Volume2Issue1

January1,2010

Origami Bonsai
ELECTRONICMAGAZINE
Wehaveonlyjustbegun.

Inthisissue: UpsideDownFlower ParasiticVines

Copyright201 C 10,BenjaminJohnColema an,AllRightsR Reserved.

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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazine Copyright2009,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. Thisisacollaborative,quarterlyproductionsoyourstoriesandsuggestionsarean integralpartofthispublicationssuccess.Pleasesubmitarticlesandinputvia emailto: Ben@Benagami.com Foradvertisingratesandinformation,pleaseclickthelinkabove.Ourcurrent circulationisapproximately10,000readers,howeverthisdocumentwillremain ontheinternetintotheforeseeablefuture,soactuallongtermreadershipis moresignificantthantheexistingnumberofsubscribers. OrigamiBonsaiisaregisteredtrademarkofBenjaminJohnColeman.

JoinUs!

Clickhereformore Informationon OrigamiBonsaibooks.

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Benjamin John Colemans Paper Craft Books

Click the book cover to order or preview.

The first book in the Origami Bonsai (2010, Tuttle Publishing) series is available at bookstores worldwide. This book teaches how to fold the basic flower form from which many varieties of flower can be folded. Comes with folding videos on DVD. 112 pages.

Advanced Origami Bonsai teaches how to make branches from newspaper using the Makigami technique. Also teaches how to create intricate branch networks for Origami Bonsai sculptures. 182 pages on DVD or through Scribd.com

Origami Bonsai Accessories teaches how to make durable Makigami jewelry, accessories, bangles, planters and other items. Make virtually anything you can conceive of from paper. 152 pages on DVD or through Scribd.com.

Origami 101 includes more than 40 fun and interesting models from every genre of origami. This book is written for the absolute beginner with strategies to go from beginner to expert in one book! Origami 101 is the first origami book with glow-fold diagrams and videos making learning origami easy!

Artist-inventor Benjamin John Coleman guides you with stepby-step instructions in how to make over 30 durable, wearable jewelry projects. Learn how to recycle ordinary newspaper into intricate, complex natural shapes. Instructions for making earrings, bangles, pendants and much more! 132 pages with 14 videos in full HD

Books ordered through OrigamiBonsai.org ship the same day theyre ordered!

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

FrequentlyAskedQuestions
WhatisOrigamiBonsai? OrigamiBonsaiisanewartformdevelopedoverthepastthreeyearsbyartist,authorand inventorBenjaminJohnColeman.Origamiflowersandleavesareattachedtobranchestoform dramatic,visuallycomplexsculptures.Thesesculpturesareeitherfreestanding(canbeplaced ontopoftables),orwallhanging(attachtowallswithahook). OrigamiBonsaiisrevolutionary.Forthefirsttimeorigamienthusiastscanassembletheirwork intosculptures.Thesesculpturesareappealingandhavebothartisticandcommercialvalue. Whileitcouldbearguedthatorigamiisacraftandnotanartform,itisclearthatOrigami Bonsaiisanartformascolor,shape,andplantinteractionscanbeusedtoconveythoughts, meaningsandevenemotions. Wedonotattempttoduplicatenature,asthiswouldbeimpossible.Insteadwemimicnature andusenaturalformsasinspirationforourworks.Theworldofplantsseemschaoticand complex,anditisinhumannaturetotrytoaddordertothatworld.However,itisthatchaos thatisthesourceofmuchofthebeautyofourwork.OrigamiBonsaiartistsaspiretoexpress thischaosinacoherentmannerintheirwork,usingittoconveyamessage,orsimplytocreate somethingbeautiful. WhatisMakigami? BenjaminJohnColemaninventedMakigamitocomplementOrigamiBonsai.Itallowsartiststo maketrees(networksofbranches)frompaper.MakigamimeansrollpaperinJapanese. Newspaperissaturatedinasolutionandthenrolled,muchlikethesnakesyourolledasa childfromclay.ThesewetMakigamistripsarethenattachedtocylindersandallowedtodry. Whendry,thesolutionthestripswererolledinactsasglue.Theresultantpaperproductisstiff, durable,andeasytoworkwith.RecentadvancesinMakigamihaveledtotheabilitytomake itemslikebonsaiplanters,jewelry,andotheritemsfromthematerial. Doyouusewiresinsidethebranches? No.OrigamiBonsaiisabouttestingthelimitsofpaperasamedium(material)andabout discoveringnewapplicationsforpaperinourwork. Whatisthedifferencebetweenwww.OrigamiBonsai.organdwww.Benagami.com? Benagami.comisawebsitefeaturingtheworkofBenjaminJohnColeman.OrigamiBonsai.org isawebsitededicatedtofurtherdevelopingOrigamiBonsai.AtOrigamiBonsai.orgyouwill

