Easy Origami

Tips for your first models

Start with a square of thin paper. Origami paper is usually 15 cm (6 inch) square, coloured on one side and white on the other, which makes the diagrams easy to follow: you can always see which side is up.

Crease every fold firmly with a fingernail before you move on. Most mistakes come from soft creases that let the layers slip.

Each diagram shows the paper before the fold. A dashed line is a valley fold (fold towards you); a dash-dot line is a mountain fold (fold away). The arrow shows where the paper moves. See the origami symbols page for the full list.