Origami: Tomoko's Cat Part 2

Series Summary

Origami, a form of visual art defined by the folding of paper, originated in Japan in the 1600s. Since then, this ancient art has become a popular hobby for many around the globe. Origami has been popular in the United States and England since the early 1900s. It has always been regarded as a complicated and delicate art form, but our expert will teach you step-by-step how to fold origami in such a way that it is easily accessible to beginners.

Looking for a fun art project to do alone or with your kids but don't want to spend a lot of money on expensive art supplies or make a mess with markers and paints? Why not try origami? This fun and easy Japanese art is perfect for children because it teaches them to use their fine motor skills and produces something they can be proud of.

In this free video series, our expert will show you how to make a variety of traditional origami forms, from a crane, a cat and several variations of an iris flower to two different kinds of keepsake boxes. You will also learn how to make a chain of origami cranes, considered good luck at Japanese weddings.

Video Transcript

"From this point, so that the edge is folded to follow the outside edge over here and allow this point to come down in the front. I'm turning the unit over to the front and you can see that the face kind of comes down like that. Allow it to come down, flatten and crease. And, then for this point we are going to fold it up inside that flap. Because, our cats don't have such a sharp nose. So, fold it up inside that flap and there you have the face of your cat. Now, in the back you have this flap. One of the ears is already in place. Take the other flap and fold it to the other side, so that the edge follows along this edge right here. And, you have the ears of your cat. Crease that. Now, you have the head and the face of your cat already. This will become the tail. What we are going to do, is inside reverse fold this section. And depending on how fat or how skinny or what shape you would like your cat you would do the inside reverse fold at an angle that you like. So, inside reverse fold that tail and then we are going to inside reverse fold again the tail back out the other way. Inside reverse fold out. And, you will notice that you will have these little sections down here these little triangles. And, what we are going to do with those triangles is just fold them right inside the unit. And, these become like little feet that the cat can stand on. And, with the tail you can play around with it. Do outside reverse folds and inside reverse folds. And, you have a curl that tail that curls inside or an outside reverse fold and then another outside reverse fold and you have a tail that goes out. Or, if you prefer to keep your straight you can keep it that way. And, that is tomoko's cat."