Not nearly. I’ve got about 300 compositions represented here, but I’ve composed and cataloged over 700 figures over the last 50 years or so and I compose 10-20 new ones each year. I’ll be adding new compositions to the site as I design them; I will also go back and fold a few older compositions now and then, and will include them.
Yes, if the pictured work is still available; if it isn’t, I also do commissions. Email me with what you’re interested in. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, depending on complexity and materials.
Only if you’re willing to pay commercial rates for it. If you’re not a commercial entity, you probably can’t afford it. (If you are a commercial entity, please contact me.)
Sorry, not usually. It’s not that I’m being contrary, it’s just that since I composed the thing originally, I only see it the way it’s supposed to be folded rather than seeing the problem you might be having. However, there are several origami mailing lists, notably the Origami-L list, where you’ll often find people willing and able to help troubleshoot via email. There’s over a thousand people on that mailing list and you can often find folks willing to help out, but no one is required to respond to queries. So, to maximize your chances of getting a helpful reply, you should give a detailed description of what you are working on (which book, which model), and a description of what step(s) you’re having trouble with; also, if you can say what you’ve tried already, that’s helpful. The more fully you can describe what you’re seeing, the more likely it is that folks on the list will be able to visualize the problem you’re having and be able to offer helpful advice.
Yes, you are welcome to fold and display my compositions if you own the instructions. I do ask that you label them “folded by [your name], composed [or designed] by Robert J. Lang.” That way we both get credit for our relative contributions to your artwork.
No. The original artwork is protected by copyright (see here for more details), and the permission granted above does not extend to commercial use. I generally do not license my designs for folded reproduction by others. If you have ideas for reproductions in some other medium, please contact me.
It’s an idea I got from music, which deals with the same problem: how do you distinguish between two different compositions that have the same structural description? For example, Dvorak has “Slavonic Dances, opus 49” and “Slavonic Dances, opus 72”, which are two completely different compositions. In the same way, I use opus (plural: opera) to distinguish different origami compositions of the same subject.
I only assign a number when I’ve cataloged a composition by making notes that are sufficiently detailed that I could reproduce the composition. This can be a lot of work, and I usually have a backlog of 10-20 figures that I haven’t yet gotten around to cataloging. But if I’ve folded a nice one, sometimes I just can’t resist putting it on the site.
