Recommend Books on Origami
Hello everyone, I am here to get some general advice and recommendation on origami books. My son is 12 years old and he just loves origami. When he was just 8, he used to make paper cranes, however, we couldn't recognize his talent until one day he made an aquarium of sorts with many sea creatures and corals, all made from paper. I would now like to encourage get him with a book educating him on more advanced projects.
He tells me that most books at his library have simple folding projects that he can easily create, while one among those books had a project that took him days to complete and he liked the complexity. He likes creating animals, boxes, and decorative arts. Can anybody recommend me a good book that will enhance his creativity through more advanced techniques?
Hi nancycolin, I would suggest that rather than relying on a book as a source of learning, you should take him to an origami class to develop his skills. I don't know much about the classes but you can search and find some classes near your locality. I think that would be the best path to nurture his talent. Best of luck to your little one.
Thank you daisypaul, and yes, we are searching for origami classes but for the time being, I want him to learn the basic traditional techniques so that he can easily get along with the pace of teaching in the class. It will also help me evaluate if his passion truly lies in this art before we go ahead and enroll him in a class.
You should really encourage his talent. I am glad that today's parents are taking a keen interest in developing their kid's creativity. Tomoko Fuse's books have got some really good insights on techniques. But if you want to keep him occupied and learning for years, get Lang's Origami Design Secrets. My best wishes to your son.
I shall go through both the books and will see what suits him the best for his learning. I will post the feedback on your suggested books soon. Thank you once again for your timely help.
Hello nancycolin, I can't really make out the stage of expertise at which your son is but considering him as a beginner (no offense), I would suggest that you should get him Paulo Mulatinho books as it has some really basic techniques that can help in building a strong foundation for origami art. And I think that before learning advanced techniques, he should get used to the elementary methods of creating origami models.
Thank you billyjane, I agree with you totally and I am also working on building his fundamental origami knowledge. You need to take a step before you leap and that's exactly what I want for my son. I shall check further on the book recommended by you. Thank you so much for your helpful suggestion.
I was also looking out for origami books for my 9 year old sister. She once attended a one-day origami program and absolutely enjoyed creating designs with paper. Now she wants to do more of it and I want to get her some educational books that will help her understand the art better. My friend suggested Paulo Mulatinho to me as well, however, I wasn't able to find it at any bookstore. But I got some really good reviews about his books. Nancycolin, pls let me know if you find the book at any store.
Wonder why the book didn't show up on my search. Anyways, thanks a ton billyjane.
Hello nancycolin, you wrote that your son loves creating animals. Well, in that case, I would suggest another book that is quite informative, but a little more advanced for a 12 year old (please buy it after your analysis only); Jeremy Shafer's "Origami to Astonish and Amuse". It contains exclusive action models that can be used in creating origami artworks. Cheers and best of luck to your son.
Thank you SimonMartin for your suggestion. I shall add this book in my list of books-to-buy.
Hello nancycolin and cameliajiden, apart from books, I would suggest that you should also explore video tutorials for the kids. There are many videos on youtube out there that can be an interactive source of learning.
Hi julietjosey, your suggestion might prove correct in the case of adults, however with two kids who are looking to get their fundamentals about origami straight, I don't think video tutorials is the right approach or practice for them. I would suggest that they start with reading a book and familiarize themselves with the folding and symbols.
Hello everyone, "Genuine Origami" by Jun Maekawa is also a great book to start with. It has a variety of chapters from easy to complex so that one can learn the simple foldings and advance further on. Additionally, the book also has a synopsis of several techniques used by the author.
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