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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Origami explained

Origami is a Japanese word meaning the art of folding papers into shapes to create decorative objects. Learning how to make origami flowers will give you a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Any local hobby, or art store would carry the specific color or colors of origami paper that you may need to construct your flowers. You can use regular newspaper but it is usually too thick for the folding process, however the specialized origami paper is thin enough and cut to the right size and shape.

Origami stress relief

Origami is a great way to help manage stress. In the same way stress is a physiological problem. So origami engages both the mind and hands to produce a calming effect. The art of origami involves folding and creasing paper. This uses both sides of your brain. The brain is divided into two halves as we know, the right hand side controls the left hand and the left hand side controls the right hand.

The sense of fulfillment and resulting satisfaction help relieve the symptoms which you felt beforehand. Simple origami folds and creases can be used to make a wide variety of designs.

Learning origami

Often times, origami books will give you a beginning section that outlines several preliminary folds that serve as the foundation of many models. This sounds like a great idea and is usually indeed a really helpful reference. The trouble is, publishers then usually skips these steps on the pages of the actually origami designs themselves. Rather than showing you how to make a "bird base" in the instructions of a model that requires one, they'll simply tell you to begin with that fold already done.

CONCLUSION

Although traditionalists might have a problem with using scissors and blades to help cut paper, it does have to happen sometimes. With that said, it rarely has to happen when you are doing the actual design of the origami piece. Many of the origami patterns call for a square piece of paper, and unless you get commercial origami paper, you might have to cut your own to size. A good pair of scissors or an artist’s blade and a straight edge will do the trick.