Origami Animals

Origami has been a source of enjoyment for many people around the world. Originated in Japan, origami has become a world-wide passion for people in many countries. So many people talk about how relaxing folding origami can be. That may not always be true. I recall several times when the folds just don't seem to work, and the origami model becomes the ever-popular origami snowball.

Purists will say that true origami uses only one piece of square paper. No cutting, taping,or gluing allowed. That may be true, but there are many exciting things you can create with more than just one piece of paper.

Origami Boxes
Unit Origami
Origami Airplanes
Origami Quilts

It is important to understand which way the folds go so that when you start to fold your piece together that it's going the right way, and with the color where you want it.

Valley fold - this fold points down and is generally depicted in books with a dashed line.

Mountain fold - this fold points up and in depicted in books with a dashed & dotted line. If you take a mountain fold and turn it upside down it becomes the valley fold. It's all about how you hold the paper.

Just in time for Easter. I sat down and folded these cute little origami bunnies. They are designed by Kunihiko Kasahara. A fairly simple fold that goes together well. I think making a bunch of them feels like spring to me. I know my girls will have all sorts of fun with them. And well, how can you go wrong with Pink!

It just makes me want to take a look at other designs for origami rabbits. See what I find, and what model works the best.

Our first simple fold is an origami swan. This one was created by Paul Jackson who has a great book on learning origami. The Complete Origami Course

Paul's book is well illustrated and talks in depth about papers, folding, and the standard symbols for origami. This book will take you through some of the preliminary things you need to know and then give you easy projects to learn with. He shows a real artistry in folding. The book also challenges you to some more intense projects if you are feeling adventurous.

1. Fold your paper diagonally and unfold



2. Fold two outer edges into center fold.



3. Turn your model over and then fold two outer edges into the center fold.




4. Fold point "a" to point "b"



5. Then fold point "a" in a bit. This will make the head and beak, so make sure it's big enough to create both. I know the point in your paper may not be so precise, but don't worry, that will come with practice.



6. Fold the whole unit in half - that's a mountain fold.



7. Lift the head a little bit and make a new crease as shown




8. Lift the whole neck and make a new crease




9. Now it's time to establish the head and beak. Make two folds one mountain, and one valley. Then you are going to push them in to make it look like the diagram. This is a difficult fold, but with practice you can conquer it. Or you can leave the model at step 8 for a simpler form.