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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

findthelatesttechniquesandfoldingdiagrams,andcansubmityourideastobeincludedon thesite. HowdoIgetstartedmakingOrigamiBonsai? Allyouneedtobeginissomesmallsquaresofpaper.Ifyouwouldliketobuildasculptureyou willneedeithertheprintedbookOrigamiBonsai(TuttlePublishing,availableinApril2010) orAdvancedOrigamiBonsaianelectronicbookavailablethroughwww.Scribd.comoronDVD orCDonwww.Etsy.com.Thereisaclickableadvertisementforthisbookonthesecondpageof thisdocumentthatwilltakeyoudirectlytothebooks. WhatisthedifferencebetweenthebooksOrigamiBonsai,AdvancedOrigamiBonsai,and OrigamiBonsaiAccessories? OrigamiBonsaiisthefirstbookintheseries.ItispublishedbyTuttlePublishingandwillbe availableinbookstoresinAprilof2010.Thebookteacheshowtofoldmanyvarietiesof flowersandleavesandthenassembletheflowersandleavesontorealtreebranches.Thisis largelyanorigamibook. AdvancedOrigamiBonsaiisthesecondbookintheseries.Itwaspublishedelectronicallyon June1,2009.Itteacheshowtofoldafewdifferenttypesofflowersandleaves,butmore importantly,itteacheshowtomakebranchesfrompaperusingtheMakigamitechnique. Whilethereissomeorigamiinthisbook,itismostlyaboutMakigami. OrigamiBonsaiAccessories isthethirdbookinthe seriesandisstillinthe researchanddesignphase. Thisbookteacheshowto makebonsaiplanters, jewelry,andotheritems frompaper.Itwillbe entirelyMakigami.

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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

OrigamiBonsaiUpdateJanuary1,2010
byBenjaminJohnColeman BiodegradableAutoParts TheG20recentlymetinPittsburg,Pennsylvaniain theUnitedStates.Oneofthemanychantsshouted byprotestorsoutsidethemeetingswas biodegradableautoparts.Thischantmademe smile,becauseIveoftenthoughtofmakingan automobilefromMakigami. AMakigamiautomobilewouldbelight,durable,and biodegradable,makingittheultimategreen machine.HoweverbecauseMakigamiusesmoisture asacatalystforbiodegradation,usingthismaterial forautomotiveproductionisprobablynotagood idea.Biodegradationofsomethinglikeacarmade fromMakigamiandexposedtotheelementsis unpredictable.Anintensiveautopartrecycling initiativemightbemoreappropriate. VaryingNewsprintWeights Mostnewspapersusethesameweightofpaperfortheirentirepublication.Recently, somenewspapersstartedmixingweights.Forexample,pagesprintedinblackandwhite willbeaheavierweightthanthoseprintedincolor.Iassumetheyredoingthistosave money,howeveritmightalsobethattheyreusingmorethanonetypeofpress,andthat thesedifferentpressesrequiredifferentweightsofpaper. Itishardtotellthedifferenceinweightwhenthepaperisdry,butitbecomesapparent whenusedforMakigami.Onesheetwillrollproperly,andthenextwillbehavelikewet toilettissueadisaster.Ifyouregettingmixedresultslikethisyouwillneedtoidentify whichsheetsofyourlocalnewspaperareusable,andwhicharenot.

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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

NewHighDefinitionFoldingVideos Ihavebeguntoreleasenewfoldingvideosinhighdefinition.Thesevideosareofmuch greaterclaritytheolderones,andhavebeenoptimizedforYouTube,sotheyappearmuch largeronthetypicalcomputerscreen.Iwouldliketoupdatetheoldervideos,but YouTubehasnoprovisionfordoingupdates.Thismeansthatlinksinthebookandfrom otherwebsiteswouldnolongerfunction.Becauseofthis,oldervideoswillnotbe updatedtohighdefinition. OrigamiBonsaiAccessories ThethirdbookintheOrigamiBonsaiseriesisproceedingwell.Ivedevelopedsomenew planterswhichwillbeincludedwiththebook.BelowaresomepicturesofwhatIm callingFractalWaveplanters,becausetheymimictheshapeofoceanwavesandare surprisinglyeasytomake. BenColeman

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Copyright201 C 10,BenjaminJohnColema an,AllRightsR Reserved.

