Volume1Issue1

October1,2009

Origami Bonsai
ELECTRONICMAGAZINE
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Copyright200 C 09,BenjaminJohnColema an,AllRightsR Reserved.

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazine Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. Thisisacollaborativeproductionsoyourstoriesandsuggestionsareanintegral partofthispublicationssuccess.Pleasesubmitarticlesandinputviaemailto: Ben@Benagami.com Foradvertisingratesandinformation,pleaseclickthelinkabove.Ourcurrent circulationisapproximately3,000readers,howeverthisdocumentwillremainon theinternetintotheforeseeablefuture,soactuallongtermreadershipismore significantthantheexistingnumberofsubscribers. OrigamiBonsaiisaregisteredtrademarkofBenjaminJohnColeman.

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Benjamin John Colemans Paper Craft Books

Click the book cover to order or preview.

The first book in the Origami Bonsai (2010, Tuttle Publishing) series is available at bookstores worldwide. This book teaches how to fold the basic flower form from which many varieties of flower can be folded. Comes with folding videos on DVD. 112 pages.

Advanced Origami Bonsai teaches how to make branches from newspaper using the Makigami technique. Also teaches how to create intricate branch networks for Origami Bonsai sculptures. 182 pages on DVD or through Scribd.com

Origami Bonsai Accessories teaches how to make durable Makigami jewelry, accessories, bangles, planters and other items. Make virtually anything you can conceive of from paper. 152 pages on DVD or through Scribd.com.

Origami 101 includes more than 40 fun and interesting models from every genre of origami. This book is written for the absolute beginner with strategies to go from beginner to expert in one book! Origami 101 is the first origami book with glow-fold diagrams and videos making learning origami easy!

Artist-inventor Benjamin John Coleman guides you with stepby-step instructions in how to make over 30 durable, wearable jewelry projects. Learn how to recycle ordinary newspaper into intricate, complex natural shapes. Instructions for making earrings, bangles, pendants and much more! 132 pages with 14 videos in full HD

Books ordered through OrigamiBonsai.org ship the same day theyre ordered!

Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

FrequentlyAskedQuestions
WhatisOrigamiBonsai? OrigamiBonsaiisanewartformdevelopedoverthepastthreeyearsbyartist,authorand inventorBenjaminJohnColeman.Origamiflowersandleavesareattachedtobranchestoform 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? BenjaminJohnColemaninventedMakigamitocomplementOrigamiBonsai.Itallowsartiststo maketrees(networksofbranches)frompaper.MakigamimeansrollpaperinJapanese. Newspaperissaturatedinasolutionandthenrolled,muchlikethesnakesyourolledasa childfromclay.ThesewetMakigamistripsarethenattachedtocylindersandallowedtodry. Whendry,thesolutionthestripswererolledinactsasglue.Theresultantpaperproductisstiff, durable,andeasytoworkwith.RecentadvancesinMakigamihaveledtotheabilitytomake itemslikebonsaiplanters,jewelry,andotheritemsfromthematerial. Doyouusewiresinsidethebranches? No.OrigamiBonsaiisabouttestingthelimitsofpaperasamedium(material)andabout discoveringnewapplicationsforpaperinourwork. Whatisthedifferencebetweenwww.OrigamiBonsai.organdwww.Benagami.com? Benagami.comisawebsitefeaturingtheworkofBenjaminJohnColeman.OrigamiBonsai.org isawebsitededicatedtofurtherdevelopingOrigamiBonsai.AtOrigamiBonsai.orgyouwill

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

findthelatesttechniquesandfoldingdiagrams,andcansubmityourideastobeincludedon thesite. HowdoIgetstartedmakingOrigamiBonsai? Allyouneedtobeginissomesmallsquaresofpaper.Ifyouwouldliketobuildasculptureyou willneedeithertheprintedbookOrigamiBonsai(TuttlePublishing,availableinApril2010) orAdvancedOrigamiBonsaianelectronicbookavailablethroughwww.Scribd.comoronDVD orCDonwww.Etsy.com.Thereisaclickableadvertisementforthisbookonthesecondpageof thisdocumentthatwilltakeyoudirectlytothebooks. WhatisthedifferencebetweenthebooksOrigamiBonsai,AdvancedOrigamiBonsai,and OrigamiBonsaiAccessories? 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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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

OrigamiBonsaiUpdateforOctober1,2009
byBenjaminJohnColeman CopiesofAdvancedOrigamiBonsaihavebeen shippedtocountriesaroundtheworld.Peoplein Brazil,ElSalvador,Italy,Germany,Australia, Indonesia,theUnitedStates,andChileare participatinginthiscreativesynergyofOrigamiand Bonsai. OnAugust21,2009AdvancedOrigamiBonsai becameafeatureddocumentontheelectronic booksiteScribd.com.Thenextdayitgraduatedto thehotlist.Finally,onSeptember2,2009my accountwasputonScribd.comssuggested subscriptionslist.Sincethenthousandsofreaders havesubscribedtoOrigamiBonsaipublications. PeoplesdesiretostayinformedonOrigamiBonsais progressisanindicationthatthismaybecomeavery popularartform. IalsoreceivedsomedishearteningnewsfromTuttlePublishing.Theprintingofmyfirst bookinthisseries,OrigamiBonsaihasbeendelayed.Thepublishersaysthebookwill beavailableinAprilof2010ratherthanNovemberof2009.However,theyplanto includeaDVDwithfoldingvideosinthebook. OflateIhavebeenworkingwithmycousin,GretchenAnderson,acuratorwiththe CarnegieNaturalHistoryMuseum.Sheisanexpertinthefieldofbothadhesivesand paper;whobettertoconsultondevelopingamoredurableformofMakigami?Together wedevelopedanewtypeofMakigamithatisapproximatelyfourtimesmorerigidthan theexistingmaterial.WhilethisnewMakigamiisnotgoodformakingbranches,itdoes openthedoorforMakigamitoentertheconsumerproductsmarket.Thefinished productisnowstrongenoughtomakethingslikeonetimeusechopsticks,toothbrush handlesandmanyotherconsumerproducts.WhenyouconsiderthatMakigamiiseasily recycledandrequiresfarlessenergytoproductthanplastic,thisrepresentsawindfallfor theecologyofourplanet. BenColeman
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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

