23 Blooms to Fold
By Anca Oprea
Lark 2014
Paperback £12.99
ISBN 978-1-4547-0812-4
Star rating: ****
World Origami Days continue until 11 November.
Here’s another attractively-presented and capably-produced
origami flower-fest. The more, the merrier, as far as I’m concerned. This title teaches you how to fold 23
different blooms, conveniently divided into sections according to difficulty
level (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced). The learning curve is very
manageable, and I’m sure a newbie will be up to speed with even the most complicated
designs after progressing through the projects.
The Table of Contents doubles as a Photo Gallery - this
works a treat as a project-selector. Also up front is some basic training in
folded bases and a rundown of origami paper choices. The author, Anca Oprea,
emigrated from Romania to the States five years ago, and has been very
impressed by the plethora of origami papers she is now able to choose from. She shares her
enthusiasm with the reader.
The flowers are pleasing, and there’s plenty of variety.
Occasionally the flower designs require a well-judged snip or some gluing – as in
the Passion Flower. There’s no point being an origami purist when beautiful
blossoms are at stake.
The Crane Flower is a fantasy confection consisting of
origami cranes as the petals. The clever thing is that you may not notice at
first glance (although the name is a total giveaway). This flower would be an appropriate “peace flower” choice for the
culmination of the World Origami Days, on 11 November.
My favourite bloom is the Cosmos. It is recommended to make
it out of radial gradient origami paper for optimum effect. It is very
dimensional with a puffed-up centre. A fun challenge. The Hydrangea, with its
tucked flower centres and clustered petals is very effective. The Lotus looks a
bit artichoke-y. I prefer the version with leaves. The Tulips are winners - they are graceful and not the least bit clunky, like some I have seen. The Lily of the Valley is very effective, too.
The author provides how-tos for attaching the blooms to
stems and wires where appropriate. Leaf-shapes are given only for the Lotus. A
standard sort of leaf shape would have come in handy.
The instructions are presented very clearlyand thoroughly with
step-by-step photos and accompanying text. There are no origami fold diagrams.
This is a pleasing title, which makes a nice gift. The
author succeeds in sharing her enthusiasm for her subject. She is training to
become a teacher – her future students will be very lucky.
Note: I was supplied with a review copy of this book.
Click on book title at top for Amazon link.
Click on book title at top for Amazon link.
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