Brilliant Origami: A Collection of Original Designs (Paperback)

by David Brill (Author) "This subject is the puppet made famous by the New Zealand entertainer, Rod Hull..." (more)
Key Phrases: waterbomb base, reverse fold, valley fold, Tomoko Fuse, British Origami Society, Wise Man (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Japan Publications (USA) (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870408968
• ISBN-13: 978-0870408960
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #545,338 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely models, shame about the diagrams., August 22, 2001

By	Miss Karen J Dawson "fatkraken" (Cambridge United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brill as in Brilliant -- Brilliant as in Brill, December 22, 1999

By	Ted L. Reinert "Ted L. Reinert" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simply Brill-iant., October 29, 2003

By	Christopher Reed (Mansfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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