The "Best Friend" Of Origami - KIRIGAMI

I believe that everybody knows about origami, but do you know that there is also something called Kirigami? If you have never heard of the word Kirigami before, then that's why I am posting this. I will tell you about the interesting facts of Kirigami and I am sure that you will also fall in love with Kirigami after you know more about it.


Kirigami is a variation of origami that includes the cutting of paper. The name Kirigami is from the Japanese word “kiru” which means cut and ‘kami’ which means paper. Sometimes, it is also called “Kirie”. Typically, Kirigami starts with a folded base, which is then cut; cuts are then opened and flattened to finish the Kirigami.

Do you know that Kirigami is usually symmetrical? The examples of Kirigami are snowflakes and pentagrams.



Example of a simple Kirigami: a snowflake.

 More beautiful Kirigami.


Next, I am going to show you 5 simple steps of making your very own Kirigami.

  
Lastly, here are some tips on making Kirigami. Hope you enjoy it.

1. 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 with it. That’s the best way.
   
2. 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.
   
3. 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 6-fold symmetry and sometimes a 12-fold symmetry. If you fold the paper into 4 or 8 sections, it shouldn't be called a snowflake anymore.
   
4. Make lots of small cuts instead of a few large cuts. More cuts will give a more beautiful look.
   
5. Make long cuts that go deep towards the other side of the paper. This will give you an elegant design. Be careful though, too much cutting will cause the entire snowflake to fall apart.

Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirigami

                       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK3sd5YF3II

                       http://www.origami-resource-center.com/kirigami.html

ORIGAMI As A Fascinating Artwork Made Of Paper

One of the few uses or functions of paper is origami, which is quite popular among everyone all around the globe. Do you know that this precious artwork was first created in Japan by Ihara Saikaku in the year 1680? You can use almost any paper (including scrap papers that you want to throw away) to make origami and it helps to reduce your stress. In order to encourage you to try out this spectacular artwork, I would like to provide some types of origami such as the action origami,  modular origami, wet-folding and many more.
                                                                                                 

A crane origami. (Common, shown in my video)

A butterfly origami.

A flower origami.

With all these examples, let's get started with making origami! Here's a video from us. Hope you enjoy it!

(PART ONE- Making an origami CRANE)

                                                 (PART TWO - Making an origami CRANE)




P.S. Muted as it was noisy in the background. Sorry!

Common Phrases

1. Cheat sheet - A sheet of paper containing notes used to assist on a test.
2. Dead tree edition - Paper version of a publication that can be found on-line.
3. Desk jockey - One who spends his or her time seated at a desk.
4. Hang paper - To write a bad check.
5. No comment -  An "official" refusal to relay any further information, as a response to a newspaper reporter's question.
6. Noughts and crosses - A pen and paper game.
7. Paper trail - A written record, history or collection of evidence.
8. Pencil pusher -  One who does routine office work; someone involved mainly in paperwork.
9. Stop press -  The event or news article important enough to delay or interrupt the print, or require a reprint, of a publication, particularly of a newspaper edition.
10. Way out of a paper bag -  A minimal level of competence or effectiveness, as used in phrases where one is unable to perform such.
11. Yellow journalism - Material published in a broadcast or periodical, such as a tabloid newspaper or magazine, which is sensationalistic and of questionable accuracy and taste.
12. Yellow press - Newspapers which publish sensationalist articles rather than well researched and sober journalism.

Adapted from: http://www.phrases.net

How Is Paper Recycled?

Recycling Paper

Paper is taken from the bin and deposited in a large recycling container along with paper from other recycling bins.

The paper is taken to a recycling plant where it is separated into types and grades.

The separated paper is then washed with soapy water to remove inks, plastic film, staples and glue. The paper is put into a large holder where it is mixed with water to create ‘slurry’.

By adding different materials to the slurry, different paper products can be created, such as cardboard, newsprints or office paper.

The slurry is spread using large rollers into large thin sheets.

The paper is left to dry, and then it is rolled up ready to be cut and sent back to the shops.

Adapted from: http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/science-paper.html

Do You Know?

