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7/28/2019 19772341 Origami Bonsai Magazine Vol 1 Issue 1
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Volume1Issue1 October1,2009
Origami BonsaiELECTRONIC MAGAZINEWehaveonlyjustbegun.
Inthisissue:DarkGreenforLeaves
FoldingtheIvyLeafHybridOrigamiBonsai
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OrigamiB
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Page2
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page3
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineCopyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
Thisis
acollaborative
production
so
your
stories
and
suggestions
are
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integral
partofthispublicationssuccess. Pleasesubmitarticlesandinputviaemailto:
Foradvertisingratesandinformation,pleaseclickthelinkabove. Ourcurrent
circulationisapproximately3,000readers,howeverthisdocumentwillremainon
theinternetintotheforeseeablefuture,soactuallongtermreadershipismore
significantthantheexistingnumberofsubscribers.
OrigamiBonsaiisaregisteredtrademarkofBenjaminJohnColeman.
Joinus!
Learnthisexcitingnewartformandbepart
ofagrowingcommunityofenthusiasts!
Youcanorderthebookbyclickingthe
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OrdertheEBook
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7/28/2019 19772341 Origami Bonsai Magazine Vol 1 Issue 1
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page4
FrequentlyAskedQuestionsWhatisOrigamiBonsai?OrigamiBonsaiisanewartformdevelopedoverthepastthreeyearsbyartist,authorand
inventorBenjamin
John
Coleman.
Origami
flowers
and
leaves
are
attached
to
branches
to
form
dramatic,visuallycomplexsculptures. Thesesculpturesareeitherfreestanding(canbeplaced
ontopoftables),orwallhanging(attachtowallswithahook).
OrigamiBonsaiisrevolutionary. Forthefirsttimeorigamienthusiastscanassembletheirwork
intosculptures. Thesesculpturesareappealingandhavebothartisticandcommercialvalue.
Whileitcouldbearguedthatorigamiisacraftandnotanartform,itisclearthatOrigami
Bonsaiisanartformascolor,shape,andplantinteractionscanbeusedtoconveythoughts,
meaningsandevenemotions.
Wedonotattempttoduplicatenature,asthiswouldbeimpossible. Insteadwemimicnature
andusenaturalformsasinspirationforourworks. Theworldofplantsseemschaoticand
complex,anditisinhumannaturetotrytoaddordertothatworld. However,itisthatchaos
thatisthesourceofmuchofthebeautyofourwork. OrigamiBonsaiartistsaspiretoexpress
thischaosinacoherentmannerintheirwork,usingittoconveyamessage,orsimplytocreate
somethingbeautiful.
WhatisMakigami?Benjamin
John
Coleman
invented
Makigami
to
complement
Origami
Bonsai.
It
allows
artists
to
maketrees(networksofbranches)frompaper.MakigamimeansrollpaperinJapanese.
Newspaperissaturatedinasolutionandthenrolled,muchlikethesnakesyourolledasa
childfromclay. ThesewetMakigamistripsarethenattachedtocylindersandallowedtodry.
Whendry,thesolutionthestripswererolledinactsasglue. Theresultantpaperproductisstiff,
durable,andeasytoworkwith. RecentadvancesinMakigamihaveledtotheabilitytomake
itemslikebonsaiplanters,jewelry,andotheritemsfromthematerial.
Doyouusewiresinsidethebranches?No.
Origami
Bonsai
is
about
testing
the
limits
of
paper
as
a
medium
(material)
and
about
discoveringnewapplicationsforpaperinourwork.
Whatisthedifferencebetweenwww.OrigamiBonsai.org andwww.Benagami.com?Benagami.comisawebsitefeaturingtheworkofBenjaminJohnColeman. OrigamiBonsai.org
isawebsitededicatedtofurtherdevelopingOrigamiBonsai. AtOrigamiBonsai.orgyouwill
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7/28/2019 19772341 Origami Bonsai Magazine Vol 1 Issue 1
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page5
findthelatesttechniquesandfoldingdiagrams,andcansubmityourideastobeincludedon
thesite.
