Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
Table of Contents of Contents I.
Introduction
II.
Folding Leaves, Leaflets and Flowers
III.
Perspective of Leaflets of Leaflets
IV.
Makigami (Roll‐Paper)
V.
Basic Assemblies
VI.
Painting Techniques
VII. Tapered Makigami Branches VIII. Fiddleheads IX.
Makigami Assemblies
X.
Paper Pots and Makigami Roots
XI.
Inspirational Photographs
XII. Mastering Makigami XIII. Subassemblies
182 XIV. Performing Makigami Conversions
pages with
XV. Depth Enhanced Flora
photos,
Afterword
diagrams and videos to ensure success!
Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
Folding the Rose Leaf 1. Start with a square of paper. of paper. If it If it has a leaf ‐ colored or painted side, that side should face up.
2. Fold the square diagonally and unfold it Then flip it so the colored side faces down.
Click here for a YouTube leaf folding video!
Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
3. Fold each corner to the center line folded in step 2.
3. Fold the bottom corners to the center line.
4. Your paper should look like this. Now flip it.
Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
5. Fold the leaf diagonally leaf diagonally on the fold you made in step 1.
6. Fold “veins” into the leaf by leaf by repeatedly folding and unfolding as shown. Open the fold made in step 5 and
then
flip the leaf.
7. Fold the bottom tip up to a point roughly halfway between the unpainted areas of the of the bottom of the of the leaf.
Easy to follow step by step instructions Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
8. Fold the tip back down, leaving a small gap.
9. Squeeze the bottom stem of the of the leaf together leaf together and then “crimp” the stem of the of the leaf. See picture below:
The completed rose leaf.
Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
XV. Depth Enhanced Flora
As discussed in the introduction of this of this book, depth enhancement is obtained in the same manner as depth is conveyed in a painting. Objects we want the viewer to perceive as closer, are larger, and objects more distant are smaller. This sculpture is depth enhanced and has three leaf and flower sizes. The leaves were made using the incremental squares technique covered in chapter 1. I number the leaves according to size, the smallest leaves have little “one”s written on their reverse sides. Each of the of the largest have a “three” on their reverse side.
Any size, shape or color!
Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
I cut, painted and folded a set of six of six flowers in three sizes and 48 leaves in three sizes.
I rolled, molded, dried and assembled a set of makigami of makigami stems to accommodate my sculpture. I also made two “coils” for branchlets.
I have 16 leaves per size, which will be assembled in pairs, therefore I need eight branchlets per size. I attach the first set of eight of eight branchlets closest to the work surface. This corresponds to the smallest size leaf (size leaf (size 1). I typically keep one pair of leaves of leaves in each size as a reserve (in case of painting of painting mistakes, etc.), therefore I will only use seven branchlets in each size.
Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
Next I attach eight branchlets for the second leaf size. leaf size. These are attached slightly further from the work surface within the sculpture.
Now I attach branchlets for the largest leaf size. leaf size. These branchlets are furthest from the work surface.
Here is another view of the of the assembly.
Learn how to make branches from newspaper!
Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
I paint and prepare the branch in accordance with the instructions at the end of chapter of chapter 9, and then proceed with final assembly.
I assemble the smallest leaves first. These leaves are attached to the branchlets closest to the work surface.
And then I attach the second leaf size leaf size to the branchlets.
Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
And finally the third size. Notice how the sculpture has seemed to come “alive.”
I perform the final assembly, attaching the smallest flowers closest to the work surface, second size flowers further, and the third sized flower furthest from the work surface. I then apply a final coat of paint and glue in accordance with the instructions in chapter 9. Notice that even though this is a fairly simple sculpture, it has obtained a visual complexity due to its depth enhancement.
Paper pots, pebbles, and ROOTS!
Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
The materials for this Origami Bonsai cost 17 cents!
A photograph of the of the back side of the of the sculpture is quite revealing. The smallest leaves are now closest to us, the largest furthest. This is the reverse of depth of depth enhancement. Notice how flat the sculpture looks.
Advanced Origami Bonsai e‐book $4 Advanced Origami Bonsai DVD $10 www.OrigamiBonsai.org to order Copyright 2009, Benjamin John Coleman
