Choosing the right paper for tessellations

Most of the tessellations you'll see on the Internet are folded using special paper, but you can actually fold using any paper you like. The only limitation with standard papers, is that they're simply not strong enough to cope with the stresses required to produce tessellations with a large number of units or levels. Tessellations require a large number of creases and each additional crease weakens the paper and makes it more likely to tear. Creating a grid is like repeatedly hitting a brick wall with a sledgehammer. After enough blows, the structure falls apart, which is good news if you're breaking down a wall, but bad news if you've just spent an hour on the pre-creasing and the paper is too weak to collapse into a finished model or develops unsightly holes or tears.

It's not a problem if you're only planning to do the occasional bit of tessellation folding, and providing you stick to simple models, you can choose patterned or duo papers and produce wonderful effects, a fact which is well demonstrated by the amazing-looking models in Shuzo Fujimoto's book, many of which are limited to just a few levels.

If you're more ambitious, and you want to experiment with more advance models, you can progress to specialist types of paper, many of which are a joy to fold and can be used to create a wide range of other models.

If you want a definitive examination of the available paper types, I'd advise you to read Ilan Garibi and Gadi Vishne's excellent paper reviews in the British Origami Magazine.

Here's a quick and dirty guide to the types of paper:

Standard papers

Standard origami paper

Patterned such as Washi

These are fine for simple models, but aren't recommended for anything requiring more than a 16x16 grid or Fujimoto hydrangeas with more than a couple of levels.

Good quality photocopier paper

This is better, and it's ideal for practice folding. You can just about pre-crease a 32x32 grid on it and collapse the model successfully, but you'll want to move to a stronger paper if you want to produce top-quality results.

Artist sketch pad paper

This is widely available in a variety of sizes, including A3. The typical weight is 135 GSM, so it's thick and fairly strong, but it will fall apart if you try to fold anything more than a 40x40 grid. The A3 paper is great for experimentation, or when you're struggling to understand how a model works, as it's large enough to make it easy to see the details of the individual creases.

Art paper

Art paper such as Canson or art-type note paper is fine for many models. You'll struggle to fold more than a 32x32x32x32 grid on it, but it's available in very large sizes and it's great for folding something large if you're having problems with the model on smaller paper. I'm a big fan of "Spectrum" notepaper from Paperchase. It's cheap, reasonably durable, and can be used to create nice-looking models. It may have its limits, but it's fine for experimenting.

Craft paper

The advantages of craft paper are that it's thin, strong, cheap and it's available in large rolls. The disadvantages are that the paper often includes a horizontal lined pattern which makes it hard to see your creases, and that it's way too thin for some folds. The quality of this paper varies depending on the manufacturer, so it's always worth buying the odd roll whenever you see one, as some of the higher quality brands are well suited for tessellation work. I'd recommend that you avoid anything that's made out of recycled paper though, as it'll tend to fall apart after you've folded the initial grid.

Specialist papers

Tant

I love this paper! It's hard to obtain because there's no UK source, but it's definitely worth the effort. The feel is silky-smooth, and the paper is an absolute joy to fold. Every crease you make is razor sharp, and the paper's forgiving enough to allow you to recover from mistakes. I get mine from the Origami Shop in France, which also sell other specialist papers such as Lokta and VOG.

Lokta

This is incredibly thin, but it folds like a dream. One of the most durable thin papers that I've used, and perfect for small models.

Stardream

I bought a pack on the recommendation of ilan Garibi's and Gadi Vishne and it's excellent. When you start out, it feels like you're folding cardboard, but after a few creases it folds extremely well, and it has a lovely sheen. You can get it from Craft Creations in the UK.

Elephant Hide

Nothing to do with pachyderms, as it's a specialist paper used by book-binders. It's incredibly strong and durable, and you can fold and refold it forever without it breaking or tearing. The only snags, are that it's too thick for some tessellations, a struggle to fold without a creasing tool, and you can't back-light it. Oh, and it only comes with a limited number of colours.

VOG also known as Crumpled paper

Apparently, this is a common type of wrapping paper if you live in Vietnam, and it was discovered for origami use from the Vietnamese Origami group, which explains why it's called VOG. The only source I'm currently aware of, is from the origami-shop in France, and like many of these papers, I only discovered it myself by reading a Ilan Garibi and Gadi Vishne's review in the BOS magazine. It's basically thin, mono paper with an embossed pattern, and although I've struggled a little to see my crease patterns, it's clearly well suited for tessellation folding. I wouldn't personally use it for anything too small or intricate, but I'll definitely be using it myself. I also suspect that it will be ideal for origami flowers.