The art of origami dates back to the 1600's. First practiced by the Chinese and Japanese, the art of paper folding was and continues to be popular in many cultures. When it was originally started, origami instructions were passed on verbally. Over the years the details and steps required for origami projects have been written down and/or relayed through diagrams. Some tips for beginners - pick a well lighted relaxing area to work in, start with simple figures and work your way up (some figures will have both simple and advanced instructions for the same animal). Don't use really good paper to start with and for true beginners one of the best pieces of advice is to start with a larger piece of paper than what is called for. The Cupboard - using a square piece of paper make the book fold then open the paper and take each outside edge and fold it to the center line. By bringing each edge over to the next line you will end up making even more equal vertical strips. The Fan - with either a square or rectangular piece of paper fold a Cupboard. Not all designs are combinations or parts of other bases; some like the box pleat are completely original. Some origamists saw the base as a set of areas each independent of the other differing only in their length and arrangement. With this in mind they went on to develop computer programs that are capable of doing all the math necessary to generate crease patterns for any base from a given length and area arrangement. Are you are person who likes to set goals? Are you someone who needs something to work towards? Origami is a great activity for goal setting. Looking at a picture of the intended outcome provides the individual with a motive to complete a project. With each fold they are closer to their goal. Once the object is finished and the goal is reached, they experience a sense of achievement. Since origami is primarily considered art or crafting, a good place to look for details might be in an arts and crafts store. A store such as this usually sells a selection of any and all crafting activities. A store such as this will likely sell origami materials and instruction booklets. If visiting an arts and crafts store and learning they do not carry origami supplies, it's likely a salesperson can point the individual in the right direction.