1. The world’s first piece of paper was made from recycled material? That’s right! Around 200 B.C., the Chinese used old fishing nets to make the world’s very first piece of paper. 
2. Paper recycling has been around as long as paper itself. Paper companies have always recognized the environmental and economic benefits of recycling. In recent years, paper recycling has become popular with everyone as a way to help protect our environment by reusing our resources and conserving landfill space. 
3. Today, about 87% of the more than 520 paper and paperboard mills in the U.S. recycle some recovered paper. Recovered paper provides over one-third of all the fiber used at U.S. mills.
4. Americans recover nearly 50% of all the paper they use.
5. More paper is recovered in the U.S. than sent to landfills.
6. In the U.S., paper accounts for two-thirds of all the packaging material recovered for recycling - more than glass, metal and plastic combined! 
7. Recovered paper supplies close to 40% of the fiber used to make all paper and paperboard products in the U.S.
8. Every day, U.S. papermakers recycle enough paper to fill a 15-mile long train of boxcars.
9. A typical newsprint machine produces as many as 500 tons of paper every day. In the early 21st century, use of recovered paper is projected to grow twice as fast as the use of wood pulp.
10. The first creatures that produced paper were the wasps. 
11. Most paper is made from wood cellulose.
12. A sheet of paper is held together by hydrogen bonding. 
13. Papermaking was brought to Europe by the Arabs. 
14. Paper towels are made from paper pulp, which is extracted from wood or fiber crops. 
15. Paper towels were first made by Arthur Scott out of a cartload full of rejected toilet paper! He perforated them into small towel-size sheets and sold them as the first ever disposable towels.
16. Paper towels have to be disposed, after just one use.
17. There are patterns and shapes often imprinted into paper towels to maximize absorption.
18. Colored paper towels were introduced just 30 years ago and come in two distinct classes; domestic and institutional.  
19. Professionals use paper airplanes for scientific and theory testing of aircraft behaviour.
20. The smallest paper airplane was made from origami paper. The smallest origami paper model of a Crane Bird was folded under a microscope using tweezers by Mr Naito from Japan and was made from a piece of paper measuring 2.9 mm squared. It was displayed on top of a sewing needle. 
21. A paper airplane won't fly if you throw it in outer space. There is no atmosphere and it will just float away in a straight line. With no gravity to pull it down, it will possibly float on forever until it hits an object. 
22. Toilet paper was first patented in Albany (a small country in Europe). 
23. In many countries, you don't flush toilet paper.
24. About four billion people don't use toilet paper. About 70% to 75% of the world's population don't use toilet paper. 
25. If you hang your toilet paper in such a way that you can pull it from the bottom, you are deemed to be more intelligent than people who hang their toilet paper and pull it from the top. 

Adapted from: http://www.tappi.org/paperu/all_about_paper/earth_answers/earthanswers_recycle.pdf

                       http://www.paperfacts.com/
                       http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-paper-towels.html
                       http://community.warplanes.com/2008/09/11/paper-airplane-facts/
                       http://www.toiletpaperhistory.net/toilet-paper-facts/toilet-paper-fun-facts/

How To Differentiate Papers?

FINISH:  The finish of a paper is it's surface texture. Uncoated and coated paper have different surface 
textures.

• Wove or smooth
• Laid
• Linen
• Laser
• Coated
• Ucoated
• Coated one side (C1S)
• Coated two sides (C2S)

WEIGHT: The weight of a paper refers to its thickness and is measured in pounds (#). The higher the number, the more (equivalent) weight a paper has (the thicker/heavier the paper). *See the comparison table for more information on weights.

OPACITY: A paper's opacity is determined by its weight, ingredients and absorbency and determines how much printing will show through on the reverse side of a sheet. Opacity is expressed in terms of it's percentage of reflection. Complete opacity is 100% and complete transparency is 0%.

BRIGHTNESS: The brightness of a sheet of paper measures the percentage of a wavelength of blue light it reflects. The brightness of a piece of paper is typically expressed on a scale of 1 to 100 with 100 being the brightest. Most papers reflect 60-90% of light. The brightness of a paper affects readability, the perception of ink color and the contrast between light and dark hues.


Adapted from: http://www.charlotteswebstudios.com/article.php?ttd=1&ark=3

The Many Types Of Paper

There is a large number of types of paper in the whole wide world. Even you and I don't know all of them. Perhaps some of us only know three types of papers, which are the most commonly used ones: printing paper, photo paper and drawing paper. There are more than those, of course. And here are a few unique ones:


TYPE 1: Water colour paper
These are artists' paper which has been designed specifically for the water colour medium. It is usually specially treated to make it less absorbent, so that the water colours will not bleed and muddle together on the paper. Water colour paper comes in a number of different grades and styles, and most artists experiment with several different types before they find a style which works for them.

