Materials Pt. I

Image Source: Kawaiicph

Floral, checkered, polka dots, swirls, and more. Origami paper comes in many variations; it can range from plain solid colors to the bright colors from a traditional Japanese pattern. How many of these required sheets of paper will depend on the type of model you have. Besides sheets of paper, I will be using bone folders and rulers to help me make sharp creases. Perhaps a pencil is also best to keep at hand to help me mark a perfect fold when necessary. I'll try to avoid relying on this and calculate the precision myself.

As for the required amount of paper needed for an origami figure, that factor is dependent on the amount needed to create the origami figure itself. Traditionally, a single sheet of paper is used and is folded "without cutting or pasting to produce a sculpted representational figure" (Engel 18). For most of the basic traditional origami forms, the paper starts out as a perfect square; as Engel points out, "for a purist, only a perfect square will do" (18). Modular origami however requires more than one sheet of paper since more than one sheet is folded "into units and combined to make one model" (This Is My Origami). Usually 30 units is the amount "but there are some that use more and some that use less" (This Is My Origami). (Units simply refers to the amount of sheets that are being used.) As for the size, it truly depends. I found various sources recommending sizes of 7 x 7 cm, 4 x 12 cm, and even 10 x 10 cm for their tutorials. It truly will depend on the model. If size was to be experimented, folding steps would not be affected with squared papers since "geometry dictates that the same configuration of folds that worked for the large square can work for reach of the smaller squares" (Engel 20).



Sources:
Engel, Peter. "A Paper Folder's Finding." 24: 16-22. Web. 28 May 2014."Frequently Asked Questions."
This is my Origami. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2014. <http://thisismyorigami.tumblr.com/FAQ>.