First of all, apologies for missing the Wednesday time frame for
this blog post: not a great start, is it? However, I've been fairly
busy the past week and it helps me out being able to post this on
Sunday as well. Second of all and just before we get to the main
event, it's time for Bonsai Watch!
Bonsai Watch
Ok, so not exactly impressive that out of 5 pots filled with multiple seeds, I have just one growth. But I have faith! More to come next month.
Origami
Never thought I would have said the phrase 'do you have any paper for origami, please?'. But here I was, uttering it in Paper Tiger as the customer assistant looked at me quizzically. Not a great start when the person working in the specialised paper store looks at you like that. However, with the help of another customer assistant, I emerged with a pack of multi-coloured paper and my journey into origami had begun.
So, for the uninitiated, Origami is the art of folding paper (Ori meaning paper and Kami meaning paper...kami changed to gami), which originated in Japan and for some reason, I had decided that I would take the challenge of learning this unusual skill as my first monthly challenge and I'm pleased I did. Now, I won't lie: for many people, it's not exactly the most exciting of things to do as you are, as the name implies, folding paper. However, it is creative, relaxing and you end up with something out of a sheet of paper like a flower, or a bird, or like several pieces of mine, a mess. I prefer to think of them as 'modern art' though.
Plus, there are a number of different techniques and styles (I will admit, I never thought that there would be different ways to fold paper. Shows how much I know). There is action origami, where you actually use kinetic energy to make the finished article move. There is modular origami, where you put various pieces together. Wet folding, mountain folds and origami tools are things that I've barely even begun to examine! It's a complicated and deep activity to learn and I guess, near impossible to master.
So, how did I get on?
Not too badly, I must admit though perhaps not as well as I could have. Throughout the month, I used an app called 'Origami' and various websites to make and practice a selection of different items. These were:
Below, I will chat a little bit about each.
The boat
The boat was the first item that I made as it was the easiest to do on my app. Below I've got some pictures showing some of the folding and the finished items but overall, it wasn't too difficult. I struggled with folding the corners a certain way but I can probably chalk that down to being a beginner.
The Love Heart
I actually only made two of these, as I needed triangular paper and as I only had square, I had to cut or tear it, which I didn't hugely want to do. This was pretty easy actually but I wasn't a huge fan of the end result...a bit too square for me.
The Bird
The bird was probably my favourite to make and is one that I've memorized. It is perhaps not the greatest looking bird (it's no crane) but I think it does look pretty good and it does look like a bird. This was more difficult that the boat or the heart, as it involved various amounts of pre-folding and re-folding but it wasn't too bad at all.
The Modular Flower
This was the most complicated thing to make, even ignoring the fact I had to make 5 different petals and connect them. The actual process involved again, various amounts of pre-folding but then actually involved you unwrapping the entire item and then folding it again but in a different way from the first time. This was another favourite as although the petals are connected, I've used nothing other than the paper itself to do it. No glue, no paper clips...nothing.
The Jumping Frog
I won't lie...I wasn't too impressed by the jumping frog at all and only made it once. Not because I thought I hadn't made it properly for a while nor not because the jumping is somewhat random. No it's because I don't think it looks very good at all. However, you can judge for yourself. This was another complicated project but mostly because of the thickness of some of the folds and because you have to make what I would call 'z' folds. When I first made it, I actually thought I hadn't done it correctly and left it for a week. Then, just as I went to bed one day, I decided to try it one more and it jumped! As I couldn't exactly take a picture of it jumping, here is a rare video of it (and a picture as well).
So having spent a month doing this, what do I think of it? I really enjoyed it actually and I will probably continue to practice it. It's great when you have a few minutes to spare or if you want to surprise someone with something a little unique. Don't get my wrong...you're never going to use it in your everyday life but that's what they say about differential equations, right?
So what's the plan for next month then? Well, I'm going to introduce jogging into my life and I thought I would document it this month! Wish me luck!
Pick of the Week
An Astronaut's Guide to Life - I read a lot. Newspapers, manga, books and comics...blogs and cooksbooks...you name it, I will read it but it's not often I read a book that changes my outlook to life. Reading about how Chris Hadfield (the author) lived his life and how he approaches challenges (such as going blind in space). Check it out and remember, 'sweat the small stuff'.
Music of the Week
This week, it's one of my favourite songs from my youth: Adema - Giving in. Enjoy!
