How to Build Origami Figures

Practice your basic folding skills by making origami figures.

Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. It is a common hobby among people all over the world and involves creating simple or complex figures and structures from a single piece of paper. While there are a number of paper sizes to choose from, the square shape is good for beginners who want to practice basic designs. Build this simple origami figure to get familiar with the folding process.

Things You'll Need

• Square origami paper

Instructions

Simple Origami Person/Figure

1. Place the paper on a flat surface, face down. Shift the paper so that it has a diamond shape.

2. Fold the left corner of the paper to the opposite right corner of the paper. Crease down the center. Unfold.

3. Fold the top left edge over to the newly creased center line---you should have a right triangle. Repeat fold for top right edge. Crease both folds.

4. Fold the bottom remaining triangle up to the bottom edge of the top right triangles. Crease. You should have one large triangle shape.

5. Turn the triangle over to the other side. Fold the bottom edge up, covering slightly more than half of the large triangle. You should have two small triangles extending from the sides of the main triangle.

6. Fold each of the side triangles in toward the main triangle. These are the arms. Draw a face on the tip of the main triangle

Practice Folds

1. Make a mountain fold. Place a sheet of origami paper on a flat surface. Fold the left edge in half over to the right edge. Crease. If you stand the folded paper on the surface, the crease should be at the top. The paper resembles a mountain or a tent.

2. Make a valley fold. Place a sheet of origami paper on a flat surface. Fold the left edge in half under itself to the right edge. Crease. If you lift the folded paper, the crease should be at the bottom. The paper resembles a valley of v-shape.

3. Make a triangle fold. Place a sheet of origami paper on a flat surface. Shift the paper so it looks like a diamond. Fold the top corner over to the opposite corner at the bottom. Crease. You will make a triangle shape.

4. Make an inside reverse fold. Place a sheet of origami paper on a flat surface. Make a triangle fold. Arrange the triangle so the point is at the top and there is a flat base. Fold one bottom corner over itself on the front of the triangle (line the edges). Crease and unfold. Now use the crease line and fold the same amount over onto the under side. Crease and unfold. Hold the triangle and push the corner in between the fold, using the crease lines. The corner should be tucked between the two triangle sides.

References

• Deluxe Origami: Tuttle Publishing: 1996