Paul Jackson - Origami Zoo: 25 Fun Paper Animal Creations!

Origami animals have always been some of the most popular models to make. Perhaps this is because using the straight lines and geometry of origami to create recognizable curvy animals seems especially magical. Or maybe its simply because we all love animals!

Folding origami animals brings its own challenges. Many of the models in the book require you to use your own judgment when making some of the folds. Make a fold in the wrong place and a head can become too large, or a leg can become too short, and your finished model can look misshapen. So, regard your first attempt at folding a new model as a folded sketch, learning the placement of the folds and perhaps repositioning them a few times until your sketch looks good. Then, take a fresh sheet of paper and fold it right. Remember: origami animals are essentially cartoonsa simplification of a complex formso take time to learn exactly where each of the folds should be placed. Think of yourself as a musician learning a new piece of music; at first you play the notes mechanically, but when you know the piece, you can play the music accurately and with expression.

The models have been arranged in approximately the order of difficulty. If you are new to origami or have only a little experience, you are encouraged to start at the beginning. Jumping in too deep, too early, can be very frustrating.

Most of the models are my own creations, some dating back more than thirty years. Three models have been created by my wife, Miri Golan, and one by our son, Jonathan, when he was five years old. Just use your imagination to play with the paper as Jonathan often does, and you will soon be creating your own masterpieces.

The step-by-step folding sequences were created by Miri, a professional origami educator who has twenty years of experience and is widely regarded as the foremost authority on origami in education. Her instruction stylea result of thousands of hours of teaching origami to children and adults of all abilitiesis the clearest I have seen, and her important contribution to the book fully justifies her title as co-author.

Just as this book has been a family production, we hope youll share the models inside with your own family and help spread the joy of origami through the generations.

We wish you happy folding!

If you are new to origami or if it has been some years since you picked up an origami book, please read this introductory chapter. Instead of trying to fold the most complicated models in the book without perhaps knowing the difference between a valley fold and a mountain fold, I encourage you to read carefully through these pages. They will help you to enjoy your folding more and help ensure your success.

The absolute best paper to use for most of the models in this book is specialist origami paper. Origami paper is square paper, colored on one side and white on the other, a little thinner than common photocopier paper. The difference in color between the two sides is often used to improve the recognition of a modelfor example, by creating different-colored eyesrather than being used to prettify a model. Thus, the color change is often functional rather than merely decorative.

Origami paper can be bought from a number of sources:

If you have a problem obtaining origami paper, use copier paper. This is an excellent paper for folding, inexpensive and readily available. The drawback is that it has the same color on both sides, but this might be considered only a minor disadvantage. Office supply stores will sell copier paper not only in white (how boring!), but also in a variety of colors, sometimes mixing a selection of colors together in a packet.

If you are buying a large quantity of copier paper, consider asking a walk-in print and copy shop to cut it accurately square on an electric guillotine, thus saving you the labor of cutting every rectangle individually to a square, or worse, to an almost square. This quick service should be inexpensive.

For those impromptu moments when you are seized by the urge to fold, or when someone suddenly requests you fold that amazing model you made last week, other papers are also suitable for folding. Try using printed junk maila wonderful free source of excellent paperor magazines, old photocopies, or notepads. In truth, most papers that are printed on are okay to fold and the potential for recycling and reusing papers in this way makes great sense in this age of increasing green awareness. Indeed, I know of origami people who, on principle, never buy paper to foldthey reuse papers of all kinds that others have discarded. Good for them.

Papers to avoid include newspapers, paper towels, tissue and any other paper that will not hold a crease well.

Most origami books will rightly encourage you to fold your favorite origami models from beautiful papers and exhibit them for everyone to admire. However, the animal models in this book will look great made from the paper supplied with the book, or with another two-tone origami paper. But if you are making models to exhibit, then it is worthwhile to visit art and craft stores to see what extra-special papers you can find. If you live in a major city, it may well have a specialist paper store, full of amazing types of paper. A telephone directory, business directory or an Internet search will soon locate such a store.