The word Origami has originated from Japanese Language. “Ori” means folded and “kami’ means paper. Paper folding is a traditional folding art which is given by the Japanese culture. However, it doesn’t exist in Japan only. It also existed in China some 2000 years ago but they did not share their knowledge with anyone. Later on, it travelled to Japan and Korea in the seventh century. For a person to be able to create an origami, he or she is not required to have any special skills or artistic talents. However, you will definitely require a lot of patience and determination.
Origami is one of the oldest arts in the world and is perhaps a 1000 years old. It is an ancient art of Japanese paper folding and creating various shapes from it. Creating art is not only a fun activity to pass spare time but also allows a person to work their brain in different ways and enhance its working. To some the origami art is very simple, and to others it is something not everyone can marvel at. It’s a way of entertainment for some and for others it provides a calming and relaxing effect. Among all other paper crafts, Origami is the most unique as all it requires is a piece of paper and the skill to turn that paper into a unique shape. It doesn’t require any cutting, gluing or drawing on the paper. Origami Swan or Crane is one of the most popular and recognized paper construction ever.
Whenever someone talks about origami, they do mention the origami crane. It is popular because it is a beautiful piece of art which stands out among all other origami shapes. You can use origami paper to make the swan or crane, if you want a lot of uniqueness in the shape, however, if you don’t have the origami paper the regular paper will also do just fine. You will need a square piece of origami paper. You can make a square sheet if you don’t have one and want to convert it. Fold the paper in half by taking the top corner and then fold it into the bottom corner. Fold a triangle by taking the left corner and folding it to the right. Take the top flap and open it. Crease the left and right sides so that you can fold the top/ right corner to the bottom corner. Turn the paper over and do the same on the other side. Lift the flap up so that it can stand vertically then grab the left and right side of the flap and open it.
Crease both the sides so that you can fold the top corner down to the bottom. Take both sides of the top layer and fold them in the middle. By this step, you are nearly halfway to make the crane or swan. The origami crane also gained popularity when it was shown in one of the famous TV series. It is a little difficult than other origami shapes, however, it is also the most beautiful among all.
