Best sculpture books according to redditors

It's not sand, it's physics. OP is my dad. Here's his book on how it's done: https://www.amazon.com/Center-Gravity-Guide-Practice-Balancing/dp/1482026341

For each contact point the center of gravity of the rock(s) above must be directly above the contact, which is usually a little chip, depression, or flat spot where the rocks can "nestle." Takes some practice, but if you start with one rock on another, you can soon develop a feel for it. I wrote a book on rock balancing. It's on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1482026341

/u/mary_gen hadn't replied to you yet, so I thought I'd let you know - OP is the author of this book: https://www.amazon.com/Center-Gravity-Guide-Practice-Balancing/dp/1482026341

I saw this while browsing around on flickr. I thought it looked really cool so I wanted to make one myself!

The original creator published his digrams here, but I used this video to learn how to make the units.

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Sculpture-Little-Carving-Foam/dp/1456588788

Also did this one - The borg. http://i.imgur.com/TeInH.jpg

I got them from Paper Universe. I do have the NCC-1701-D, DS9, the USS Defiant memorized though and I am working on the others.

EDIT: The USS Defiant and Enterprise D I made of newspaper. Star Trek

His name is Dan Reeder. He has several books available on making "Screamers" - 1, 2, 3, and a couple more. His website can be found here. He's even a redditor and has popped up in a few threads. I posted something about how much of an impact his books had on me growing up and he replied to my post. Nice guy.

This seems like a good place to put this . . .

This book has a lot of information, tests, and recipes:
http://www.amazon.com/Patina-Coloration-Effects-Jewelers-Metalsmiths/dp/162033139X

Here comes a wall of text so brace yourselves.

First, stone carving is awesome, it is what I do and it is like an addiction. No better material to sculpt with IMHO. There is something to be said from learning autodidactically (I was originally self taught but have done some formal training), but you also don't need to waste time re-inventing the wheel. So do some research, but don't be afraid to break the "rules as you get a feel for things.

Soap stone carving is very different from other stone, as the tools and techniques are completely different. I started with limestone, and now work in Marble and Granite. Be fore warned, unless you have a quarry nearby, soapstone is very expensive($2-$3/lbs). If you decide you like carving after a couple of test sculptures in soapstone, I suggest that you find out what is quarried in your area, and see about getting material from the scrap pile (often way cheaper for material).

The set you have will give you a basic ability to work on very soft stone. I would need to see a better picture of the blunt end of the tool but it is likely either for burnishing(rubbing) or possibly for cutting rounded grooves(a rondel chisel but I am not sure)

If you plan to do any detail work, then you will likely want to use a rotary tool(Dremel or similar) to speed the process.

The book suggested by Artistic programmer is likely a decent choice, Milt Liebson also has a video by the same name(I think) that was available from my public library(VHS) check that out.

Liebson is a direct carver, this means he usually starts a sculpture with little to no pre-design this works for some, not for others. Classically, sculptors would build clay or plaster maquettes(models) and then work the design into the stone. Personally, I do a little of both types of carving, often starting with a nebulous image, and refining it based on what I find in the stone.

I would also recommend the following books:

Sculpture in Stone

Contemporary Stone Sculpture

Last but not least for the love of all that you hold dear be concious of the health hazards!!! Wear a dust mask, some stones contain asbestos, or silica or other harmful minerals. work in a well ventilated space, and wear safety goggles.

TL:DR Carving is awesome, check the books, break the rules and WEAR THE DAMN SAFETY EQUIPMENT!!!

For any beginner, I highly recommend Traditional Blacksmithing by John Holstrom.

Holstrom wrote this book, originally released as Modern Blacksmithing, which is a compilation of notes he took while he was working, in 1904. This is not a guide to techniques and methods of Blacksmithing; this a book of wisdom. Holstrom begins his book with a discussion of what it takes to be a good smith. According to Holstrom,

>"the smith [in the old days] was a well-liked person in society, respected and even admired for his skill, his gentlemanly behavior, and good language".

He discusses the importance of a well maintained shop, and upholding a good work ethic. Alongside this, you will find a wealth of tips and tricks to use around the anvil and forge. Overall, it's a great little book and definitely worthy of a good read.

The plastic (mylar?), or holographic reflective paper does not work too well, it doesn't hold creases good, but it can still be worked with for figures of simple to moderate complexity if it has paper on one side. If it is the kind that is all plastic, it will not be able to hold creases sufficiently well for most origami- anything you try to fold will unfold itself partway.

Real foil gift wrap with one side paper and one side foil works as well as origami foil paper you find in packs.

I often assume the side edges of the foil are a straight line to make things simpler, but you can cut a full square without making this assumption, it just takes a little additional measuring.