HowdoIgetstartedmakingOrigamiBonsai?All
you
need
to
begin
is
some
small
squares
of
paper.
If
you
would
like
to
build
a
sculpture
you
willneedeithertheprintedbookOrigamiBonsai(TuttlePublishing,availableinApril2010)
orAdvancedOrigamiBonsaianelectronicbookavailablethroughwww.Scribd.comoronDVD
orCDonwww.Etsy.com. Thereisaclickableadvertisementforthisbookonthesecondpageof
thisdocumentthatwilltakeyoudirectlytothebooks.
WhatisthedifferencebetweenthebooksOrigamiBonsai,AdvancedOrigamiBonsai,andOrigamiBonsaiAccessories?OrigamiBonsaiisthefirstbookintheseries. ItispublishedbyTuttlePublishingandwillbe
availableinbookstoresinAprilof2010. Thebookteacheshowtofoldmanyvarietiesof
flowersandleavesandthenassembletheflowersandleavesontorealtreebranches. Thisis
largelyanorigamibook.
AdvancedOrigamiBonsaiisthesecondbookintheseries. Itwaspublishedelectronicallyon
June1,2009. Itteacheshowtofoldafewdifferenttypesofflowersandleaves,butmore
importantly,itteacheshowtomakebranchesfrompaperusingtheMakigamitechnique.
Whilethereissomeorigamiinthisbook,itismostlyaboutMakigami.
OrigamiBonsaiAccessories
isthethirdbookinthe
seriesandisstillinthe
researchanddesignphase.
Thisbookteacheshowto
makebonsaiplanters,
jewelry,andotheritems
frompaper. Itwillbe
entirelyMakigami.
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7/28/2019 19772341 Origami Bonsai Magazine Vol 1 Issue 1
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page6
OrigamiBonsaiUpdateforOctober1,2009byBenjaminJohnColemanCopiesofAdvancedOrigamiBonsaihavebeen
shippedtocountriesaroundtheworld. Peoplein
Brazil,ElSalvador,Italy,Germany,Australia,
Indonesia,theUnitedStates,andChileare
participatinginthiscreativesynergyofOrigamiand
Bonsai.
OnAugust21,2009AdvancedOrigamiBonsai
becameafeatureddocumentontheelectronic
booksiteScribd.com. Thenextdayitgraduatedto
thehotlist. Finally,onSeptember2,2009my
accountwas
put
on
Scribd.coms
suggested
subscriptionslist. Sincethenthousandsofreaders
havesubscribedtoOrigamiBonsaipublications.
PeoplesdesiretostayinformedonOrigamiBonsais
progressisanindicationthatthismaybecomeavery
popularartform.
IalsoreceivedsomedishearteningnewsfromTuttlePublishing. Theprintingofmyfirst
bookinthisseries,OrigamiBonsaihasbeendelayed. Thepublishersaysthebookwill
beavailable
in
April
of
2010
rather
than
November
of
2009.
However,
they
plan
to
includeaDVDwithfoldingvideosinthebook.
OflateIhavebeenworkingwithmycousin,GretchenAnderson,acuratorwiththe
CarnegieNaturalHistoryMuseum. Sheisanexpertinthefieldofbothadhesivesand
paper;whobettertoconsultondevelopingamoredurableformofMakigami? Together
wedevelopedanewtypeofMakigamithatisapproximatelyfourtimesmorerigidthan
theexistingmaterial.WhilethisnewMakigamiisnotgoodformakingbranches,itdoes
openthedoorforMakigamitoentertheconsumerproductsmarket. Thefinished
productis
now
strong
enough
to
make
things
like
one
time
use
chopsticks,
toothbrush
handlesandmanyotherconsumerproducts.WhenyouconsiderthatMakigamiiseasily
recycledandrequiresfarlessenergytoproductthanplastic,thisrepresentsawindfallfor
theecologyofourplanet.
