Kirigami
Kirigami is similar to origami in that it is a form of paper art. The major difference is that in origami, you fold paper whereas in kirigami, you fold and cut paper. In the United States, the term "kirigami" was coined by Florence Temko. She used the word kirigami in the title of her book,Kirigami, the Creative Art of Papercutting, 1962. The book was so successful that the word kirigami was accepted as the name for the art of paper cutting.
In Japan, the word kirigami had been in use for a long time because "kiru” means to cut, and “gami” means paper. So, kirigami meant to cut paper.
Below are some FREE templates for kirigami which are beautiful and fun to make. Enjoy!
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami fan pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami house pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami valentines cupid pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami angels in clouds pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami ballerina pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami christmas peace bells pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami be my valentines pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami butterfly pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami Castle pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami children peace dove pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami Dionysos pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami dragon pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Dreams!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami dreams pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Dragon 2!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami dragon 2 pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Flowers!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami flowers pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Wrapped Present!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami gift pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Happy New Year!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami new year pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Name With Design!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami name letter pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Portrait!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami portrait pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Valentines Love!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami valentines pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Valentines Peace!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami peace world pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Valentines Cupid Love!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami Cupid Love pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Cute Cupid Valentines!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami Cupid Love 2 pop up greeting card out of..... |
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Will You Be My Valentines!
Instructions and videos on how to make a kirigami valentines day pop up greeting card out of..... |
Paper Snowflakes
Most people will remember kirigami as a way to make paper snowflakes. Unfolding the paper snowflake is a delightful surprise because it's almost impossible to make the exact pattern twice. Paper snowflakes have six sections because the paper is folded in half and then thirds.
 Real snowflakes have six-fold symmetry too. This is because water molecules crystalize into a hexagonal lattice. No two snowflakes are alike because the condition in a cloud is always changing when water vapour crystallizes into snowflakes. Because of these ever changing atmospheric conditions, each snowflake grows in a different way.
Problem: it’s spring and it just doesn’t feel right to make snowflakes in the glorious growing season. Not a problem! Cut kirigami flowers, sun bursts, stars, hearts, and other cool designs. Look here for some different ideas:
Cutting paper snowflakes is fun, but if you don’t want to use scissors, you don't have to. Computer software experts have now made it possible to make e-snowflakes. It’s not the same as good old "arts & crafts", but it’s worth a try nevertheless.
Challenging Snowflakes
Some artists can make extremely elaborate kirigami patterns. These often retain a high level of symmetry and have a delicate lace-like quality. [Photo fromBekah Gjerde] With a practice, you can make similar creations.
Here are some tips:
- Practice and experiment with different designs. You need to do it to get an idea of what looks nice and what looks basic. Sit down, try it, and experiment. That’s the best way.
- Use thin paper. Folded layers of paper become thick and difficult to cut. Thin paper, like origami paper is easier to cut and therefore will allow you to make detailed designs.
- Fold the paper differently to change the symmetry. You can have
* 4-fold symmetry (fold in half and then half again),
* 6-fold symmetry (fold in half, then into thirds),
* 8-fold symmetry (fold in half, then into quarters),
* 12-fold symmetry (fold in half, then into thirds, and then fold in half again). At this level, thin paper is a must.
Keep in mind that real snowflakes have a six-fold symmetry and sometimes a 12-fold symmetry. If you fold the paper into four or eight sections, it shouldn't be called a snowflake anymore.
- Make lots of small cuts instead of a few large cuts. More cuts will give a more lacier look.
- Make long cuts that go deep towards the other side of the paper. This will give you an elegant design instead of the chunky kindergartener look. Be careful though, too much cutting will cause the entire snowflake to fall apart.