FoldingtheUpsid deDownFlower
byBenjam minJohnCo oleman
Ilovediscoveringn newflowers,a andtheupsi ide flowerisno oexception.F Frankly,itsso o down easytofoldIdontunderstandw whyIdidnt discov veritsooner. Thisflowerhascha aracteristicsthatmakeitsimilar toaflo owerbud,an ndwithalittle eshadingyou ucan achiev vedramaticre esults.Butprobablythem most impor rtantattribute eoftheupsid dedownflow weris thatit tcanbefolde edinalmostm microscopicsi izes. Inthepictureatlef ft,atinyyello owupsidedown flower risnestledinamuchlarge erpurpleupside th t downflow wer.Theyello owflowerisl lessthan1/8 inchlong. Inamedthisfoldingpa atterntheups sidedown flowerbecauseitrequiresadifferentpainting pattern.N Normallywepaintleafcol loronone, andflowe ercolorontheothersideo ofourpaper. Thepatte ernfortheupsidedownflo ower requirest thatyoupaint tasmallamo ountofleaf colorinth hecenterofy yourflowersh hading. Ontherig ghtyoullseeafoldedupsi idedown floweralo ongwithitsco orresponding gleafand flowersid desofpaper.Noticethatt thereisa smallamo ountofleafco olorinthece enterofthe flowersha ading,andthattheleafsid deofthe squareispaintedentir relyinflowercolor.Infact t,verylittleo oftheleafside eofthesquareisvisiblein nthe ower. foldedflo Theupsid dedownflowerisbasedon ntheBasicFlowerFormII, ,butIveincludedcomple eteinstruction ns heretoav voidconfusionregardingt thepaintingd diagrams.Asalways,there esalsoavide eoonYouTub beto helpyouw withfoldingit.Ihopeyou uwillenjoyth hisnewadditiontotheeve ergrowingfamilyofOrigami Bonsaiflo owers. OrigamiB BonsaiElectro onicMagazine eVol.2Issue1 Page8 P

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

UpsideDownFlowerFolding Instructions
Clickontheimageatlefttowatchvideo instructionsforfolding,orfollowthediagrams below: 1.Startwithasquareofpaper.Ifyouwanttopaintyour flower,thepapershouldbepaintedwithflowercoloron bothsideswithasmallpatchofleafcolorononeside. 2.Foldandunfoldthesquarehorizontallyandvertically andthenflipyoursquare. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.2Issue1 Page9

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. 3.Nowfoldandunfoldyoursquarediagonallyas shown. 4.Foldandunfoldeachcornertothecenter.Dothisforall fourcornersandthenflipyoursquare. 5.Foldandunfoldthetopandbottomedgesto thecenter. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.2Issue1 Page10

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. 6.Nowfoldandunfoldtheverticalsidestothecenter. 7.Pushthecenterpointsoftheoutsideedges towardsthemiddleofthesquare.Thesquarewill collapseintotheBasicFlowerFormII.(Youmaywant towatchthevideoonPage9forclarificationofthis step.) 8.Thisisanexplodedviewofwhatyourmodelshould looklike.Thethickhorizontalandverticallinesareedges ofpaper. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.2Issue1 Page11

World, meet flower. Flower, meet world.

Plastic

Introducing the worlds first mass-produced, pre-folded Origami flower. The Origami Bonsai Instant Flower ships flat, but with two simple movements, opens to reveal a beautiful flower.

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. 9.Pulleachofthecornersatthecenterofyour modeltotheoutsidewhilefoldingtheinner pleatsonthelineindicated.Itisimportantthat youdonotfoldthetoppleatofpaper. 10.Yourmodelshouldlooklikethis. 11.Insertyourindexfingerintooneofthepetals andthenpushitinandtowardsthecenter. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.2Issue1 Page13

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. 12.Pusheachpetalinthesamemanner. 13.Shapetheflowerbypullingeachofthelittletabs atthebottomoutward. Thecompletedflower.

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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

ParasiticVines
Bydefinition,aparasiteisanorganismthatbenefits fromarelationshipwithitshost,whileatthesame timethehostsufferssomedetrimentfromthe parasite.Innaturemostvinesareconsidered parasites.Becausetheyhavenarrowstems,theyare unabletogainmuchheightontheirown,butthey areabletogrowquickly,sotheyveevolvedan insidioustechniqueforobtaininglight.Insteadof growingthickerstemstheyclimbtreesbycoiling aroundthem,muchlikeasnakewould. Ifleftunchecked,avinewillgrowtothetopofatree, sproutleaves,andblocksunlightthatwouldnormally reachthetree.Asthehosttreecontinuestogrow, vinesthatarewrappedtootightlyarounditstrunk begintochokeit.Ifthevinedoesntbreak,thetree willdieandeventuallyfall.Thisendsupkillingboth plants,soitsinthevinesbestinteresttokeepthe treealive. Onyournextwalkkeepaneyeoutforparasiticvinestheyreincrediblyinteresting.Theyalmostseem tohavesomeintelligence;anoddpatternofgrowththatishardtomodel,andtheabilitytoovercome obstacles.TheprojectsI illustrateonthefollowingpages areforOrigamiBonsaiartists thathaveabitofexperience. Workingwithnarrowstripsof Makigamicanbefrustrating,but theresultsarewellworthit.

