nataliacooper

Hello everyone, I am an origami artist and my family has been into this art since ages. My ancestors were quite involved in this creative field and now, I've also decided to enter into it. My father has been my only tutor and he taught me through traditional methods. Now that every genre of work today is digitized, making origami too has been transformed with technology.

My main concern of writing this post is that I have been using traditional practices to mold my creativity into a piece of art but now, I want to inculcate leading technologies as well. There is plenty of diagramming software for origami which helps in curating a design or pattern to give you a head start before creating the art piece. I am a little confused as to which software complements my traditional knowledge of making origami. Advice, guidance, and assistance are welcomed as I am really in need of a digitized route to shape my creativity.

ashtonbryan

Hi nataliacooper, I can totally empathize with you, I am going through the same dilemma but I am not as well trained in this art as you are (my father is more of the "get your hands greasy" kind). I recently started making my own designs but I find it difficult to draw them. I can sketch them by hand but it's not giving me that accurate and precise outcome.

ryangabriel

Hello nataliacooper and ashtonbryan, it feels good that you are interested in origami art and want to discover new dimensions to it. Although there is plenty of diagramming software out there, I would suggest that you both must opt for Inkscape. It's a free program and it has a user-friendly interface that is specially built for beginners. (https://inkscape.org/en/gallery/%3Dextension/) You can download the extension through this link or you can buy the original version of the software. Best wishes from my side and keep encouraging your creativity.

nataliacooper

Thank you ryangabriel for your suggestion. I would definitely try Inkscape and post my feedback soon.

geekyjade

Hello everyone, I was also going to recommend Inkscape. But before working with this software, I would suggest that you should do yourself a favor and take some time out to watch Sara Adams' Inkscape tutorial http://www.happyfolding.com/instructions-fuse-whirlpool_spiral_cps_with_inkscape where she explains how to create a CP (crease pattern) for one of Tomoko Fuse's spiral designs. Even if you aren't interested in drawing those, she covers a lot of tools and tricks in the process that you will find useful for drawing traditional diagrams. You can thank me later.

ashtonbryan

Thank you so much geekyjade and ryangabriel for suggesting such an amazing software, and the video tutorial by Sara Adams was really beneficial in using Inkscape. The video mentioned many tricks and tactics that should prove to be helpful while working with the software. Thank you once again for your help. You guys are indeed a blessing for beginners like us.

bellajustin

Hello everyone, it seems like everybody is relying so much on technology today but I think conventional methods are always the best approach to practice an art. I haven't used any diagramming software in my life for sketching designs. I sketch them by hand and they are as good if not better than what the software will shell out. I do follow online tutorials but I never blend my creativity with technology. I would recommend that you must go through this Robert Lang's page of diagramming, http://www.langorigami.com/article/origami-diagramming-conventions that talks about the basic methods of conventional diagramming.

jasonlian

I totally agree with you bellajustin, conventional methods form the best avenue towards any art. Personally I usually just sketch them out by hand. While it might not be an ideal practice for some, it gets the job done well enough for me. However, the real key is that you feel comfortable with whatever tools you are using, be it a traditional method by hand or a modern approach with the help of technology.

ryangabriel

Well said bellajustin and jasonlian, you both have made your points clear. We are not degrading traditional methods. It's just that we all should widen our creativity with the help of technology if it's readily available to us. Technology has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on how you cash in on it.

isabellecolin

Is there an ongoing war between technology and tradition? Well, I would definitely go with technology. I have almost tried every diagramming tool there is and a majority of them have helped me in sharpening my creative side and they have definitely helped improve my origami designs.

I personally use Adobe Illustrator for diagramming, but any vector-based art program will work for you. Freehand used to be quite popular but as it's a dead-end software program, it's no longer compatible with many systems. Inkscape is also a decent and free vector art program and certainly good for beginners.

georgepaul

Someone suggested TreeMaker for diagramming, should I give it a try. I'm a beginner.

MarkVincent

Hello georgepaul, I have been using TreeMaker for a long time, and it isn't useful for diagramming. That's more beneficial for generating CP's. If you're searching for software that would not only give you a crease pattern but also a step by step diagram of the model, I would recommend that you give ORIPA a try. While it may have a few glitches to get working on a 64-bit version of windows, it does work really well and provides the desired result.

georgepaul

Thank you MarkVincent for guiding me with your advice, I would definitely try ORIPA and will let you know my experience with it.