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Fold and unfold
Fold around behind
Flip the whole piece over
Most pieces start with the paper color side down. The drawings show the front in color, and the back in white.
This is a mountain fold; it looks a bit like a mountain.
And this is a valley fold.
Some shapes are made with reverse folds. Start by creasing the paper along the fold lines. Open out the paper slightly, reverse each of the folds, and recrease them to make a neat corner. Above are diagrams for an outside reverse fold followed by an inside one (and on to complete a bonus penguin).
The directions tell you to fold on such-and-such a line, but if you use your own paper you won’t have the lines. No worry! Just remember that in origami folds are usually made so that corners and edges meet, or folds start at half-way points. The diagrams show you which edges and corners to use. And where corners and edges aren’t indicated, the placement of the fold isn’t that critical.
Basic Folds
There are only so many ways to start folding origami projects. A few of the most common ways are called bases, and are used as starting points for folding diagrams. Here are the bases used in this kit.
Waterbomb Base
The waterbomb base is the beginning of the famous waterbomb, but it is also the beginning of many other projects. Here is an easy way of doing it.
1 Start with the color side down. Fold and unfold from corner to corner. Flip the paper over.
2 Fold the paper in half and unfold it again.
3 Collapse the sides away from you along the creases you’ve made.
4 This is the finished waterbomb base.
Blintz Base
The blintz base is named for the pastry it looks like. Some projects fold the corners in just once, and some fold the paper two or three times, but either way the process is the same. The first step is to find the center of the paper.
1 Start with the color side down. Line up opposite corners and crimp the paper with your finger to make a tiny crease in the middle.
2 Crimp the paper again in the other direction to find the center. A tiny crease won’t be as noticeable in the finished piece as a long fold would be.
3 Fold the four corners in so they touch the center.
4 This is the finished blintz base.
Fish Base
This base looks a bit like a fish without a tail. It has two flaps in the middle that can be used to make fins, legs, and all sorts of things.
1 Start with the color side down. Fold and unfold to the centerline from the top and bottom corners.
2 Fold the corners in to the centerline.
3 Press down the folds to crease the paper underneath and the fish base is finished.
Bird Base
The bird base is the beginning of classic origami pieces like the Japanese crane. It creates four flaps joined in the middle, which can be wings, legs, or necks.
1 Start with the color side up. Fold and unfold from corner to corner. Flip the paper over.
2 Fold and unfold vertically and horizontally.
3 Push the bottom corners together while swinging the center corners out.
4 Here’s an expanded view of the base so far.
5 Fold and unfold as shown.
6 Pull up the bottom corner and reverse the folds.
7 Here it is part of the way through.
8 Do the same on the other side.
9 The finished bird base.
Making a Tableau
Once all of the pieces in each project are folded up, it’s time to put them together into a tableau and put them on display.
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