Category: – 101

Triangle from a Square: Method 1   Some origami models start with an equilateral triangle instead of a square sheet of paper. In this case, you need to make the triangular sheets of paper before you start. This page will show you one method to achieve this. This method is easiest, however it is not… Continue reading Triangle from a Square: method 1

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Origami Windmill Base   Origami Windmill Base Instructions   Take a square sheet of paper and fold it in half left-to-right, and then unfold. Fold in half again (top-to-bottom), and unfold. Fold the left-edge and right-edge of the paper towards the center to align with the vertical crease. Unfold. Fold the top-edge and bottom-edge of… Continue reading Origami Windmill Base

Origami Waterbomb Base   Origami Waterbomb Base Instructions   Start with a square sheet of paper with the colored side facing up. Fold the paper in half from right to left. Unfold. Fold the paper in half from top to bottom. Unfold. Flip the paper over so the white side is facing up. Fold and… Continue reading Origami Waterbomb Base

Origami Valley Fold     In origami, Valley Folds are designated with a dashed line and a filled arrow (arrow head is black). The line shows where the paper will bend and the arrow shows directionality. This fold, along with the mountain fold, is the bread-and-butter of origami. All origami models will have at least… Continue reading Origami Valley Fold

US Dollar Bill Dimensions   US dollar bill dimensions is 6.14 ” x 2.61″ : its ratio of length:width is approximately 7:3. For practice purposes, it is sometimes useful to make rectangles of the same proportion as a dollar bill. These sheets are larger and will allow you to “save” your dollar bills for when… Continue reading US Dollar Bill Dimensions

Triangle from a Square: Method 2     Some origami models start with an equilateral triangle instead of a square sheet of paper. In this case, you need to make the triangular sheets of paper before you start. This page will show you one method to achieve this. There is a another method which is… Continue reading Triangle from a Square

Triangle from a Rectangle     Some origami models start with an equilateral triangle instead of a square sheet of paper. In this case, you need to make the triangular sheets of paper before you start. This page will show you how to get a triangle from a rectangular sheet of paper. If you are… Continue reading Triangle from a Rectangle

Origami Squash Fold   A squash fold is shown with:     a mountain fold line (dash-dot-dot; dash-dot-dot),     and one filled (black) arrow to show directionality.       There are two ways to make a squash fold. The first method is easier but you must take care to align the top crease… Continue reading Origami Squash Fold

Origami Sink Fold     The origami sink fold is designated with a broad arrow and a mountain-fold line (dash-dot-dot). The arrow indicates a “push in” action while the line shows where the fold will occur. How to do the Sink Fold:   1) Fold at the indicated line back and forth (mountain and valley… Continue reading Origami Sink Fold

Origami Rabbit Ear Fold   The origami Rabbit Ear Fold renders the paper more narrow and creates a new flap. The fold can be shown in many ways. One way is to use:     three valley folds,     one mountain fold,     and three arrows. To Make a Rabbit Ear Fold: a)… Continue reading Origami Rabbit Ear Fold

Preliminary Base Instructions       Start with a square sheet of paper with the colored side facing up. Fold the paper along the diagonal in both directions to form an X shaped crease. Unfold. Flip the paper over so the white side is facing up. Fold the paper in half left to right. Unfold.… Continue reading Origami Preliminary Base

Origami Pleat Fold   The origami pleat fold is shown with two or more parallel fold-lines and a zig-zag arrow. The fold lines alternate between valley and mountain folds. In the example shown, make a pleat fold by:   Make one of the folds: in this example, make the valley fold at the left side… Continue reading Origami Pleat Fold

Origami Petal Fold   The petal fold is seen in origami birds and in making of the traditional iris flower. A petal fold is shown with:     two mountain folds,     one valley fold,     and an arrow indicating motion. Some designers show the petal fold in multiple steps in which case,… Continue reading Origami Petal Fold

Make a Pentagon from a Square or A5   Some origami models start with a pentagon instead of a square. In these situations you must make the pentagon before you can begin your origami project. Making pentagons from a square or a rectangular sheet of paper is not easy. The process takes many steps which… Continue reading Make a Pentagon from a Square

Origami Outside Reverse Fold   In origami, the outside reverse fold is shown with     a valley fold line (dashed line),     a closed (black) arrow (denotes valley fold), and     an open (white) arrow (denotes mountain fold). This fold allows the paper to change directions. It is commonly used in making… Continue reading Outside Reverse Fold in Origami

Origami Symbols, Lines, and Arrows   This page defines some of the origami symbols, lines, and arrows used in origami books and diagrams. Many origami creators use creative ways to describe how a piece of paper should be folded. The list here is generally accepted by most origami artists. See this article for more details.… Continue reading Origami Symbols, Lines, and Arrows