Books available from Amazon.com
- Kirigami: The Art of 3-dimensional Paper Cutting by Laura Badalucco
- Origami and Kirigami: 75 Fun-to-Do Projects by Florence Temko
- Kirigami - Basic Design (Kirigami) by Joyce Hwang
- Kirigami - Sweethearts (Kirigami) by Joyce Hwang
- click here to buy kirigami books
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- buy kirigami calendars
- buy Kirigami Kit
- buy origami paper
3D Kirigami and Origamic Architecture
When paper is cut to make pleasing artwork, it can be called kirigami. Thus pop-up cards, origamic architecture and other elaborate cut-outs can also be called kirigami. This type of artwork is beyond paper snowflakes and deserves to be shown in a separtes page.
Origamic architecture (OA) and pop-up cards are a type of kirigami. When compared to paper snowflakes, these paper art forms are like the “extreme sports” of kirigami.
Kirigami Cut-Outs
 Most people will remember kirigami as the paper snowflakes made by school-aged children. However, you can cut paper to form masks, animal silhouettes, logos, and coat-of-arms. If you have the patience and tools, the possibilities are endless.
Origamic Architecture and Pop-Up Cards
OA was developed by Masahiro Chatani in the 1980’s (read bio). He and Keiko Nakazawa have published many books on how to make these amazing creations. Together these two artists have introduced and inspired many others to excel in this art form.
Most origamic architecture designs are viewed when the paper is open half way (90° angle). This type of OA requires cutting and folding. An example of this would be a pop-up card. You can also design models which are viewed when the paper is opened completely (180° angle). This requires cutting, folding and gluing. This is seen in some pop-up books. Less common are the designs which are viewed when the paper is opened 360°.
 Other Paper Arts
There are many artists who create dazzling designs by cutting paper. These can be flat cut-outs, pop-ups, or 3 dimensionals (as in globes and spheres). [Photo by T & C Taviori].
 Check out this lampshade made by Peter Ayres. It was made by cutting one piece of paper in a repeating pattern. [Photo by P Ayres].
As one might expect, artists who can do one form of paper cutting can usually do the other forms. It is just a matter of preference as to what they choose to create. Indeed, one can argue that there is no difference between origamic architecture, pop-ups and other paper-cuts.
Easy Pop-Up Projects
There are a few easy pop-up projects that children can make. You will need scissors; a sheet of white paper; and a colored sheet for backing. We recommend that an adult help with the projects. The projects themselves are easy but the problem lies in the topology. The conversion of a flat piece of paper into one with dimensionality can be challenging for some children: in other words “how do you get this thing to pop up?!”
Tools for making OA
True, hard core origamic architecture takes a lot of patience and skill. It’s really not for children. For those who wish to enter the world of OA, there are some essential tools. Please note: children should not be allowed to use an X-acto knife. These knives are very sharp and can do much harm even to adults. [Photo by T & C Taviori]
- pencil, eraser, removable tape
- an X-acto (craft) knife (see knives from Amazon.com)
- a metal ruler or a ruler with a metal edge (see rulers)
- a self-healing mat (see mats from Amazon.com)
- paper or cardstock (see card stock from Amazon.com)
- a creasing tool like a folding bone (read about folding bone here)
- The above equipment is not necessary if you have access to a laser cutter.
How to Make 90° Origamic Architecture Card
First you need to get a pattern or a design. You can get a pattern from a book, from the internet, or design one yourself. This web site provides mini lessons on how to start designing your own OA patterns.
- Transfer the design onto your paper or cardstock. If it is from the internet, you can print it out. If it is in a book, you can hand copy (or photocopy) it to your card stock.
- Tape the card stock onto the self-healing mat.
- Use a ruler and an X-acto knife to carefully cut the paper on the lines indicated.
- Remove the paper from the mat. Examine the instructions carefully. Use your creasing tool to fold the paper in regions designated as mountain or valley folds.
- Slowly close the paper or cardstock making sure that the folds are in the proper orientation. When you open the card again, the design will pop out.
- If you used a pencil to transfer the pattern, erase the pencil marks from your cardstock. Some people photocopy or draw the pattern on a separate thin sheet of paper and layer this ontop of the cardstock. When you cut, cut through both layers. When done, discard the top sheet with the pattern.
- Glue this paper onto another sheet as a backing (optional).
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