Well, that's it from me for this week. Now then, I need to go fix 1000 paper-cuts. See you next week.
Bonsai Watch
Ok, so not exactly impressive that out of 5 pots filled with multiple seeds, I have just one growth. But I have faith! More to come next month.
Origami
Never thought I would have said the phrase 'do you have any paper for origami, please?'. But here I was, uttering it in Paper Tiger as the customer assistant looked at me quizzically. Not a great start when the person working in the specialised paper store looks at you like that. However, with the help of another customer assistant, I emerged with a pack of multi-coloured paper and my journey into origami had begun.
So, for the uninitiated, Origami is the art of folding paper (Ori meaning paper and Kami meaning paper...kami changed to gami), which originated in Japan and for some reason, I had decided that I would take the challenge of learning this unusual skill as my first monthly challenge and I'm pleased I did. Now, I won't lie: for many people, it's not exactly the most exciting of things to do as you are, as the name implies, folding paper. However, it is creative, relaxing and you end up with something out of a sheet of paper like a flower, or a bird, or like several pieces of mine, a mess. I prefer to think of them as 'modern art' though.
Plus, there are a number of different techniques and styles (I will admit, I never thought that there would be different ways to fold paper. Shows how much I know). There is action origami, where you actually use kinetic energy to make the finished article move. There is modular origami, where you put various pieces together. Wet folding, mountain folds and origami tools are things that I've barely even begun to examine! It's a complicated and deep activity to learn and I guess, near impossible to master.
So, how did I get on?
Not too badly, I must admit though perhaps not as well as I could have. Throughout the month, I used an app called 'Origami' and various websites to make and practice a selection of different items. These were:
- A boat,
- A love heart,
- A bird,
- A modular flower, and
- A jumping frog
Below, I will chat a little bit about each.
The boat
The boat was the first item that I made as it was the easiest to do on my app. Below I've got some pictures showing some of the folding and the finished items but overall, it wasn't too difficult. I struggled with folding the corners a certain way but I can probably chalk that down to being a beginner.
The Love Heart
I actually only made two of these, as I needed triangular paper and as I only had square, I had to cut or tear it, which I didn't hugely want to do. This was pretty easy actually but I wasn't a huge fan of the end result...a bit too square for me.
The Bird
The bird was probably my favourite to make and is one that I've memorized. It is perhaps not the greatest looking bird (it's no crane) but I think it does look pretty good and it does look like a bird. This was more difficult that the boat or the heart, as it involved various amounts of pre-folding and re-folding but it wasn't too bad at all.
The Modular Flower
This was the most complicated thing to make, even ignoring the fact I had to make 5 different petals and connect them. The actual process involved again, various amounts of pre-folding but then actually involved you unwrapping the entire item and then folding it again but in a different way from the first time. This was another favourite as although the petals are connected, I've used nothing other than the paper itself to do it. No glue, no paper clips...nothing.
The Jumping Frog
I won't lie...I wasn't too impressed by the jumping frog at all and only made it once. Not because I thought I hadn't made it properly for a while nor not because the jumping is somewhat random. No it's because I don't think it looks very good at all. However, you can judge for yourself. This was another complicated project but mostly because of the thickness of some of the folds and because you have to make what I would call 'z' folds. When I first made it, I actually thought I hadn't done it correctly and left it for a week. Then, just as I went to bed one day, I decided to try it one more and it jumped! As I couldn't exactly take a picture of it jumping, here is a rare video of it (and a picture as well).
So having spent a month doing this, what do I think of it? I really enjoyed it actually and I will probably continue to practice it. It's great when you have a few minutes to spare or if you want to surprise someone with something a little unique. Don't get my wrong...you're never going to use it in your everyday life but that's what they say about differential equations, right?
So what's the plan for next month then? Well, I'm going to introduce jogging into my life and I thought I would document it this month! Wish me luck!
Pick of the Week
An Astronaut's Guide to Life - I read a lot. Newspapers, manga, books and comics...blogs and cooksbooks...you name it, I will read it but it's not often I read a book that changes my outlook to life. Reading about how Chris Hadfield (the author) lived his life and how he approaches challenges (such as going blind in space). Check it out and remember, 'sweat the small stuff'.
Music of the Week
This week, it's one of my favourite songs from my youth: Adema - Giving in. Enjoy!
Well, that's it from me for this week. Now then, I need to go fix 1000 paper-cuts. See you next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment