Naomiki Sato's Origami Roses
Create Lifelike Roses and Other Blossoms
Naomiki Sato’s Origami Roses is a beautiful and inspiring book full of amazing, complex, and realistic blooms made from paper.
The book includes eleven projects covering seven types of roses, not to mention cherry blossoms, bellflowers, plumeria, and bougainvillea. All the patterns are true origami—made without cutting, unless the base shape is something other than square. Glue and tape are sometimes used in assembly: to attach a bud to a calyx, or to add thorns to a stem. A gallery section displays the blossoms in striking, artistic ways, with long-stemmed roses displayed with leaves and thorns, and individual cherry blossom petals seeming to float in an unfelt breeze.
The patterns are shown in small and detailed step-by-step diagrams, aided by some photographs. Levels of difficulty are indicated with star ratings. The simplest projects are the bellflowers and bougainvillea at one-and-a-half stars; the most complex is the five-star old rose rosette. Most are not for beginners—even the simple square rose involves 60 steps—but those well versed in paper folding will enjoy the challenge of these fascinating designs. The text helps to explain what is illustrated in the photographs and diagrams, and arrows, numbers, and other markings on the illustrations make everything more clear.
In addition to classic square paper designs, the book also uses a pentagon shape to make a few of the roses, giving them a different look and opening up new possibilities for paper folders who might not have used the shape before. Sidebars offer more inspiration and instruction on topics like folding neatly, cutting out the pentagon shape, and assembling flower parts.
Origami Roses is a lovely book full of exciting techniques, best suited for those experienced in paper folding.
Reviewed by
Sarah White
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