Tools to use are a ruler, pencil, and an "L square right angle rule" - Google it if you are not familiar with it; it is an architects/construction worker's tool, looks like a big metal L-shaped ruler; they can be had cheap at a Home Depot or Lowes, or a protractor would work too, but would not be as convenient.

I carefully measure off a square up to the size I want (I've made ones as big as a yard square in the past) and then cut it out using a metal ruler and X-acto type hobby knife. Then fold it on the diagonals and make sure the edges line up.

If they don't quite line up, you can place the ruler on the edge where all the raw edges are, with the ruler at a 90 degree angle to the adjacent edge, and cut through all the edges at once to make something very close to a perfect square.

It actually takes a decent amount of time and attention to detail to produce a good square of paper this way, but it allows you to use any kind of paper (butcher block rolls, for example, or handmade paper, textured paper, etc) and so I think it is worth it. I read the basics of the technique in one of the more popular origami books, "Origami from Angelfish to Zen" by Peter Engels, page 7, "Materials".

http://www.amazon.com/Origami-Angelfish-Zen-Peter-Engel/dp/0486281388

I hope this helps!

The butterflies are all by Michael J. LaFosse. I got the patterns from here and here.

The boxes are by Tomoko Fuse. I have a slew of her books. This one is decent for beginners. This one is ideal for beginners but, alas, is out of print.

The other tiny things are by Meenakshi Mukerji and are from this book. She has a fabulous website with an absolute wealth of pictures, info, and diagrams for modular and geometric models. And if you check out her guest gallery, well gee, doesn't that second group of photos look familiar? ;-)

Erik Demaine, Robert Lang and Tom Hull have great ones. Also check out the OSME conference proceedings. These people are always happy to talk via email if you have any questions, but you will have to look them up.

• Origami Design Secrets by Robert Lang
  
• Project Origami by Tom Hull
  
• Geometric Folding Algorithms by Erik Demaine
  
• 4OSME Proceedings
  
• 3OSME Proceedings
  
  Also I heard this one is good but I haven't seen it yet: Origamics: Mathematical Explorations through Paperfolding by Kazuo Haga, who I believe was one of the first to write academically about origami.

I just bought one of his books, in fact. Origami Design Secrets is basically the practical Origami theory book out there; it includes the optimization algorithms he uses to design bases, as well as several folding sequences for shaping flaps in bases into whatever you need. And a bunch of neat designs, like an intricately detailed Cuckoo clock folded from an uncut 10:1 rectangle of paper.

I have some!

Genuine Origami by Jun Maekawa

Each model comes with a "theme", often mathematical in nature. Design theory (like Design Secrets but more digestible) and history is interspersed.

Origami from Angelfish to Zen by Peter Engel

Probably the most intellectually wide-ranging book on origami of all time. The first half of this book is collection of essays about origami history, math, design, and the craft as an art form.

Advanced Origami by Michael Lafosse

This book mostly covers the paper side of origami, such as how to make duo paper, wet-folding, etc

Thank you. I love the book a lot as well. Although my personal favorite will always be Kunihiko Kasahara's Origami Omnibus. https://www.amazon.com/Origami-Omnibus-Paper-Folding-Everybody/dp/4817090014 I folded things from this for well over a decade when I was a kid.

OP book https://www.amazon.com/Center-Gravity-Guide-Practice-Balancing/dp/1482026341

A metals class I took had this book on patinas. It’s basically a cookbook for patinas. Super informative if you’re interested in the chemistry behind different techniques.

My favorite origami books are:

Origami for the Connoisseur https://www.amazon.com/dp/4817090022/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_X5GGzb0NC14YA

and

Genuine Origami: 43 Mathematically-Based Models, From Simple to Complex https://www.amazon.com/dp/4889962514/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_L7GGzb1H9N4SY

Both books are well written and cover a wide range of designs (both in content and in skill level). The harder models in genuine will take hours to fold.

I've been meaning to check out these books which claim to be about that exact topic: Origami^3, Origami^4 and Origami^5. They are a conferance about mathematics and Origami, with the books put together by Thomas Hull. There is most likely also an Origami^1 and Origami^2, but I am unable to find them for sale anywhere.

Left are Narcissus from the book Origami Flowers, and the ones on the right are found here.

Idk man the author of this book and their username check out. Upon further investigation it looks like they posted the images several years ago from the same account. May I ask what proof you found? Not saying you're lying, just want to confirm.

"Silversmithing" by Feingold & Seitz, The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight, and Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths are my bibles. I could go on with more specific books, if you have more specific ideas, but these three are my go-to reference books for forming and smithing large objects in silver (and other metals!)


https://www.amazon.com/Silversmithing-Jewelry-Crafts-Rupert-Finegold-ebook/dp/B005DIATAU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1502932334&sr=8-3&keywords=silversmithing

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Metalsmith-Illustrated-Handbook/dp/0871922401/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1502932404&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=the+complete+metalsmith

https://www.amazon.com/Form-Emphasis-Metalsmiths-Heikki-Seppa/dp/0873382129/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502932423&sr=1-1&keywords=form+emphasis+for+metalsmiths

Thank you for that. That book is perfect for anyone who wants to learn about origami. It's really more of a textbook with expanded explanations about the science of origami so I'd say yes indeed, read it cover to cover and make everything in it and you'll be an origami ninja in no time. Granted some of the folds are pretty hard core, Lang loves to put open and closed sinks in the most difficult places.

