How to Make an Origami Rabbit

Origami is an ancient Japanese paper folding art that yields 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 rabbit.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

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 to the 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. Grasp the top point of the bottom triangle, which forms the top of the kite face, and fold it over the two triangles you just made, aligning it with their edges. Crease. Using the same triangle, bring the point back the opposite way and about a half inch (or a little less) from its bottom edge, create a pleat fold and crease well.

5. Turn the figure over and bring the same triangle top point down and align its point with the middle crease. Fold it aligning the fold with the edge of the figure. Fold the opposing point, at the bottom of the kite face-up to meet its opposing point nose to nose and crease well.

6. Lift the entire figure, with the two triangles you just made on top, and fold the entire figure in half along the middle crease with the two triangles you just created on top. The small side of the figure has the skinny triangle folds which form the ears. Pull the ears up until you reach the desired angle and form a good crease. Using a pair of scissors, cut down the middle of the ears from the top point to the bottom in order to separate them.

7. Bend the ears outward to your desired angle. Along the bottom edge of each side of the rabbit figure, using your thumbs, bend (not fold) the paper inward into a crescent shape on each side. This creates a front and back leg effect. Adjust the figure to suit your eye and tug up slightly on the triangular tail--there's your rabbit!

[kat716]

on 3/20/2009 Ummmm...what? This article needs some pictures.