BenColeman
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7/28/2019 19772341 Origami Bonsai Magazine Vol 1 Issue 1
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page7
HowtoCreateaRealisticDarkGreenColorforLeavesbyBenjaminJohnColeman
OneofthemostfrustratingobstaclesIhave
encountered
in
my
work
is
obtaining
colors
that
looknatural.Myfirstattemptatcreatingdark
greenwasadisaster. Istartedoutusingthe
darkestgreeninthesetofwatercolorsIhad
purchased. Afterthreecoatsofpaintmypaper
wasstilllightgreen.
Thisisaproblemthatcanbeovercomebyan
understandingofbothourmaterialsandhow
colorisperceivedbythehumaneye. Oureyes
interpret
color
based
on
the
spectrum
of
reflected
light(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_vision)a
coloredobjectemits.Whenwhitelighthitsapieceofwhitepaper,itappearswhite. Ifredlightis
directedatawhitepieceofpaper,itwillreflectbackaspink,yellowlightreflectsbackaslightyellow.
Whenweaddacoatofgreenpainttothewhitepaperitreflectsastreamoflightintooureyesthatisa
mixtureofwhiteandgreen. Itisthiswhitewashedgreenthatisntparticularlydesirable. Youcan
repeatedlyaddmorecoatsofgreen,improvingthecolorsomewhat,butyouwillneverachieveadark,
lushandnaturallookinggreeninthismanner. Thereasonissimple;whiteisacolor,nottheabsenceofcolor.
Tocreateareallookingdarkgreenwehavetoovercompensateforthewhitecolorofourpaper.Wedo
thisbylimitingthereflectedlightspectrumofthepaperwithblue. Itshouldbenotedthatusingblack
watercolorisamistake. Blackwatercolorpaintactuallyappearstobedarkpurplewhenappliedto
whitepaper,andtendstodiffuseanyexistingorsubsequentcolors,makingthemlooklessdistinct. To
obtainagooddarkgreen,thefirstcoatofpaintappliedtowhitepapershouldbeamixtureofequal
partsofdarkblue(PrussianorUltramarineblue)anddarkyellow(YellowOchre)alongwithahalfpartof
darkbrown(burntumber)watercolorpaint,anotherequalpartofartistmediumandabout10parts
water. Forthedarkestpossibleleaves,applyasecondcoat,orforlighterleavesaddsomebrightyellow
(lemonyellow)toit. Allowyourleafsheetstodrycompletelybeforecontinuingtothenextstep.
Thefinalsteptoobtainanaturallookingleafcoloristoaddamixtureofwater(10parts),acrylicpaint(1
part)andartistmedium(1part). Thismixturewillprovideaglossyyetnaturalcoatingtotheleafthatis
alsodustresistant. Tomakeyourleaveslookevenmoreinteresting,youcanuseanacryliccolorfroma
differentcolorfamily. Ifindusingburntsienna,adarkorangebrown,looksnatural. Ihavealsoused
diluteacrylicblack,waterandartistmediumtodarkentheleafcolorasafourthcoat.
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OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page8
ToObtainaDarkGreen
1.Mixequalpartsofdarkblueanddarkyellow
withonehalfpartofbrownandartistmedium
andabout10partsofwater.
2. Applyonecoatofthemixturetobothsidesofa
sheetofpaper.
3. Applyasecondcoatofthemixturetothe
sideofthesheetwhichwillbevisibleafter
folding.Allow
your
sheets
to
dry
completely
beforeproceedingtothenextstep. They
shouldcurlabitandfeelroughandcrispy
whendry.
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OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page9
4. Decideonacolorschemeforyourleaves. Thefinalcoatswontgreatlyaltertheoverall
color,butwilladdsomevariationandanicefinish. Herearesomeideas:
1coatofthe
mixture
2coatsofthe
mixture
2coats and1
coatoflemon
yellowacrylic
2coatsand1
coatofburnt
siennaacrylic
2coatsand1
coatofblack
acrylic
2coatsand1
coatoforange
acrylic
InthisexampleIwilladdacoatofburntumberacrylic,artistmediumandwater,andthenadd
anothercoatofblackacrylic,artistmediumandwater.