Water colour paper

http://www.reuels.com/reuels/Arches_Natural_White_Watercolor_Paper.html

TYPE 2: Visualising paper

This group includes tracing papers, both rag and nonrag, and graphics papers. These papers are designed primarily to be transparent or translucent. At this time, there are no tracing or graphics papers, 100 percent rag or not, that are generally considered archival. The processes used and the chemicals with which these papers are impregnated, tend to make them impermanent. They should not be used for permanent fine artwork unless they are specifically guaranteed by the manufacturer.

Tracing paper

http://joohuat.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_24

TYPE 3: Specialty paper
In these category, it consists of tens of thousands of types. From the paper they use to print birthday cards to traditional linen paper. Here are just a few of specialty paper:

Antique Calligraphy Paper

http://www.heatoncooper.co.uk/product.php?xProd=705

Coated paper ( Wax )

http://www.printopacksaudi.com/wax-coated-paper.htm

Decorative papers

http://www.dickblick.com/products/decorative-paper-assortments/

Metallic paper

http://www.thepapermillstore.com/paper/metallic-paper

Lokta paper

http://blog.georgeweil.com/2008/03/highly-textured-brightly-coloured.html

Thin and lightweight paper

http://www.paperstudio.com/catalog2.php?category=Thin%20and%20Lightweight%20Paper

TYPE 4: Oriental paper

Oriental papers are highly absorbent. This allows the artist, as the ink or watercolor is applied, to create shading or a multivalued edge as the brushstroke is made. The character of this edge is determined by the quickness of the stroke and how it is executed and by the density of the ink in relation to the specific absorbency and texture of the paper. Success is based simply on developing skill, by experiencing how each particular paper will respond.

Oriental paper

http://www.zazzle.com/oriental_bamboo_ii_stationery-229460534543709987

That's almost 4 types of unique papers. If they're in the stores near you, feel free to try them out on your own. But remember, don't paste those papers! Instead, put them to full usage!

Adapted from: http://www.trueart.info/types_of_paper.htm
                       http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-watercolor-paper.htm
                       http://www.trueart.info/visualizing.htm
                       http://www.trueart.info/oriental.htm

How Did Paper Come About?

SOURCE 1
It all started 5000 years ago. That and at the Nile river ally in Egypt. Cyperous Papyrus was the name of the marsh grass that grew there. Egyptians cut thin strips from the plant's stem, softened them in the muddy waters of the Nile and the strips were then layered in right angles to form a kind of mat. The mat was then pounded into a thin sheet and left in the sun to dry. The resulting sheets were ideal for writing on. Since they were also lightweight and portable, they became the writing medium of choice of the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans for record keeping, spiritual texts and works of art.

Cyperous Papyrus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus

Adapted from: http://www.hqpapermaker.com/paper-history/

SOURCE 2

This time, the source of paper dates back to the 2nd century BC in China. The tombs of the former Han Dynasty were excavated and revealed silk cloth containing the texts of Lao Tzu - the father of Taoism. In 105 AD, Han Emperor Ho-Ti's chief eunuch T'sai Lun experimented with a wide variety of materials and refined the process of macerating the fibre of plants. After a number of processes, T'sai Lun became the patron saint of paper making.

Hemp wrapping paper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper

Adapted from: http://www.hqpapermaker.com/paper-history/

What Is Paper Made Of?

          Papers. Do you know what paper is? I'm sure that you definitely know what it is but do you
have any idea what is it made of? So, now, you will know what it is made from.


          Paper is actually created by compressing together moist fibers from grasses, woods, rags and drying them into flexible sheets such as the ones we used to write or draw on. Although it might look simple to you, the fact is that it is more complicated and complex than what you may imagine now. There are two
types of pulping process, which are the chemical pulping and the mechanical pulping.


          Firstly, to make pulp from a wood by chemical pulping, lignin will have to be removed cellulose fibers,  which helps to maintain the quality of the fibers. This is called wood-free papers. Then, in order to produce a white paper,  bleaching process will have to be done but it consumes 5% of the cellulose.

Chemical pulping

http://us.magnetrol.com/applications.aspx?application=30

          Secondly, mechanical pulping, where  wood is chipped then fed into huge steam-heated refiners, squeezing it and made into fibers by rolling them between two steel discs. Though this process requires  a lot of electricity and its quality is not as good as the chemical pulping, it is cheaper.

