Origami.  A Japanese word for the art of paper-folding.

I've been an avid origami enthusiast since about the age of ten, when I discovered instructions on how to make a penguin in our family's encyclopaedia set.  A quick trip to the local library exposed me to a handful of books and a world of enjoyment of this incredible art form.

As the years passed I would scour bookstores and library discard piles, eventually compiling a small library of books.  The past decade seems to have spawned a miniature Renaissance of folding publications and I have revelled in each new release.  However, I never met another person who pursued or practiced the artform like I did.  Sure, folks enjoyed my latest efforts from my latest book, but like so many who do not practice the art, they just don't know how to react.  The two most common questions I hear are:

"This is just one piece of paper?"

and

"How do you do that?"

Unfortunately, that second question is generally a rhetorical one.  I've also discovered I'm not a very good teacher.

And then came the Internet.  And there was MUCH rejoicing!

There are paperfolders EVERYWHERE!

Dollar Bill Folds

Modular Origami

Masks

Miscellaneous I

There are a lot of patterns involving the use of dollar bills.  Unfortunately for me, these require US dollar bills (I'm a Canadian and our dollar coins are no fun to fold! :)  So instead I've substituted Canadian Tire money.  If you don't know what that is and want to know, drop me an email ;)

This is a form of origami where models are assembled from many units.  It's a delightful activity since individual units are generally very simple and easy to fold, but then the activity of assembling them is like solving a three dimensional jig saw puzzle.

As an artist I love faces.  I guess that's why I'm a caricaturist ;)  And I guess that's why I've always enjoyed folding masks and other forms of origami faces.

From the traditional to the new and cutting edge (no pun intended).

Miscellaneous II

Sci-Fi Models

Airplanes!

You gotta see some of these to believe them!  Themed origami pages have been one of my favourite discoveries online.

A lot of folks don't realize that something as fun as a paper airplane can be considered origami.  However, some incredible books exist out there with planes that not only look great, but fly great too!  These are some of my favourites.

Origami Caricatures

Origami cartoons

These are caricatures by myself and other artists of some of the personalities in the origami world.

A couple of fun images by me.  Generally these have been inspired by discussions that occurred on the Origami-L mailing list.