Theburnt
umber
mixture
yields
this
resultantcolor:
Theblackmixtureachievesthedesireddark
greenfinalcolor. Toseeivyleavesmade
fromthissheet,turnthepage.
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page10
FoldingtheIvyLeafTheIvyLeafisausefulandeasytofolddesign.
Whetherusedasacomponentofahybridsculpture,
orfor
creating
ivy
plants
that
wrap
around
other
plants,theivyleafwilladdvarietytoyourwork.
1. Startwithasquareofcoloredpaper,withtheleafcolorfacing
up.
2. Foldthesquareinhalfdiagonally.
3. Foldthecorner1/3ofthewaytothecenter.Watchthebottom
tiptoensureyoudontoverorunderfoldit. Flipthepaper.
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OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page11
4. Foldtheothersidethesamewayyoudiditinstep3.
Makesureyoualignthisfoldtotheoneontheother
side.
5. Foldthecornertothecenterlinealigningtheedge. Flip
yourmodel.
6. Performthesamefoldontheotherside.
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page12
OrigamiBonsai SuppliesandTools
Rollertoolmakesfoldscrispandreversefolding
almosteffortless. Doesntdamageyourpaintjob
oryourpaperlikeastraightedgewill!
Artistmedium,akeytopreservingorigamiand
creatingrich,lifelikefinishes.
Setof18watercolorpaints Setof18acrylicpaints
LargeBrushSet SmallBrushSet
Click
on
the
images
to
view
pricing
and
to
order.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30935179http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30935075http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30934938http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30934804http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30934647http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30934510 -
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OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page13
7.Fold
veins
in
the
leaf
by
folding
and
unfolding
both
pleats
ofpaperrepeatedly. Unfoldthecenteroftheleaf.
8. Foldtheuppertipoftheleaftowardstheoppositetip.
9. Foldthetipyoufoldedinstep8intheotherdirection
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page14
10. Pinchthetiptoformthestem.
11. Crimptheleafstemintothebaseof
theleafbysqueezingwiththethumband
indexfingerofonehandwhilepushinginto
thestemwiththethumbofyourotherhand.
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page15
HybridOrigamiBonsaiWhilethepressandthepublicarehardatworkdiscussingtheimpactofgeneticengineeringon
plantsandanimals,wearedoingthesame,butinthemediumofpaper. HybridOrigamiBonsai
plantscombine
either
different
plants
or
plants
with
animals
to
create
unique
interpretations
of
theresultantspecies. Ihavebeenhavingalotoffunwiththisconceptasyouwillseeinthe
followingpictures.
SucculentbyBenColeman
Thisismyinterpretationofamixof
ChristmascactusandIceplant. The
resultantsculpturehaslongneedles;the
flowersareinfluencedbythecolorsof
Christmascactusflowers,andtheleaves
areoval,similartothoseofaniceplant.
ThissculpturewasdonatedtoRhodeIslandPBSandwillbeavailablethroughtheirtelevisedauctioninDecember,2009.
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page16
WeepingDragonbyBenColeman
Thissculptureisacombinationofa
weepingwillowtreeandasnapdragon
plant. Thesnapdragoninfluencesare
reflectedintwoshootsthatemit
individualflowersatthetopofthe
sculpture. Theflowershapeisalsosnap
dragonish.
Theweepingwillowtreeisreflectedinthe
droopybranchesofthesculpture. Each
branchdroopsearthward,seeminglyin
responsetotheirweight,justlikea
weepingwillow
tree.
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page17
TheSquidroseChallenge
Imadethissquidrose,acombinationofa
roseplantandasquidbyrollingagroupof
stemsandthenrollingtwosheetsofpaper
aroundthestems. Perhapsthisconcept
couldbeimprovedupon?
Iinviteyoutotrytomakeasquidrose. If
youdo,emailmeapictureandIwill
includeitinthenextissueofthis
publication. Emailmeat
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.
OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page18
http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=handmade&search_query=makigami+jewelry&order=date_desc&ship_to=