How to Make an Origami Dragon

Origami is the art of folding paper into a variety of shapes from the simple (boxes) to the incredibly complex (cars, birds and horses). One of the more difficult yet rewarding origami designs to make is the dragon. It takes plenty of practice and a good understanding of how origami works to do it well, but once you have it down you can make an origami dragon with ease.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Origami paper (the larger the sheet the better)

Make An Origami Dragon

1. Choose foil paper for your origami dragon and always begin folding with the foil side down so that your design will feature the foil.
2. Pre-fold the paper wherever needed prior to completing major folds. This eliminates the danger of missing a fold when you need it.
3. Fold your origami paper to the bird base, one of the most common preliminary folds in origami. From the bird base many animals are actually formed.
4. Crimp-fold the upper corners down towards the longer spokes at the bottom. Make the two folds even on either side and press firmly.
5. Sink the center of the top fold in towards the crimp folds.
6. Fold the wings into position above the legs, head and tail. At this time you should also crimp fold the jaw upwards into place.
7. Make the legs by creating double rabbit ears. Bend them towards the front and the back of the dragon.
8. Create mountain and valley folds on the wings and the tail. This will give the dragon a more three-dimensional look as well as help protect the wings from bending.

Tips & Warnings

• Note there are a lot of different ways to make a dragon besides the one listed here. Some are more complex than others, while others are perfectly suited for beginners. Try a few different designs to practice and build proficiency.
• Know the difference between a mountain and a valley fold. Mountain folds are folds that rise toward the folder, while valleys fall towards the folding surface.
• Avoid ripping the paper by pulling too hard, especially when you are trying to set sections of the paper in place. The harder you pull the more danger there is of ripping it.
• Have clean hands when you fold origami. Since the papers are often colored, they easily pick up oils or dirt from your fingers, and that can make your origami dragon look less than perfect.