Online Origami Surfing

The following links are websites that I have found useful, informative, mind-boggling or just plain fun. All links will open in a new window.

Societies and Clubs:

OrigamiUSA - Headquartered in New York City's American Museum of Natural History. They publish a quarterly magazine and hold an annual convention.

LIFE Long Island Folding Enthusiasts - OUSA's Long Island group, page at Rachel Katz' great website. LIFE sponsors the Origami Heaven event at Stony Brook, NY each year.

Listing of all OrigamiUSA Area Groups - Find one near you! I just love the acronyms.

British Origami Society - Be sure to click on the picture of David Lister (Origami History) for a wealth of topics he has written about.

For Beginner Folders:

3D Origami Animation Diagrams - It doesn't get easier than this. Just follow along with the animation and you'll create your first Origami Crane in minutes.

General Diagrams:

Origami Database - Database of models that can be found in publication.

Origami Resource Center - Wonderfully organized website. Also includes Kirigami, Tea Bag folding (you'll be folding the tea bag wrappers - not the soggy tea bags), and edible origami (hmmm, watch out for paper cuts).

Gilad's Origami Page - Gilad Aharoni's cat creation is one of my favorite felines.

Sy's Paper Folding Page - Sy Chen's designs, some have diagrams. My favorites include his Rose Brooch, Tai Chi (Yin-Yang) Symbol and Can Love be Squashed.

Joost Langeveld - Dutch origami artist Joost Langeveld and his amazing flowers.

Peter Budai's origami page - Hungarian origami artist Peter Budai presents a website that is informative for all levels of folders.

Blogs:

I like visiting blogs to get ideas for what to fold next. Here are a few blogs I visit regularly.

Useful Origami - Hayrow Kitty's (!) blog is very refreshing. Currently, you can follow the adventures of Kyle, an origami frog, as he travels across the US! He's very photogenic, appears to make friends easily and is spreading the folding word. I expect to get a post card from him any day...

The Fitful Flog - Open origami. Open source origami advocate Philip Chapman-Bell.

Crease is the Word... - Nick Robinson's musings.

Origamimommy - New blog by the very creative Patty Grodner.

Origami Spirit - Leyla Torres has an interesting and well organized blog.

Origamiancy - Ancella Simoes' blog is inspiring and nice to look at.

An Origami a Day - Pearlie's Facebook blog has good references for every model shown.

Origami Weekly - Andrew Hudson and Jared Needle's ambitious blog with the goal of designing and diagramming a new model each week.

Have Paper, Will Travel - The WordSmith from Nantucket, Michael Saunders.

Modular:

Origami - Meenakshi's Modular Mania - Meenakshi Mukerji's website, author of Marvelous Modular Origami. Many free diagrams of her own beautiful creations and links to dozens of modular diagrams that she has personally used.

Money Folding:

Won Park - Browse through Won Park's incredible photos of his money folds. (And no, he doesn't live in a garbage truck).

Money Origami - At the Origami Resource Center.

Steve Hecht's Web Site - My favorites include his one-way arrow, flower (with stem) and elephant.

Dollar Bill Polyhedra Sonobe Module - Photo steps for creating a Sonobe module from 3 dollar bills. Also known as Toshie's Jewel, Crystal or Hexadron.

Tessellations:

OrigamiUSA - This article will sent you on the right path: "Tessellations and How to Get Started" by Sara Adams.

Origami Tessellations - Blog style page by Eric Gjerde.

Crease Patterns:

Ben's Crease Patterns Page - The link for "Crease Pattern Info" contains a tutorial to get you started with learning to read and fold from crease patterns. (Site has some navigation problems.)

Design in Origami - Besides standard Crease Patterns, this site offers a new way called "Progressive Crease Patterns." It's a nice new approach, which is somewhere between regular diagramming and crease patterns. Since some cps are nearly impossible to follow, this is a great idea.

Wet Folding:

Who's afraid of wet-folding? - Excellent article by Gilad with helpful photos, almost makes me want to try it.

British Origami Society - An article that introduces folding with dampened paper.

Wet Hand Towel Origami - Oshibori Origami is origami made from... wet Japanese hand towels! Very funny and well made website by Nick Ramsay.

Origami Humor:

Toilegami (toy-lu-GAH-me) - A practical bathroom book. What can you make with a single square of toilet paper?

Origami Folding Robot - OK, this isn't a joke, but it is humorous: Projects grad students come up with to justify their folding habits.

Origami Music:

Papersonics Paper Music - Origami Artist Paul Jackson has created music from paper!

Nick Robinson's Music - Origami designer/teacher/author Nick Robinson has combined his musical and folding talents to create paper music. Be sure to check out the rest of his website while you're listening.