How to Make an Origami Seal

Origami is an ancient Japanese paper folding art that can have easy or complex designs. Making origami is a fun, inexpensive pastime for children or adults. The subjects used for origami are most often animals or anything found in nature. Follow these easy steps to make an origami seal.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Use a lightweight paper for making origami. Traditional origami paper is colored only on one side, but any paper of any color will do. Computer printer paper works fine.
2. Cut your paper to size. Any square is acceptable, but a common size for origami paper is 6 by 6 inches. Fold your paper in half diagonally, forming a triangle. Open the paper back up to a square. You'll see two triangles formed by the crease going down the middle of the paper.
3. Take the top point of one triangle, which is one of the corners opposing the crease, and fold it inward so that one side of the triangle is aligned with the crease. Crease edges well. You'll do the same for the other side, folding the point of the corner inward and aligning it with the crease. This forms a kite face.
4. Turn the figure over and fold the top point of the kite face down to match the bottom point and crease well. With the flaps facing toward you, put your finger inside one and pull it out until it forms a long obtuse triangle. Align its long edge with the crease next to the other flap and crease the sides. Do the same to the other side, and your figure will again be shaped like a kite.
5. Fold one of the long points that looks like the bottom of a kite down and you'll have a diamond shape; turn the figure over. Grab each side of the diamond shape with the two flaps on top and fold each side outward forming a crease down the middle of the long part of the diamond shape. With the flap on top pointing toward you, fold the point over and align the long edge of the triangle you just formed with the crease in the paper to form a little fin. Do the same to the other side.
6. Grasp the figure so that the fin facing you lies on the left side of the triangular shape. Place your index finger under the left point and push up on the middle crease, folding it inward until the crease is inverted the other way. Crease the sides well. Place your left index finger about a half an inch down the top of the small point that's sticking upward and push down on it in the middle to create what looks like the bottom half of a bird beak.
7. Grab the triangular side of the figure which doesn't have the fins and fold it over on one side, either to the left or the right, aligning the crease near the edge of the fin. This will be forming the tail. Take the tail and fold it back again in the opposite direction a little less than an inch further down the tail. Again, fold the tail back in the opposite direction a little less than an inch toward the end of the tail, so you're forming what looks like accordion pleats.
8. Put your index finger in the middle of the head, which looks like the bottom of a bird beak, and fold the point under about a half inch so that it forms what looks like a flat nose. Push the sides of the head back together. Place your seal on a flat surface and adjust its fins and tail so it can stand up. There's your seal!