Origami Basics   Have you always wanted to learn how to do origami but didn’t know where to start? Fear not, Origami Basics will teach you the things you need to know to get started. Once you have familiarized yourself with the symbols and notation used in origami diagrams, you can start folding some easy… Continue reading Origami Basics

Origami Octagon from a Square     Some origami models start with an octagon instead of a square sheet of paper. Below is a fairly simple method of making an octagon from a square sheet of paper.   Make an Octagon from a Square   Fold and unfold the paper in half horizontally and vertically.… Continue reading Origami Octagon from a Square

Origami Mountain Fold   In origami, a Mountain Fold is shown with a “dash-dot-dot; dash-dot-dot” line and an open (white), half arrowhead. Some authors use a “dash-dot” line instead, and there is much variation in the arrowhead. The dash-dot-dot line indicates where the paper folds and the arrow shows directionality (fold behind and upwards).  … Continue reading Origami Mountain Fold

Origami Kite Base   Origami Kite Base Instructions Take a square sheet of paper and position it so it looks like a diamond (a square balancing on one of its corners).   Fold the paper in half from right to left. Unfold.   Fold the bottom-right and bottom-left edges of the paper to align with… Continue reading Origami Kite Base

Origami Inside Reverse Fold     In origami, the inside reverse fold is shown with:     a mountain fold line (“dash-dot-dot” line)     a broad arrow (“push in” action), and     a closed (black) arrow indicating directionality. This fold changes the direction of the paper. It is used regularly when making the… Continue reading Origami Inside Reverse Fold

Hexagon from a Square     Some origami models start with a hexagon instead of a square sheet of paper. In this case, you need to make the six-sided shapes before you start. This page will show you how to get a hexagon from a square. You can also make a hexagon from a rectangle.… Continue reading Hexagon from a Square

Hexagon from a Rectangle   Some origami models start with a hexagon instead of a square sheet of paper. In this case, you need to make the six-sided papers before you start. This page will show you how to get a hexagon from a rectangular sheet of paper. If you are starting with a square… Continue reading Hexagon from a Rectangle

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Proportioned Papers   In mathematics, art, and origami (which is a combination of both), you will sometimes come upon the concept of a gold rectangle, a silver rectangle, or a bronze rectangle. What do all these mean? These are simply names which define the specific shape of paper. Name Bronze Rectangle… Continue reading Gold, Silver, and Bronze Proportioned Papers

Origami Frog Base     Origami Frog Base Instructions   Start with a square sheet of paper with color-side facing up. Fold and unfold along the diagonal in both directions to get an X crease. Flip the paper over so white-side is facing up. Fold in half from left-to-right. Unfold. Fold the paper in half… Continue reading Origami Frog Base

Origami Fish Base   Origami Fish Base Take a square sheet of paper and position it so the corners of the paper point up and down. Fold the paper in half from right to left. Unfold. Fold the paper in half from top to bottom. Unfold.   Fold the bottom-right and bottom-left edges of the… Continue reading Origami Fish Base

Dividing Paper: Easy Method Dividing paper accurately is something that you will need to do when you progress to the intermediate and more advanced origami models. Diving paper in half, quarters, eighths, sixteenths etc. is fairly easy: simply use the edges of the paper to fold the sheet in half, then continue to fold each… Continue reading An easy way for dividing paper into thirds, fifths, sevenths, or nth

Divide Paper for Origami   To fold or divide paper accurately into sections is something that you will need to do when you progress to the intermediate and more advanced origami models. To divide a sheet of paper in half, quarters, eighths, sixteenths etc. is fairly easy: simply use the edges of the paper to… Continue reading Divide Paper for Origami

Divide Paper into Thirds: Method 1     There are many ways to divide a sheet of paper into equal thirds. Some methods are easier than others; the method shown here is: – fairly easy, – but will leave 2 crease marks.     Divide Paper into Thirds: Method 1   Fold and unfold a… Continue reading Divide Paper into Thirds

Divide Paper into Thirds: Estimation Method   Dividing paper into multiple parts is something that you will need to do when you progress to the intermediate and more advanced origami models. Diving paper in half, quarters, eighths, sixteenths etc. is fairly easy: simply use the edges of the paper to fold the sheet in half,… Continue reading Divide Paper into Thirds

Divide Paper into Thirds: Method 3     There are many ways to divide a sheet of paper into thirds, some methods are easier than others. The method shown here is: – fairly easy, – but will leave 3 crease marks with one crease along the diagonal (which may or may not be useful later).… Continue reading Divide Paper into Thirds

