"Its not origami if you cut/ use glue"

"Its not origami if you cut/ use glue"

I get this annoying comment on my youtube vids a lot. Overall, I dont really care about 'true' origami. I dont even really like normal origami (the flat kind from one piece of paper). People seem to assume my channel is an origami channel since it mainly has 3D origami stuff on it.

I'm more into handicrafts, handmade things, and mainly 3D/ sculptural things. I just find that they make for better displays and gifts.

In the pic above is 2 variations of the 3D origami mini rabbit. I think the one on the left obviously looks better than the one on the right. The right ones eyes are skinny and long, and the limbs are stiff and pointy. Its made from the same pieces that the rest of the rabbit is made from. While the left one has beads glued in for eyes, and the arms and ears are cut just a tiny bit to form rounded limbs.

A lot of people get all offended or something that they feel the need to bring up that its not origami because it was cut or glued. Honestly, I don't care about 'real' origami, as this is just 'handicrafts' to me. And as an artist/ or art student, you are taught to use the right materials to give off a specific 'look' you want to portray in your work. I use whatever material I think works best to make the thing look good. In this case, bead eyes has worked the best for me in giving it the 'kawaii' look, as well as cutting  a tiny bit off the edges of the ears and arms to make it rounded.

You dont NEED to cut or glue things to make this rabbit model though, as shown on the right. The right one is something people would make to utilise the materials they have, in this case, if they only have paper and nothing else, they can make it without doing extra cutting/ gluing (the limbs can stay in without glue). But if you have the other materials or want to make it look better, why not experiment and try other materials to improve the look? It's not like a lot of stuff is glued on, or that the extra stuff is necessary to make it.

Things added to 3D origami that look alright/ not too tacky:
-bead eyes
-glued on foam sheets for certain features (eyes, nose, mouth)
-bows
-model coated with varnish

So, if you want, do whatever you want on your creations. Theres no "rule" to doing these things ^_^

~Beginner models for 3D origami~ My friends first attempt~ Inspiration/ pics~

Haven't posted in ages. I wanted to show you guys my friends FIRST 3D origami model!! Its pretty good for the first attempt! Just wanted to show that it's not that hard, and to give some inspiration to beginners or those who are thinking of trying this. 

My friend is studying culinary arts with me, so its a bit of a different area to art/ crafts. Yet even she was able to make the rabbit in a day after I briefly showed her how to fold the pieces and connect them. After uni she went and bought a $4 pad of different coloured paper, went home and showed me the pic of what she made the next day!!

 I gave her a 3DO rabbit as a small birthday gift (pink one in the pic on the right) and she made the rabbit by copying the one I gave her (without watching any video tutorial). The limbs aren't exactly how I made them but its pretty close and she was able to guess how to do them. She also used playdoh for the eyes which is clever. See, you can use whatever materials you think would work for the features, dont have to follow and use 1 specific thing :-)

I always get asked for good models for beginners, so here are some newer models/ variations I've come up with which I think are quite basic/ quick to make. Here are some pics and links to tutorials:

Bunny ball TUTORIAL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhpybQ-LpAg

(The ears are a bit different to the tutorial. Just a stick of 3 pieces stuck in and cut on the edges to be rounded. Looks better/ cuter)

Mini rabbit TUTORIALhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMt2mr3nabc

bunny ball

2 Variations of the mini rabbit