Mechanical pulping

http://cnr.ncsu.edu/fb/research/research_facilities.php

               These two ways above are now still used in several country.


Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper

Introduction

Everyone uses paper. It doesn't matter what industry one is in as everyone's job includes jotting down notes, and what other material better than paper can be used? No matter how advanced the Earth becomes, paper is still going to be the one of the most essential materials we need.


What actually is paper? Anyone in his or her right mind's answer would be something to write or draw on. That is correct, of course. However, according to the Oxford Dictionary, paper is a material manufactured in thin sheets from the pulp of wood or other fibrous substances.

As a matter of fact, there are many meanings to the term 'paper'. There are also a lot of things to be known about paper, not just its meaning. How is paper made? Where did paper come from? What gave our ancestors the inspiration to invent this material called 'paper'? Why paper to write on with ink? Why not leaves to be made into books instead? Will paper be used up tomorrow? Or perhaps the day after tomorrow?

Have you actually thought about all those questions? If you haven't, then you'd better start thinking! Knowing the answers to those questions will increase your knowledge about paper and possibly teach you some noble lessons too. On this blog, we'll do our best to answer any enquiries about this material we are all using.

At the same time, limit your paper usage. You should recycle it after you're done with it. You never know -  someday, your tiny little act might just save the Earth we are living in.

Authors

Janice Cheng

Everyone's special; so am I. Born on the 10th of November, 1997, I was named Janice Cheng, just as written. My ambition's to be a geophysicist. Hobbies are reading novels and surfing the Net. My mother tongue is the world's current lingua franca: English. The Earth's a fine place to live in but not if you spoil it. So, manage your paper usage wisely!

Lee Sum Mei

A 15 year old girl who loves nature, my name is Lee Sum Mei and I was born on the 6th of May, 1997. My ambition is to be an ecologist. Why? It can help to SAVE THE WORLD! Hobbies are walking leisurely in the park to enjoy the cool, fresh air and playing the piano to express myself. The Earth is not permanent: the trees will not stay green and alive if our generation and the next remain ignorant of what is crucial, in fact, there are roles we need to play in order to ensure our Earth survives. These trees are shelter to animals. Therefore, minimise the use of paper and practise recycling! You. Can. Make. A. Difference.

Law Kah Kaye

Preferably called Kah Kaye or Kaye, I am a 15-year-old girl born on the 15th of November, 1997 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ambition? Well, I'm not sure about what I would like to be in the future but for now, I aim to get good results in my studies. Hobbies are travelling, listening to music and drawing. Paper is one of the most important resources on Earth and with the amount of paper we use everyday, it is not surprising if it eventually becomes used up. To conserve paper, I make it a habit to draw or doodle on already-used paper. Therefore, I urge YOU to take a step towards that recycle bin near you, lift up its lid and dump your newspapers, magazines or whatever forms of paper you want to dispose of, in it. It helps!  In protecting the environment, that is.

Nicetha Lily

My name is Nicetha Lily, a.k.a. Neech to my friends. I am fifteen and a storybook addict. I love playing badminton and I want to dissect bodies, dead ones of course when I grow up. Specifically, I want to be a pathologist. My favourite shows are all CSI(s). And no one can ever keep me away from Merlin. I love fruit juices. Lastly,I am a "Use less paper" fan. Thanks! 

Glenna Tan

Hi, my name is Glenna Tan and I am 15 years old. My dream is to become the champion in the next year's basketball tournament and my hobby is playing basketball. We should be grateful to have such a beautiful earth, but nowadays the earth is facing a lot of problems. Maybe you might say, "What can I do about the problems that the earth is facing?" It is difficult to see what you can do to stop people cutting down hundreds of trees everyday, but you can do little things yourself. So,here I urge all of you to use less paper. Then, we'll all have a healthier planet.

Marcus Wong

My name is Marcus Wong, born on the 7th of August 1997. Everyone has an ambition of their own, so do I. I would like to be a dentist in the future. Hobbies are reading non-fictional books(facts)/ fictional books (related to myths) and playing computer games. I'm from Malaysia, so as the other group members. And just to remind you since we all use paper everyday, which kills trees, do your part in overcoming this major problem such as recycling, in order to avoid the extinction of trees, for the future generations and also our sizeable globe.