Kirigami, which involves the cutting of folded paper, often uses the same folding techniques as pure origami. Symmetrical cuts result in both simple and intricate designs, like cut out people and snowflakes.
Popularity of Kirigami
Kirigami is the art of cutting paper. The terms "kiru" means to cut and "gami" means paper. While it is a popular paper craft around the world today, it was only since the mid-twentieth century that Kirigami gained followers in the United States. Florence Temko's book Kirigami, the Creative Art of Papercutting, published in 1962, used the term.
As Kirigami gained in popularity, the number of instructional projects available to people who want to learn the craft has increased greatly. Kirigami enthusiasts often purchase origami papers or use newspaper, cardstock and other mediums for their cutting and folding projects.
Kirigami Projects
The projects you can create with Kirigami are virtually endless. One thing to keep in mind is that Kirigami usually involves symmetry. You can create your own Kirigami patterns by cutting into a folded sheet of paper. Kids can even follow instructions to make simple hearts, stars and other easy shapes using Kirigami principles.
Once you have mastered basic origami folding, you can begin to make more complex Kirigami projects using those same techniques, combined with cuts. Get helpful tips and ideas by finding:
- Free downloads for Kirigami projects
- Tutorials on making Kirigami
- Following Kirigami instructions from websites and books
Try finding some cool Kirigami projects to try. If you want an easy transition into Kirigami from traditional origami projects, consider looking for dragonfly Kirigami. The dragonfly is folded using origami techniques, but the wings are split into fourths using cuts.
Like other paper crafts, Kirigami is constantly changing and growing as new techniques are developed. While the history of Kirigami remains the same, new Kirigami projects to cut and fold are created all the time.