HOW TO MAKE AN ORIGAMI MODEL..?

As we said before that origami or the art of folding paper is an easy art. You just need a beautiful paper with the color and texture of your choice. You can get a variety of choices from stationary shops. You can work on simple pieces at first and then progress to more complicated designs whenever you are ready.
And to get a beautiful and easy model , u should know these few things:

1. Fold each crease very well.
Every crease needs to be flattened quite well for a successful model . You can reinforce a crease by running the side of your thumbnail along the fold, or even use some sort of tool. I sometimes use the end of a plastic ruler, that works well without damaging the paper.
2. Follow the instructions.
Every part of the instructions is important, so read each description carefully, and look at each picture closely. If you miss a piece of information, it could make the model more difficult than it has to be.
3. Be patient.
If you are just learning how to make origami, you have to realize that it is contemplative and relaxed activity, that is, you can't go rushing through the instructions as fast as you can. It won't take long for you to be very good at origami especially with the diagrams but when you are just starting give yourself a lot of time to work it out.
4. Have fun...
Now you can try to make a simple model, and if you find it too easy, well, simply go on to a harder one.Don't forget that your own concept and design should reflect your creation.



Now, let's see some models with their diagrams..

THE LEGEND OF ORIGAMI CRANES...

It's an ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy beasts.It may conceivably be the oldest bird on earth, there is fossil proof that they existed over 60 million years ago.

The Japanese refer to the crane as “the bird of happiness” the Chinese as “heavenly crane” believing they were symbols of wisdom.The crane has also evolved as a favorite subject of the tradition of paper folding " origami". It is said that a thousand folded cranes, one for each year of its life, makes a wish come true.

The Thousand Origami Cranes has become a symbol of world peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki a young Hiroshima survivor born just before the atomic bombing she developed leukemia as a result of the radiation ten years later, in her early teens. As the disease wasted her body, this young girl who was a local track star began to fold cranes in the ancient legend that if she folded a thousand cranes she would have a wish granted to be cured and well.

The story began when Chizuko Hamamoto - Sadako's best friend -came to the hospital to visit and cut a golden piece of paper into a square and folded it into a paper crane. At first Sadako didn't understand why Chizuko was doing this but then Chizuko retold the story about the paper cranes. Inspired by the crane, she started folding them herself, spurred on by "the Japanese saying" that one who folded 1,000 cranes was granted a wish. A popular version of the story is that she fell short of her goal of folding 1,000 cranes, having folded only 644 before her death, and that her friends completed the 1,000 and buried them all with her. This comes from the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. An exhibit which appeared in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum stated that by the end of August, 1955, Sadako had achieved her goal and continued to fold more cranes.
Though she had plenty of free time during her days in the hospital to fold the cranes, she lacked paper. She would use medicine wrappings and whatever else she could scrounge up. This included going to other patients' rooms to ask to use the paper from their get-well presents. Chizuko would bring paper from school for Sadako to use.
During her time in hospital her condition progressively worsened. Around mid-October her left leg became swollen and turned purple. After her family urged her to eat something, Sadako requested tea on rice and remarked "It's good." Those were her last words. With her family around her, Sadako died on the morning of October 25, 1955.
The children decide to write to other children all over Japan to tell them of the story of Sadako and ask them to contribute money for a monument in her name to spread her message of peace. When the Japanese government learns of this plan they decide to rename a park in Hiroshima "Peace Park." There they erect a huge statue with a replica of Sakako holding up a giant crane.

ORIGAMI HISTORY...

Origami began approximately in the first century AD in China, where people discovered the simple thrill of folding paper into various shapes and forms. Many of these primitive methods survived to this day as basic origami shapes and moves. As the skill of making paper moved across the Eastern world the art became quite popular in Japan where it melded with the culture and religion at the time.At this time paper was an expensive and rare commodity, so to be able to "waste" it for origami was a hobby for only the rich. Many noblemen would create special boxes to include gifts in; combining an exhibit of skill and wealth at the same time. As the production of paper spread and it became cheaper and more available, more people began to fold and create shapes and forms. But the habit of conservation exists to this day where many Japanese can fold ornate creations out of the smallest slip of paper to avoid wastage.

One major problem of ancient origami was that the techniques and designs were all oral,passed on through the mother to the daughter much like the oral traditions in other parts of the world. While this was mostly due to illiteracy on the part of the majority of the people, it was also because of the methods and creations involved - many families treasured their skill with paper and didn't want outsiders to steal their creations. As a result, many techniques were lost over time as word of mouth proved insufficient to keeping these secrets alive.

In the late seventeenth century and the early eighteen hundreds the first manuals were published, including many traditional folding diagrams and creations for the reader. One major design was of a Crane, a sacred creature in Japan.

Origami has gained a widespread following as a hobby among adults Not only a hobby for some, it has become a forum for political and social causes. But in the end, it is still the simple art of paperfolding, open to anyone with a bit of patience and a lot of paper and time on their hands..

What is Origami.?

Origami is the Japanese word for paper folding." ORI "means to fold and" KAMI "means paper. Together, they form the word, "origami." It is an art form that has been handed down from parent to child through many generations. Origami involves the creation of paper forms usually entirely by folding. Animals, birds, fish, geometric shapes, puppets, toys and masks are among the models that even very young children can learn to make in just one sitting.

These are some models to see that is an interesting art or a creative hobby..