Master of Oorugami: How this Chennai girl's miniature origami is taking Instagram by storm

Oorjitha says that she learnt all about origami first from her mother and then just by watching online tutorials 
With miniature art becoming a fad worldwide, many artists have resorted to this form of art, replacing their large canvases with really small ones
With miniature art becoming a fad worldwide, many artists have resorted to this form of art, replacing their large canvases with really small ones

How would you like mini idlis and vadas? Cute and delicious all at once, right? Only, you can't eat them. From making plates of idlis the size of a coin to a laptop that is no bigger than a few centimetres, meet Chennai's 22-year-old self-taught paper artist, Oorjitha Dogiparthi —  whose designs on her Instagram page Oorugami, have really gotten people psyched.

With miniature art becoming a fad worldwide, many artists have resorted to this form of art, replacing their large canvases with really small ones. "My mother first taught me the craft of origami when I was only three years old. My first ever miniature creation was a paper boat," says Oorjitha. At first, it was like a hobby but she began taking interest in creating these more seriously and worked on it till her creations became miniature forms of everyday things. “I remember making things that everybody makes like those paper boats and jumping frogs. I’ve always had this fascination for origami but then I thought it would be nice to combine different forms of paper art like quilling, paper mache, and origami,” she shares.

Delicious miniatures: A 22-year-old self-taught artist in Chennai makes everyday items in miniatures

Oorjitha, who completed her post graduation from Loyola College in Food Chemistry and Food processing, says that a lot of her skills were honed by watching online tutorials and DIY origami videos. “It is pretty easy to make these, provided you have the interest in creating something unique,” she adds. Oorjitha has been brought up in Chennai but she was born in Kerala. "After I started posting pictures of my work, friends and relatives have now begun showing interest in buying my stuff. I haven't really thought of this as a career opportunity but I definitely enjoy doing this," she explains.

She also shared with us that she doesn't use special tools to work on her miniature creations. “I do not use special tools. I only use scissors, glue and some tweezers,” she laughs. She also explains how paper can be an innovative tool to work with. “Everyone thinks it is ‘just paper’ but it really is an underutilised, versatile craft material,” adds Oorjitha. From various coloured papers to tissues to newspapers, she says almost anything can be used to make her creations.

Origami, a hobby: Oorjitha makes miniature items after learning from YouTube tutorials

When asked what other amazing things we can expect from her in the future, she smiles, "I focus on food items now as I did my post-grad in food chemistry, but I would like to explore some more," she pauses and adds thoughtfully, "Maybe a few music instruments?"

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