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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. 1.Iamgoingtoaddaparasiticvinetothis sculpture.Thefirststepistowrapthesculptures planterinaplasticbagtoprotectitfrompaintor gluesplatter. 2.Tearoffsomestripsofmaskingtapeapproximately fourincheslong,andthentearthosestripsinhalf lengthwise.Usethetapetocreateapatharoundyour sculpturewhichthevinewillfollow. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.2Issue1 Page16

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. Heresthepathmyparasiticvinewillfollow.Myvine willconsistofamainstemgrowingoutoftheplanter, windingupandaroundthemainstemofthetree,and thensplittingintotwoshootswhichthenwindintwo directionsouttotheedgesofthesculpture. 3.Icutfourlongpiecesofnewsprinttocreateonethick stemandtwothinones.Ialsocutsixshorterpiecesof newsprinttocreatesixshoots(oryoucanthinkofthem asbranchtips). IusetheMakigamitechniquetorolltwolongpiecesof newsprintintoonethickstem. Irolltheothertwolongpiecesofnewsprintintosingle, narrowerstems. Irolltheshortpiecesofnewsprintandthenattachthem ingroupsofthreetoamoldbeingsuretowindthemin oppositedirections. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.2Issue1 Page17

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

4.Moldthewet,longerMakigamistripsyoumadeinStep3alongthepathcreatedbythemaskingtape instep1. a)Startatthebottomofthesculpture,tapingthethickestendofthethickerstriptothetreetrunkand thenwrappingitaroundfollowingthetapepath.Nowtapethelooseendtothenearestbranchor trunkontheexistingsculpture. b)TapethethickendofoneoftheotherMakigamistripstothetreeoverlappingtheMakigamistrip youattachedin(a).Thenwrapthestripfollowingthemaskingtapepath,andtapethelooseendtoits acorrespondingbranchontheexistingsculpture. c)Dothesamewiththethird,lastpieceofMakigami. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.2Issue1 Page18

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. 5.AllowtheMakigamivinesegmentstodry. Oncedry,cuttheoverlappingpiecesandglue themtogether. 6.Cutandglueshootstothevinestem structure.Alsoglueshootstotheendsofthe vines. Thesculptureshownwillhavelargeupside downflowersattachedtothevine,soIvealso gluedarcshapedpiecesofMakigamitoit.

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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. 7.Paintyourvinewithitsfirstcoatofpaint.Inthis exampleImusingyellow.Tocreatearealistic lookingvinethathasabrightyellowgreencolor,I paintmyvinewithaninitialcoatofyellow(mixed withglueinaccordancewiththebookAdvanced OrigamiBonsai)followedbyacoatofgreenmixed withglue. 8.Removethemaskingtapefrombeneaththe vine. 9.Paintthevinewithafinalcoatofpaintandglue. Ifyouusethesamecolorforthefinalcoatofthe vinethatyouusedforthefinalcoatontheexisting sculptureyoullhavealotlesstouchupworktodo. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.2Issue1 Page20

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved. Hereismysculpturewithitsparasiticvine.Thevineisreadyto haveleavesandflowersattached.PleaserefertoAdvanced OrigamiBonsaiforfinalassemblyinstructions. Atleftisthe completedsculpture withaflowering parasiticvine.

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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

OrigamiBonsaiwithVines
ThissculpturewasbuiltjustafterIinventedtheMakigamitechnique.Theprimaryplantisarealtree branch,onlythevineisMakigami. IcallthesculptureatrightArrestedDevelopment.The vineinthissculpturehaswrappeditselfsotightlyaround thetreethatthetreedied. OrigamiBonsaiElectronicMagazineVol.2Issue1 Page23

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

Thissculpturealsoappearsonthecoverofthismagazine.Ithasavinewithtenleafsizes.
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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

Thissculpturehasavinewithleavesintensizes.
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Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

Thevineonthissculpturehas leavesinfivesizes.Thevinealso hasclustersofredberries.

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Copyright201 C 10,BenjaminJohnColema an,AllRightsR Reserved.

Ow ap ceo History wn piec ofH y!

Click here for a list of available sculptures.

Here is an oppor rtunity, no only to own an o ot original Origami Bonsai sculp pture created dbyBenjaminJohn Coleman, butalsot tohelpsup pportprod ductionof this f magazin ne,andco ontinuedd developme entofthis newform mofart.W Whenyou click thisadv vertisemen ntyouwillbetransf ferredtot theBenaga amipageo onEtsy.A Alist of available sculptures alo with pricing will be disp ong played. T Thank you for u support tingmyeff fforts!
OrigamiB BonsaiElectro onicMagazine eVol.2Issue1 Pa age27

Copyright2010,BenjaminJohnColeman,AllRightsReserved.

Thissculptureincludesavinethatwrapsaroundthetreeandthentheplanter.
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