HowtoCreateaRealisticDarkGreenColorforLeaves
byBenjaminJohnColeman
OneofthemostfrustratingobstaclesIhave encounteredinmyworkisobtainingcolorsthat looknatural.Myfirstattemptatcreatingdark greenwasadisaster.Istartedoutusingthe darkestgreeninthesetofwatercolorsIhad purchased.Afterthreecoatsofpaintmypaper wasstilllightgreen. Thisisaproblemthatcanbeovercomebyan understandingofbothourmaterialsandhow colorisperceivedbythehumaneye.Oureyes interpretcolorbasedonthespectrumofreflected 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,nottheabsenceof color. 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. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.1Issue1 Page7

Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

ToObtainaDarkGreen
1.Mixequalpartsofdarkblueanddarkyellow withonehalfpartofbrownandartistmedium andabout10partsofwater. 2.Applyonecoatofthemixturetobothsidesofa sheetofpaper. 3.Applyasecondcoatofthemixturetothe sideofthesheetwhichwillbevisibleafter folding.Allowyoursheetstodrycompletely beforeproceedingtothenextstep.They shouldcurlabitandfeelroughandcrispy whendry.

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

4.Decideonacolorschemeforyourleaves.Thefinalcoatswontgreatlyaltertheoverall color,butwilladdsomevariationandanicefinish.Herearesomeideas:

1coatofthe mixture 2coatsofthe mixture 2coatsand1 coatoflemon yellowacrylic 2coatsand1 coatofburnt siennaacrylic 2coatsand1 coatofblack acrylic 2coatsand1 coatoforange acrylic

InthisexampleIwilladdacoatofburntumberacrylic,artistmediumandwater,andthenadd anothercoatofblackacrylic,artistmediumandwater. Theburntumbermixtureyieldsthis resultantcolor:

Theblackmixtureachievesthedesireddark greenfinalcolor.Toseeivyleavesmade fromthissheet,turnthepage.

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

FoldingtheIvyLeaf
TheIvyLeafisausefulandeasytofolddesign. Whetherusedasacomponentofahybridsculpture, orforcreatingivyplantsthatwraparoundother plants,theivyleafwilladdvarietytoyourwork.
1.Startwithasquareofcoloredpaper,withtheleafcolorfacing up. 2.Foldthesquareinhalfdiagonally. 3.Foldthecorner1/3ofthewaytothecenter.Watchthebottom tiptoensureyoudontoverorunderfoldit.Flipthepaper.

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

4.Foldtheothersidethesamewayyoudiditinstep3. Makesureyoualignthisfoldtotheoneontheother side. 5.Foldthecornertothecenterlinealigningtheedge.Flip yourmodel. 6.Performthesamefoldontheotherside.

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World, meet flower. Flower, meet world.

Plastic

Introducing the worlds first mass-produced, pre-folded Origami flower. The Origami Bonsai Instant Flower ships flat, but with two simple movements, opens to reveal a beautiful flower.

Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. 7.Foldveinsintheleafbyfoldingandunfoldingbothpleats ofpaperrepeatedly.Unfoldthecenteroftheleaf. 8.Foldtheuppertipoftheleaftowardstheoppositetip. 9.Foldthetipyoufoldedinstep8intheotherdirection

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. 10.Pinchthetiptoformthestem.

11.Crimptheleafstemintothebaseof theleafbysqueezingwiththethumband indexfingerofonehandwhilepushinginto thestemwiththethumbofyourotherhand.

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

HybridOrigamiBonsai
Whilethepressandthepublicarehardatworkdiscussingtheimpactofgeneticengineeringon plantsandanimals,wearedoingthesame,butinthemediumofpaper.HybridOrigamiBonsai plantscombineeitherdifferentplantsorplantswithanimalstocreateuniqueinterpretationsof theresultantspecies.Ihavebeenhavingalotoffunwiththisconceptasyouwillseeinthe followingpictures.

SucculentbyBenColeman Thisismyinterpretationofamixof ChristmascactusandIceplant.The resultantsculpturehaslongneedles;the flowersareinfluencedbythecolorsof Christmascactusflowers,andtheleaves areoval,similartothoseofaniceplant.

ThissculpturewasdonatedtoRhodeIslandPBSand willbeavailablethroughtheirtelevisedauctionin December,2009.

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

WeepingDragonbyBenColeman Thissculptureisacombinationofa weepingwillowtreeandasnapdragon plant.Thesnapdragoninfluencesare reflectedintwoshootsthatemit individualflowersatthetopofthe sculpture.Theflowershapeisalsosnap dragonish.

Theweepingwillowtreeisreflectedinthe droopybranchesofthesculpture.Each branchdroopsearthward,seeminglyin responsetotheirweight,justlikea weepingwillowtree.

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

TheSquidroseChallenge
Imadethissquidrose,acombinationofa roseplantandasquidbyrollingagroupof stemsandthenrollingtwosheetsofpaper aroundthestems.Perhapsthisconcept couldbeimprovedupon?

Iinviteyoutotrytomakeasquidrose.If youdo,emailmeapictureandIwill includeitinthenextissueofthis publication.Emailmeat Ben@benagami.com.

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Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

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