This page contains various and sundry links to international origami societies and other origami resources on the web. See here for links relating specifically to mathematical and scientific origami. Please let me know if you find any broken links.
Origami Societies
These are the largest international origami societies. The linked pages also have links to societies in other countries and local/regional societies.
- OrigamiUSA
The American origami society. Publishes a bimonthly newsletter, The Paper, and an annual collection of original origami compositions. - The British Origami Society
Publishes a bimonthly magazine, two annual collections of original origami compositions, and a series of booklets on various origami-related topics. Of particular interest is the series of articles here by David Lister on the history of origami. - Japan Origami Academic Society
One of two Japanese origami societies. JOAS focuses on cutting-edge origami, and publishes much of the most ground-breaking origami work in the world. Their bimonthly magazine, Origami Tanteidan Magazine, is well worth the price of membership. - Nippon Origami Association
The second (and older) Japanese origami society. Publishes a gorgeous full-color magazine, with a focus on simpler designs. In Japanese, but look for the language selector along the right.
Origami Suppliers
Here are some links to suppliers I’ve used who specialize in origami supplies (or if they don’t specialize, have a large enough mail-order selection that makes them worth checking out).
- OrigamiUSA’s The Origami Source
The book and paper supply center of OrigamiUSA. Members receive a 10% discount on all purchases. - Nicholas Terry’s Origami Shop
This site contains galleries of many origami artists as well as information about upcoming books, downloadable diagrams, and crease patterns, among other fun stuff and a wide selection of books and paper for sale, including Michael LaFosse’s fabled Origamido paper. - Kim’s Crane Origami Supplies
Specializes in books and paper for origami. They have glassine paper, elephant hide, and many other hard-to-find papers. - Paper Circle — Southeast Ohio’s Center for Book and Paper Arts
An artisan paper studio that has developed a special line of papers, called O-gami, designed expressly for the most demanding origami folds. - New York Central Art Supply
They have a vast selection of Asian art papers. They have a catalog for mail order. - Flax Art & Design
A supplier in the San Francisco Bay Area. Great selection of large art papers in drawers for close-up perusal. - Hiromi paper
These folks have some of the most incredibly thin, strong, kozo paper. Ideal for surface-sizing and bugfolding. Based in Culver City, California. - Fides International
Years ago I bought several entire batches of Korean hanji from these folks. I haven’t bought any in years, but they’re still making and selling it. Folds beautifully, but the color fades easily.
Origami Resources
Here are a few links to other useful origami-related resources on the web.
- CFC—The Community for Creators of Origami
An international organization supporting origami artists and creators worldwide. Holds conventions, gives awards, and provides many other resource for origami artists. - The Origami Database
Want to find out where an origami figure is published? Dennis Walker’s online database contains over 30,000 entries and can be searched by artist, keyword, and many other criteria.
Origami Artists
There is an ever-growing number of origami artists and many of them have established a presence on the web. I couldn’t possibly give an exhaustive list (although there are a few such lists out there), but the following links connect to the work of a few artists whose compositions I particularly admire.
- Michael LaFosse
Michael LaFosse’s representational origami is stunning and beautiful; in my view, his work comes closer than anyone to the feeling and life of the legendary Japanese master Yoshizawa. In addition, he is a master papermaker, and origami artists the world around use his handmade “Origamido” paper in their own work. - Eric Joisel
The late Eric Joisel’s amazing work sometimes doesn’t even seem possible to be origami. He was a master of incorporating texture into his work; in addition, he remains one of the few origami artists to have mastered the human figure. His masks have inspired others to pursue similar concepts, but Eric’s own work is distinctly unique and the full-human figures he developed in the last several years of his life were mind-boggling in their beauty. - Satoshi Kamiya
This astonishing young prodigy from Japan designs what are probably the most complex origami figures in the world, and yet manages to imbue them with grace, delicacy, and life. - Takashi Hojyo
Like Joisel, a master of the human figure, albeit in an entirely different way. Hojyo creates figures especially rich in texture and three-dimensionality, utilizing pleats and multiple layers of paper to build depth in his subjects. - Vincent Floderer
Vincent has developed an entirely new style of folding, based on controlled crumpling, that stretches the very definition of origami. But it is indeed origami; one sheet, formed only by folding, and the result includes some of the most remarkable and unexepectedly organic forms in the art. - Brian Chan
Brian is one of the rising stars of American origami design whose work, more than any other folder, inspires in me the emotion of “gee, I wish I’d done that!” Like Kamiya, he combine technical brilliance in the design with delicacy and grace in the execution. - Neal Elias
The late Neal Elias was one of the pioneers of modern origami, performing the first in-depth exploration of the design family now known as “box pleating”, and creator of hundreds of elegance and beautiful designs through the 1960s and 1970s. This tribute site shows a sampling of his work.
More on Origami Copyright
- eBay “eBooks”
While eBay provides a useful marketplace for sales of many sorts, it unfortunately enables a great deal of piracy through its sales of so-called “eBooks” — which regularly include pirated origami instructions. (In fact, I have yet to see a non-pirated origami “eBook” on eBay.)
This page contains various and sundry links to international origami societies, origami artists, and other origami resources on the web.