How to Make an Easy Paper Crane
Origami, the art of paper folding, can be done by just about anyone, from kids to older adults. Paper folding helps to exercise your imagination, as well as your hand-eye coordination. Using just one sheet of paper you can fold a dragonfly, a dinosaur or even a boat. Another popular origami project is the paper crane.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Square Base
-
1
Fold one corner of your square piece of paper to the opposite corner, then unfold. Repeat this process again for the other two opposite corners. These types of diagonal folds are known as valley folds--after you crease and unfold they dip downward like a valley.
-
2
Fold one edge of the paper to the opposite edge and unfold. Repeat this process again for the other edges. These edge-to-edge folds are known as mountain folds--after you crease and unfold they point upward like a mountain.
-
-
3
Push against the line folds, then collapse the paper into a folded square. This is known as the square base.
Bird Base
-
4
Turn the paper 45 degrees so it sits like a diamond. Then fold one corner of your square base directly toward the middle crease. Repeat this process for the other corner of the square base. These folds should look like two right-angled triangles.
-
5
Fold the top corner of the square (it should be the one that looks like an equilateral triangle) down onto the two right-angled triangles. Unfold this section and then the two right-angled triangles. Your series of folds should have made an upside-down isosceles triangle.
-
6
Lift the bottom corner of the paper (where the tip of the isosceles triangle is) and begin to fold it toward the top. As you do this fold, push along the sides until the edges meet, then push down to make a crease. You should now have a diamond, or what is known as a petal fold.
-
7
Repeat Steps 1 through 3 on the other side of the paper to create another petal fold. Once you have completed this process you will have a bird base, which should look like a diamond.
Origami Crane
-
8
Fold the outer corners of the diamond onto the middle. It should look two triangles at an obtuse angle or like a thin diamond within a larger diamond.
-
9
Flip over the paper and repeat the folding process by taking the outer corners of the diamond and folding them to the middle. You should now have a thin looking diamond with a pair of legs.
-
10
Fold each leg of the thin diamond to make reverse folds. It should look like a paper frog with its legs sticking out at an acute angle. Make another reverse fold at an acute angle with one of the legs to create the crane's head. The other leg will serve as the crane's tail.
-
11
Fold the upper part of the diamond down, then turn over to repeat the same process. These will make the wings of your crane.
-
12
Pull the wings apart gently to open up the crane. Push down on the crane's back to flatten the body a bit.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit origami image by PaulPaladin from Fotolia.com
