Translated from Japanese, kusudama translates as "medicinal ball." Even in ancient times, the art of kusudama appeared and was used mainly by doctors and healers. A ball made using this technology was filled with a mixture of healthy, natural incense and healing herbs, after which it was suspended over a sick person’s bed. In the modern world, these paper crafts are used as an unusual decoration, consisting of a large number of individual modules.
Amazing art
It is hard to believe, but the magic balls of kusudama are based on simple square sheets folded in a special way. In almost all models, modules are stylized images of real colors. Separate parts are interconnected using ordinary threads or glue. Kusudama paper balls are often decorated with a pretty brush, attaching it to the bottom of the structure. The result of painstaking work will be a “floral” arrangement, suitable for decorating a private house, apartment or an exquisite cafe, boutique or handicraft shop. It will be interesting for children, parents and experienced craftsmen to study original Japanese art .
The difference between kusudama and origami
The amazing, harmonious art of folding beautiful flowers from pieces of paper is a wonderful meditative activity. But how to distinguish magic balls of kusudama from similar products using the origami technique? The difference is very simple: in the first case, glue or threads are used to fasten the parts, and in the second, the modules are simply inserted into each other. Also, scissors are not used in origami - every detail, any composition is created from one colored or white sheet of paper. However, do not think that the kusudama ball will be more complicated than its counterpart from an earlier tradition. The basis of working with paper is patience, accuracy and a sense of color.
Kusudama "Flower Ball"
You can decorate your interior with such a ball, if you equip the product with a stand - it can be put on a shelf or a table, or you can simply hang it from the ceiling. Kusudama is a fairly lightweight product, so it is easy to stick to tape or pin it with a pin. It will also be a great gift for any woman: on March 8, a birthday or a mother’s holiday. The preparatory phase for work includes the search and collection of necessary materials and tools. Paper is best taken with a thin, designed for origami. Kusudama balls will look great if you use several contrasting colors. In the brush, add the thread of the same shade as the product itself.
Materials
Kusudama's "Flower Ball" requires little preparation. You need to take the following materials and tools:
- special paper for origami or ordinary children's color “for creativity” or even office, but in different shades;
- glue: it is advisable to use a sticking pencil, since the traditional “PVA” impregnates the paper very much and warps it;
- sharp scissors that will not “chew” the edge of the sheet;
- decorative cord, ribbon or twisted floss thread;
- several beads of different sizes and rhinestones - for decoration you can use a variety of sequins, miniature butterflies, birds or leave kusudama without additions;
- you must definitely be patient - there is not much work, but it is quite painstaking.
Module manufacture
When wondering how to make a ball out of Kusudama, needlewomen are afraid of a large number of details. However, you need to learn how to make just one module. From a large number of identical elements, it will then be possible to create the entire structure. The manufacture of the module takes place in several stages:
- Sixty identical squares need to be cut from the selected colored paper. Each such element should have a side of seven centimeters. Here it should be noted that the size of the future ball will depend on the size of the squares.
- One module consists of several separate petals. Each flower will require five separate parts, they are glued or stitched together. Thus, the needlewoman will have twelve identical elements, from which the ball of kusudama will be assembled.
Fold the petal
So, to make kusudama from paper, a magic ball is collected from flowers. One petal is created in the following way:
- one square with a side of seven centimeters is rotated upward, laying it in the form of a rhombus;
- we bend the lower corners upward to the left and to the right;
- now the upper ponytails of the rhombus need to be bent to get a "lily";
- we expand the halves, in the middle there should be a rhombus, narrowed down;
- bend over the corners of the turns, bend and wrap the lapels to their former position along the line of the internal bend;
- it should again turn out to be a rhombus with equal sides;
- we lubricate the inner small folded part with glue and firmly press it to the second side of the rhombus;
- you should get a kind of beveled cone with “stamens” from the folded corners in the middle. See the example in the photo.
Sixty of these petals need to be prepared, then glue them in the form of flowers. The ball itself is already made of twelve large parts.
Kusudama construction assembly
We take all twelve elements and glue them into a magical flower ball. It will be more convenient to fasten six modules each, and then connect two large parts together. Before gluing the halves of the ball, a ribbon or decorative cord is inserted inside. To do this, take the prepared braid, fold it in half, thus creating a loop on which the structure will hang. Beads, tassels, miniature cells with birds, butterflies and much more are attached to the bottom of the ribbon. The resulting decorated cord is placed in the middle of the half of the ball, the details are coated with glue and fastened together. The middle of the flowers can be additionally decorated with rhinestones, bright sparkles or “planted” on some modules of tiny insects, such as the common ladybugs made of wood. Everything, flower kusudama (ball) is ready.
Constructor paper module
Some Kusudamas look unusual, they do not resemble flower balls, but are created in order to emphasize the beauty of geometry. For the manufacture of such models will require special modules, which are called "part of the designer." All lines of these elements are clear, even, as befits geometric shapes. However, the kusudam from them resemble sea corals, bunches of dugouts and many other representatives of flora and fauna.
For the manufacture of the designer module, you will need a sheet of paper, naturally square in shape, like all blanks for bites. Next, follow the description:
- Bend the sheet in the middle, creating a vertical rectangle.
- Extend the workpiece, then you need to bend each half in the middle. When we straighten the sheet, we get a surface divided into four equal rectangles.
- Now the sheet is bent diagonally, after which it is again deployed.
- The upper and lower sides of our square need to be bent towards the diagonal. It should look like a rectangle stretched out over corners in different directions, but in fact this is a rhombus.
- Now we do not expand anything, but bend along the lines that turned out in point two. That is, you need to bend the left and right sides to the middle of the module. You get a beveled rhombus with two bulging corners beyond the edge line.
- In the middle there will be a small corner that will protrude into the second half. It needs to be tucked in.
- We bend both sides along the center line, which turned out at the first stage.
- The protruding part of the module must be folded in such a direction that the edges of the lower and upper layers necessarily coincide.
- A protruding corner will appear again, it is already traditionally bent.
- We turn the product over to the other side and bend exactly as indicated in paragraphs eight and nine.
Corners and pockets
Each constructor module received will have two edge types. One of them resembles a small pocket, and the second has only a corner. There are two ways to connect these constructor modules. The first involves assembly towards the common center of the future design. And the second method is designed to connect parts in a circle. From such modules, you can create kusudamas of six, twelve, thirty or sixty elements. The main rule: the number of parts should always be a multiple of six. The rules of geometry and ancient Japanese art require this.
Amazing crafts in the interior
We have already figured out how to assemble a ball of kusudama, but how to use it so that it does not look like cheap crafts from a kindergarten kid? Here the recommendations of professional designers come to the rescue. First, you need to choose paper responsibly. To make it easier to bend, you need a sufficiently strong material. Also, the paper should be thin and as bright as possible. This does not mean that white or delicate colors and shades will not work. The dull, gray color of the products will give the impression that the entire structure is either very old and dusty, or made of low-quality, cheap paper.
Some masters prefer to varnish Kusudama so that it attracts less home dirt and shines in the sun. If you want to try this method, you need a professional coating agent. In needlework stores, quite often you can find varnish for decoupage in the spray can. It is easy to apply and does not warp paper products. For maximum strength of the composition, if it was made of a denser material, you can use the tested PVA glue. It is applied in a thin layer over the entire surface and after drying kusudama becomes slightly rubberized. The glue must be fresh and sufficiently liquid, and the construction is made of thick paper, otherwise such a "strengthening" can distort the whole ball and ruin the color.