Ready, steady, magic!

Do you know what "origami" is?

It is magic made from a single sheet of paper.

Origami is an easy, yet profound traditional Japanese culture, which can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, with anyone!

Today, we showcase the amazingly imaginative creations of origami artists from around the globe.

Also, stay tuned for an origami lesson with our expert Dr. Origami!

He will teach us a few folding tricks in a fun and easy-to-follow way.

Get ready to see the extraordinary Origami Magic!

Dr. Origami, what is our today's theme?

- It's "fantasy."
- Oh! Fantasy?

With an owl-like head sitting on an elongated neck, standing on four needle-thin legs is this surreal creature.

A large head on two legs.

A humanoid creature with wings on its back and a square head.

These figures seem straight out of a sci-fi movie.

They were sculpted by Joao Charrua from Portugal.

Charrua lives in Évora, a town in southern Portugal.

Its historic center, where many historical buildings remain, is registered as a World Heritage Site.

Strolling the picturesque streets of Évora is one of Charrua's favorite pastimes.

About thirteen years ago, Charrua was looking for activities that he could enjoy with his soon-to-be-born daughter.

He stumbled across origami, and was hooked immediately.

After much research, he eventually began creating his own models.

These figures are my imaginary friends.

For me, they are real. They exist in my imagination, but I can't say what they really are.

Deep down, I see my ideas as the result of the range of experiences that I have had throughout my life,

whether from books, exhibitions, films, as well as many others.

Sometimes, a thought, an emotion, a fleeting image, a light, or even a fold may trigger an idea.

Charrua works as an architect designing residential buildings.

Given the nature of his job, one might think he folds origami based on designs prepared in advance, but...

he stares intently at a piece of paper, and then starts folding.

Surprisingly, he often folds as he thinks.

You only need a piece of paper to express your ideas.

Unlike architecture, that is very time-consuming, rigorous, and requires.

For me, the thing that I love the most in origami is the way that you can intuitively explore shapes and forms.

Charrua rotates between seven different types of paper, depending on the type of model.

To give the piece volume, he uses stiff and sturdy paper.

He says that thicker paper holds its shape better.

For more detailed models, he uses thin foil paper that can easily hold sharp creases.

Now, let's take a peek at Charrua's creative process.

He folds a thick piece of paper, making sharp creases with his fingernails.

Step by step, he meticulously folds the paper.

He formed a long and narrow triangle.

Next, he folds the corners to the outside.

After sliding his finger inside the pocket to expand it,

he shapes a gentle curve with the fingers of his other hand, and further refines the details using his fingertips.

It appears to be some sort of a creature.

All that is left is to cover the eyes with tape and apply the paint.

He obtains various textures by using different paints.

This is the paint he will be using today.

He sprays the entire model with paint.

Then, he traces the edges with a pigment stick.

By blurring the lines with his finger...

he reproduces the texture of ancient metal.

He has created a fish with legs.

For me, origami poses an imaginative challenge dictated by the limited form of creation.

Origami is an occupation that gives me great pleasure to do.

I hope that I'll be able to continue dedicating all my free time to developing new models and exploring original ideas.

We can't wait to see Charrua's next origami creation.

You too can make magic happen with a piece of paper!

It's time for Dr. Origami's origami lesson!

Folding time!

Doctor, what are we making today?

A lucky star!

If you make a wish as you fold a lucky star, it might come true someday!

Let's make origami!

Let's get a sheet of A4 paper ready.

A4 paper. Okay.

Carefully! Very carefully...

Cut a 3-centimeter wide strip.

Now another one.

Oops.

I'm not very good at cutting.

There we go.

Now, we glue these together.

Apply glue to the edges, and paste them together.

We have a long, thin strip of paper.

This isn't what we're making today, mind you!
We'll use this to start.

I can see that.

First, we make a knot around the edge.

What's next?

Tie it...

And flatten it. There.

For this part at the edge...

Crease it once, then tuck it in!

We made a pentagon.

Okay, Doctor.

What next?

Next? Well, next you fold it here.

Like this, then this...

I'll show you later!

A fish-like shaped mask with piercing eyes.

It is adorned with an intriguing smile.

A man wearing a hat engraved with a flower.

With a button nose and lips curled in a slight smile, there is playfulness in his expression.

This mask with a somewhat melancholic look...

is folded in the shape of a leaf.

Sweden-based artist Fynn Jackson is the creator behind these masks.

Jackson discovered origami at the age of five.

He then learned how to fold it by going through every origami book that he could find at the library.

Now, he wears two hats,

working at a flour milling company and continuing his activities as an origami artist to support himself.

Jackson has hundreds of mask designs under his belt.

To hone his skills, he would fold one mask a day for a year.

Jackson's origami masks characterized by their unique expressions are like dimensional sculptures.

In the hopes of getting more people to enjoy folding his mask patterns,

he makes sure they are as easy to make as possible.

His works might as well be described as the fruits of imagination inspired by paper.

When I design it's not so much me enforcing an idea into the paper, but allowing the paper to create itself.

With faces, you can fold the most complex design, and it can look dead.

Or you can fold an easy design, and it can look so full of life and so emotionally compelling.

Jackson seems to be writing something on the finished folded mask.

A closer look reveals that he is tracing the creases with pens.

He uses a green felt-tip pen for the mountain folds and a blue pen for the valley folds.

Next, he unfolds the paper!

But what follows is even more surprising...

He flattens out the paper with an iron!

He then scans the paper, opens the image in a graphics software program, and creates a crease pattern.

He tweaks the line angles.

Digitizing the crease patterns makes it easier to improve or incorporate them into other designs later on.

He prints the crease pattern on an A4 sheet of paper, and then refolds the mask.

He starts by tracing all the lines using an embossing stylus.

Doing so allows him to create sharp creases and eliminates unnecessary wrinkles.

After spraying it with paint, a mask is complete.

Jackson creates unique characters.

He purposely leaves an air of mystery around his designs so that people can interpret them any way they like.

Jackson is a social butterfly.

He says that folding masks makes him feel as if he was traveling the world and meeting new people.

And so I looked into my life, and I really love folding paper.

And I thought, "Well, I'm going to go all in and just fold paper."

It's really a testament to the magic that can happen when you follow your passion.

It keeps me grounded, it keeps me centered, and it keeps me curious about life.

To see what we'll be creating, and to participate in that creation, and enjoy the ride.

I mean, origami is my happy place.

Sorry to keep everyone waiting!

Let's finish our lucky star!!

Picking up where we left off, we start with this shape.

Flip the paper around...

Valley-fold this part.

Make sure you fold it neatly to keep the pentagon shape intact.

Now, following the pentagon's shape, fold the paper repeatedly.

Wrap it around itself.

Can you do it?

Wrap, and wrap...

Now we have a bit of paper left, right?

We tuck that in here.

See?

Now how do we get a star shape from this?

With this. Use your thumbnail.

With your thumbnail, make a dent right in the middle of each side.

Nice.

Once the shaping is finished...

Our lucky star is complete!

If you make them big enough...

Some fizzy candy. In they go.

See, you can put candy and other small items inside.

They're in.

There.

It makes for a lovely gift.

Cute, isn't it?

They'll love it, I think.

What's nice idea!

How was it, everyone?

Did you manage to make magic?

It's ORIGAMI MAGIC!

Stars in my eyes!

How did you like the fantasy world crafted by the talented origami artists?

Their creative and stunning works are sure to take us on a journey through imagination.

What other paper creations are waiting for us to discover?

We hope you will join us again on "Origami Magic!"

Have a magical origami life, everyone!

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!

Origami is so much fun.