For those with little origami experience, I always recommend Origami Omnibus. It explains some of the math/geometry and has a taste of everything from Modular to animals to adam and eve in the back of the book. Great beginners book with some fun models too. Like most others it gets more difficult as you progress so it's a great book to learn with.

Happy folding and post your pics, we'd love to see what you make.

There's a lot out there and it depends what sort of puzzles you want to make.

My favorites are the Burr Puzzles, especially the modern variants that have proliferated in the 21st century

Ishino's Site has hundreds of such designs - I believe the point of the site is that they are free for personal use - finding the simpler designs will be the hard part, but you can search by shape to keep things simpler. Designers to check out: Osamori Yamamoto, Gregory Benedetti, Jos Bergmans, Bill Cutler, Stephan Chomine, William Hu, Tom Jolly, Jeff Namkung....loads more, but I think all of these guys have a few relatively simple designs that are still worthwhile puzzles

Brian Menold's book has some great designs with step-by-step instructions. Little Kenny and Bundle of Sticks Jr. from this book are quite nice.

There's also the Charlie Self, Tom Lensch book

There are also the older books by E. M. Wyatt and Stewart Coffin that have puzzle designs like basic 6-piece burrs

Woodworking sites and magazines often have articles on puzzle-making

If you're more interested in making other types of puzzle, I'm sure you can find plenty of things on the web

I have designed some of my own! To give a sampling, in increasing order of complexity (with diagrams!),

• here's a truncated tetrahedron,
  
• here's a double equilateral unit which can make things like an octahedron, icosahedron, "spiky ball," and many other deltahedra,
  
• here's a rhombic dodecahedron, and
  
• here's a compound of the cube and octahedron.
  
  My favorite origami book is John Montroll's Animal Origami for the Enthusiast, which starts out with simple, charming models and builds up to complex masterpieces like this lobster. It's one you can go back to for years. (I still have my childhood copy, inscribed "Merry Christmas 1988, Love Mom and Dad.")
  
  Another lovely volume, though not an ideal first book, is one called Origami for the Connoisseur. One of its highlights is an exquisitely beautiful seashell model. Here's someone folding it on YouTube.
  
  If you're curious about modular origami, Tomoko Fuse is a master of the field. This book ("Unit Origami: Multidimensional Transformations") is a hefty omnibus with plenty of lovely designs. Fuse tends toward a bit more surface elaboration and fussy preciseness than I go for these days, but her work is absolutely worth recreating with your own fingertips.
  
  Most of all, I'd encourage you to just try things out and have fun. There's action origami that does stuff (fancier versions of jumping frogs and fortunetellers), there's a big "tessellation" scene, where people fold intricate, two-dimensional patterns, there are flowers and franchises and figures. Any decent bookstore will have a papercraft section with an origami book or two. Libraries should have plenty of volumes available.
  
  Enjoy!

The bookshelf and a couple of book designs came from the book Origami Omnibus. Over the years I sought out other models of books on the internet and in other books.

Great Job..
Now you are ready for bigger more complex models using different modules
Rotunda-Drilled Truncated Icosidodecahedron

Modular Origami Structures using the Sonobe Unit


The Following books will offer unlimited options for amazing structures
Tomoko Fuse Open Frame II modules

Unit Origami: Multidimensional Transformations-Tomoko Fuse

Unit Polyhedron Origami

Origami Omnibus- Kasahara

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580082459?v=glance&n=283155

Hi!!

I think you would like this :) You seem to enjoy both origami and Star Trek! Yes???

For me, I really need a bathing suit to start swimming and getting back into shape!

Thanks for the contest :)

Yours is a technical question. I don't about online tutorials, but I can recommend the excellent book titled Sculpture as Experience. It will give you a strong foundation of different sculptural materials and methods.

A friend taught me this one in person and I couldn't find the instructions anywhere online. He got it from this book:

[https://www.amazon.com/Modular-Origami-Polyhedra-Revised-Enlarged/dp/0486404765/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0486404765&pd_rd_r=WPGRRY91QAVPKH4PH5Q7&pd_rd_w=b3G8C&pd_rd_wg=39Bl7&psc=1&refRID=WPGRRY91QAVPKH4PH5Q7]

This and this.

Obviously, someone read this book

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Link: this

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• Spain: amazon.es
  
• France: amazon.fr
  
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