however, really a book that the beginner would be best to start his or her own practice of the art. Most of the designs are "fussy" by virtue of the sheer number of modular parts required to complete them. What is the strong suite for an advanced practitioner becomes the bane of the beginner: visualizing how the parts interact when it isn't very clear cut.

From the point of view of a pattern book, some of the designs are quite lovely, particlarly the flowers and the triangle pyramids, but many are messy looking and seem to have been designed simply to prove that one can carry anything to an extreme. This is especially so with the last designs in the book which carry the geometric aspect of origami to higher and higher levels in something of a competitive context. Increasing the number of plains and parts for geometric designs apparently assures one a place in the history of origami. If this is your desire, the book is for you. If you just want some nice designs or instruction in how to do origami, it probably isn't. In general I preferred the author's other book, Marvelous Modular Origami, which also has polyhedra, but which seems to show a little more restraint. Here too, however, the book is probably not for a beginner.

I haven't dived in to this book yet, but I have the author's previous book and have done several of the designs and can recommend both books.