Divide Paper into Thirds: Method 2     There are many ways to divide a sheet of paper into thirds, some methods are easier than others. The method shown here is: – fairly easy, – but will leave 3 crease marks. Divide Paper into Thirds: Method 2 Fold and unfold a sheet of paper left… Continue reading Divide Paper into Thirds

Divide Paper into Sevenths: Method 3   This method of dividing a square sheet of paper into 7 equal segments leaves 4 crease lines. Diagram is from J Montroll’s book, Origami Polyhedra Design. Divide Paper into Sevenths: Method 3 Fold and unfold a square sheet of paper in half making a horizontal crease. You can… Continue reading Divide Paper into Sevenths

Divide Paper into Sevenths: Method 2     This method of dividing a square sheet of paper into 7 equal segments leaves 4 crease lines. Diagram is from R Lang’s web site.   Divide Paper into Sevenths: Method 2 Fold and unfold a square sheet of paper in half. You can crease down the entire… Continue reading Divide Paper into Sevenths

Divide Paper into Sevenths: Method 1     It does not occur very often, but sometimes you need to divide a square sheet of paper into seven equal segments. It is near impossible to “eyeball” or estimate seventh divisions without a ruler, however with a few simple folds, origami can help find 1/7 division accurately.… Continue reading Divide Paper into Sevenths

Divide Paper into nths Divisions   For the most part, knowing how to divide a sheet of paper into equal thirds, fourths, or fifths is enough. On a rare occasion you may need to divide a sheet into equal sevenths, or ninths. Divisions smaller than that are quite specialized and few “everyday” paper folders will… Continue reading Divide Paper into nths Divisions

Divide Paper into Fifths: Fujimoto Approximation     Interestingly, you can “eye-ball” a 1/5 division and get surprisingly good results if you employ Fujimoto’s Approximation. This method decreases the initial error by a half every time you make a fold. Although it is an approximation, the final result is often good enough to proceed with… Continue reading Divide Paper into Fifths

Divide Paper into Fifths: Method 3     This method of dividing a square sheet of paper into equal fifths was first demonstrated by S Adams in this video; she used R Lang’s ReferenceFinder, to find the crease lines. This method of folding a sheet into fifths is probably the easiest; however, it leaves 3… Continue reading Divide Paper into Fifths

Divide Paper into Fifths: Method 2     There are various ways to divide a square sheet of paper into 5 equal segments. The method shown here is fairly easy but leaves 2 crease lines and 2 crease marks along the paper’s edge.     Divide Paper into Fifths: Method 2   Fold and unfold… Continue reading Divide Paper into Fifths

Divide Paper into Fifths: Method 1     On occasion, you may need to divide a square sheet of paper into fifths. It is quite difficult to “eye-ball” accurately 1/5 divisions. However, with origami, it is surprisingly easy to achieve 1/5 division accurately in just 3 steps. This method leaves 2 crease lines.   Divide… Continue reading Divide Paper into Fifths

How to Cut a Square from a Rectangle   There are two easy ways to cut a square from a rectangular sheet of paper. Method 1: Take a sheet of rectangular paper and fold it as shown. Use the edge as a guide to cut off the lower rectangle. Unfold the triangle and you will… Continue reading How to Cut a Square from a Rectangle

Origami Crimp Fold   The crimp fold is shown with two fold lines that are relatively close together, and a pair of back-to-back zig-zag lines. The fold lines can be parallel to one another or they may be at an angle to one another (see below). The zig-zag lines show an alternative view of the… Continue reading Origami Crimp Fold

Origami Blintz Fold   A blintz fold is shown with:    – a central cross-hair crease mark,    – four valley folds (dashed lines),    – and four filled (black) arrows. The blintz fold requires that you bring the four corners of the paper towards the center. This fold is used when making an origami… Continue reading Origami Blintz Fold

Origami Bird Base   Origami Bird Base Instructions Start with a square sheet of paper with color-side facing up. Fold and unfold along the diagonal in both directions to get an X crease. Flip the paper over so white-side is facing up. Fold in half from left-to-right. Unfold. Fold the paper in half from top… Continue reading Origami Bird Base

Make an A6 from a 6″ Square   Some origami models, especially modular origami, use A5 or A6 paper instead of a 6″ square sheet of paper. For those in USA and Canada, A-series papers are hard to come by. Fear not: you can easily change a 6″ square to an A6 proportioned paper. Or,… Continue reading Make an A6 from a 6″ Square

A4 from a 8.5″ x 11″ Rectangle   Some origami models use A4 paper instead of a square sheet of paper. For those in USA and Canada, A-series papers are hard to come by. Fear not: you can easily change a 8.5″ x 11″ paper into an A proportioned paper. Or, you can make an… Continue reading A4 from a 8.5″ x 11″ Rectangle