Tips for How to Make Animal Origami

By Brenlee Place

Making animal origami structures is something that artists of all skill levels enjoy doing. Animals are a large part of what make up traditional origami, and practically any type of animal can be represented through this paper folding art form. Cranes are often times associated with origami because traditional Japanese folklore says that creating one thousand cranes will bring prosperity and luck, and some say a wish, to the folder. Although the crane may be one of the most recognized animal figures in origami, there are plenty of other animals you can construct from paper.

The bird base is used in conjunction with other animal origami bases to create a wide variety of winged creatures. Of all the birds created with origami, the crane is probably the most well known. However, bluebirds and even dragons are popular figures that can be made using the bird base. Although it is called the bird base, it does not mean that only origami birds can be created from it, as other animals as well as decorative figures and gifts use the bird base as a starting point.

Here are directions for how to make a dog making use of this Japanese art form. First, you will begin with a square piece of paper. If it is colored, put the colored side face down on the work surface and then fold along the diagonal to create a triangle. Next you will bring the corners together to fold the paper in two, and then unfold it. This step makes a crease. Now you'll position the paper so that two points are at the top and one point is facing down. To create the dog's ears, you will turn down each of the two top points, using the center crease line as a guide. To finish, you will fold the bottom and top of the dog's head away from you.

This is a very simple piece of origami. Many kids who make this enjoy pasting googly eyes on it as well as drawing a mouth and nose to make it more realistic and personalized. For a good selection of interesting origami critters and more, pay a visit to the website of Robert J. Lang, at www.langorigami.com.

There are a few thoughts to keep in mind while you are learning how to construct animal origami pieces, if you want to make the process run more smoothly. First, make use of crisp paper that will allow you to make the kinds of creases required. Do not use any old piece of paper, but at the same time, don't buy really expensive paper to begin as you may be wasting a lot of it. As well, choose paper that is colored differently on each side, so that you are immediately aware of which side is the front and which side is the back. - 33381

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