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Home > Book Reviews > Origami Kit for Dummies

Skill Level :	From simple to intermediate
Clear diagrams?	Yes
Tinted diagrams (to show 2 sides of paper)?	Yes
Photos of completed models?	No
Is there indication to the model size resulting from size of starting paper?	No
Are the models "Pure" origami (From square - no cuts)?	Most are

Overall Impression

This book is fun! Nick Robinson brings his passion and sense of humor to this work, which, other than containing dozens of models to fold, many of which are new or hard to find, also reads like a book, with the author's notes, tips and anecdotes about the art.

It comes with a pack of paper for folding, although, at least in the US edition, this isn't the typical origami paper, but paper with the same color on both sides.

The book opens with an introduction to origami, discussing folding materials and tools, followed by a detailed explanation of the basic symbols.  Next is an examination of different methods for drawing diagrams, some creativity tips, and a touch of copyright issues, important these days.

Despite being designated as a book for beginners, the diagram section avoids the traditional models usually included with such books (in fact, the crane depicted on the cover is not in the book!) instead choosing to introduce more modern creations, moving from the simplest there can be to intermediate-level models. I like the selection of models, as many of them are fun and humorous, and they show a wide variety of folding techniques. It would have been better to have the text of the diagrams displayed next to to the drawings instead of on separate pages, but Robinson's diagrams are usually clear enough to suffice.

The book ends with a flavorful "Top Ten" section, with tips and some more information about origami and about some influential origami artists.

I would recommend this book as a great introduction for beginners, and a fun read for everyone who loves the art.

The Models

Model	Creator	Notes	Photo (click for a larger image)
Ducks	Nick Robinson	A variation on a traditional model
Nick's fish base mask	Nick Robinson
Black sheep down a mine	Bronco Sinkin	Simpler than it sounds...
Sheep during winter	Ron 'Bonsai' Nichols	Even simpler
The horizon	Boris Chanson-Lion
Slightly seasick	Boris Chanson-Lion
Sailboat	Traditional
Flower	Traditional
T-Rex head	Nick Robinson	Cute
Bookmark	Nick Robinson
3D star	Rachel Katz	From 5 squares	Folded by gailprentice
Coin trick	Nick Robinson	From a rectangle
Japanese schoolgirl	Nick Robinson
Three crease head	Paul Jackson	Nice and simple
Dunce's cap	Nick Robinson	With an extra square for a "D"
Miniphant	Mike Dilkes	Nice and simple
Elephant's head	Nick Robinson
Shell	Steven Casey	Nice color-change
Thoki's butterfly	Thoki Yenn
Boaz's butterfly	Boaz Shuval
Triplane	Nick Robinson	A toy-plane
Chick	Kunihiko Kasahara
Fishy sequence	Nick Robinson	A fold changing from a fish to aliens and to a butterfly
Fish	Steven Casey
Biscuit packet closure	Edwin Corrie
A fishy tale	Michel Grand	Storygami	Folded by Michel Grand
Fox's head	Wayne Brown
Envelope	Doris Lauinger		Folded by Michel Grand
Ali's dish 2	Nick Robinson	Also published in Origami Worldwide
Pureland figure	Marc Kirschenbaum
Sailboat envelope	Michael G. LaFosse		Folded by Michel Grand
Dracula	Robin Glynn	Nice. Also published on Robin Glynn's website	Folded by Robin Glynn
Lazy Winston	Nick Robinson	A 3-compartment version of Lazy Suzan	Folded by gailprentice
Hen	Tony O'Hare
Chair	John Montroll	Nice	Folded by gailprentice
Jaws fin	Nick Robinson	Nice
Boat	Martin Wall		Folded by gailprentice
Container	Nick Robinson
Face envelope	Michel Grand		Folded by Michel Grand
Mystery object	Nick Robinson
Bluebell	Traditional
Shining heart	Nick Robinson	The heart is seen when model is against the light
Tulip bowl	Peter Borcherds		Folded by gailprentice
Little nicky	Nick Robinson	A toy-plane
Makotokoma (Spinning top)	Makoto Yamaguchi	From 3 squares
Flood bowl	Nick Robinson
Flapping bird	Traditional
Droodle	Nick Robinson		Folded by Michel Grand
Vase	Gay Merrill Gross
Hearts	Eric Kenneway		Folded by Michel Grand
Lazy suzan	Traditional
Four thirsty birds	David Lister	Nice	Folded by gailprentice
Lovebirds	Robert Neale	From a rectangle. Very nice pop-up action
Dragonfly	Anita F. Barbour
Snail	Robert J. Lang	Very nice	Folded by Michel Grand
For Dummies man	Nick Robinson	Also available on Youtube	Folded by Michel Grand
Modular star	Nick Robinson	From 4 (or 5) squares	Folded by gailprentice
Hexahedron	Nick Robinson
Emblem	Edwin Corrie		Folded by gailprentice
60 degree star	David Petty	From 6 squares	Folded by gailprentice
Gomez bowl	Nick Robinson
Pentagonal star	David Brill	From 5 squares	Folded by Michel Grand
Fluted module	Rocky Jardes	From 6 squares	Folded by Malachi Brown
House	Wayne Brown	Very nice. From a rectangle
Frog	Traditional	Also diagrammed in Origami Essence
Chinese frog	Roman Diaz	Very nice. Also diagrammed in Origami Essence
Dragon	Eric Joisel	Cute
Twist flower	Yoshihide Momotani
Twist decoration	Jeff Beynon		Folded by Michel Grand
Four-compartment box	Philip Shen		Folded by gailprentice
Perro liberando	Luis Fernandez Perez	Very nice! Gets great reactions... Requires an extra, small piece of paper. Also published in Papiroflexia Coleccion
Santa	Ted Norminton	Very nice
Aladdin	Max Hulme	Very nice
Beetle	Grzegorz Bubniak		Folded by Grzegorz Bubniak
Mouse	Guspath Go	Very nice, with a clever lock