Origami for the newbie--does paper matter and other questions

[Julie]

I was given a book on origami and my brother and I attempted to make origami bunnies last night. They were somewhat successful. The only problem is that one section of the end result has a tendency to come unfolded. We did four rabbits, and all have the same problem in the same place.

Is this a problem with our technique or a problem with our paper? We were just using square patterned paper we found in Hobby Lobby. Nothing origami-specific. It had a tendency to get really fragile after all the creasing, and the part that keeps unfolding seems very thick.

Is there a really great book you'd recommend? Really great paper?

[Ferret Herder]

Special origami paper would be better for now. They do make foil-style origami paper which can really hold a nice crease, but that can have problems with flaking off the coloring if you're not so good at it, and blatantly showing every single previous crease even if you'd unfolded it.

I can't think of any book recommendations off the top of my head at the moment, but I'll check at home and see if I kept any of my old books.

And don't fret if something just doesn't seem to work for you. I've folded complex origami dinosaurs and everything, but the classic amuse-a-child Flapping Bird never flaps when I make it.

[Julie]

Special origami paper would be better for now.

Any ideas where to find it locally? I looked in Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and JoAnn Fabrics, but I didn't necessarily look in exactly the right places in the store and didn't think to ask.

[Ferret Herder]

Huh, that's weird.

If you have a well-stocked bookstore near you, you might have more luck finding packs of it in the craft section near the origami books.

Origami paper is usually better-suited for repeated folding than regular paper; it seems like the fibers hold up better to it and you're less likely to get the problem with fragility in those spots.

[MsPurlMcKnittington]

Special origami paper would be better for now.

Any ideas where to find it locally? I looked in Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and JoAnn Fabrics, but I didn't necessarily look in exactly the right places in the store and didn't think to ask.

Try art stores. If there's a university near you, there's usually one near campus to get all the art major business.

[Julie]

I didn't know if origami was an "art" or a "craft."

Of course, I don't know what the difference is between the two, but I'm sure there is one.

[Capybara]

Also check Asian grocery stores.
For books, a mathematician named John Montroll put out a couple of books of excellent complicated animal patterns, oh, a thousand years ago but I think they're still in print.

[Chimpy]

Paper matters rather a lot; although almost everything works with any sort of paper you have lying around, the traditional origami paper has a number of qualities that lend it to use, these include being thin but strong (thus meaning overlapped areas aren't too thick but do not tear), and holding a crease very well. As mentioned above, crease holding ability is a boon and a curse; it means any failed folds or folds to allow you to line up other folds show, therefore it can be useful to practice on cheap, normal paper then once you're confident fold with the more expensive and attractive traditional paper. To add to that, a lot of the patterns are designed around the coloured/white sides being as they are.

In terms of resources, I'd really not suggest books at all; go to http://dev.origami.com/diagram.cfm and there are 405 different things to fold, including difficulty ratings. When I was the US I found the best place to buy origami paper was at Michaels but to be honest, I've not seen a large craft store that didn't carry the stuff; just ask.