Biographical note:
Benjamin John Coleman has been hooked on origami since his father gave him his first origami book in 1974. Ben's revolutionary contribution to the art has been the creation and design of origami bonsai botanical sculptures. He enjoys sharing the history, beauty and simplicity of this art form with others.
Main description:
Get ready to explore the exciting world of origami floral art like it's never been seen before!
The Japanese art of ikebana, or flower arranging, is an age-old practice that honors nature and creates beauty through harmony and balance. With Origami Ikebana, you can create beautiful ikebana-inspired paper flower arrangements at home at any time of the year.
Since discovering ikebana several years ago, origami artist and author Benjamin Coleman dreamed of developing techniques to allow him to create ikebana-style floral arrangements using folded paper. In this book, Coleman teaches craft enthusiasts the basic principles and techniques of ikebana, origami and makigami (paper rolling) to create beautiful and lifelike paper flower sculptures. You'll learn to construct stems from paper-mache-like makigami rolls and cap them with exquisite origami flowers and leaves, then to support the arrangements on stone-like bases made from paper.
Topics covered in Origami Ikebana include:
- Basic flower folding and assembly
- Painting leaves and flowers to emphasize realism
- Folding and finishing the flower and leaf forms
- Incremental leaf sizes and depth enhancement
- Creating "rock" bases for your sculptures from paper
- Making simple stems from makigami paper rolls
The many flower models described in the book include: Black Eyed Susan, Primrose, Thistle, Phlox, Ipecac, Banana, Fleur de Lis, Buttercup, Pumpkin Flower, Morning Glory, Trillium, Clematis, Posey, Foxglove, Daisy, and over a dozen other unique designs.
The menu-driven DVD contains 1 hour 45 minutes of video origami lessons presented in the book. Don't spend a fortune on real flowers or plants that will wilt in a week—make your own lovely paper creations that will last forever!
