Tutorial : Origami Bird

Happy Sunday! This pic was taken in Hawaii during a conference Mr P attended. Quite peaceful, although a storm was brewing...

Today I have the finished tutorial as promised :) It's a lovely simple project that was enjoyed by my kids and their friends and was a lifesaver when they were bored and restless if we were waiting somewhere and the minutes felt like hours...

You can make it from any paper really, it just has to be a square.

Step 1. I have used a piece of 12X12 inch scrapbooking paper, which in this case happens to be double sided. Decide which side you would like to be the most visible on the finished bird. Turn the paper over to the other side and start to fold the corners towards each other, one set of corners at a time.

Step 2. Fold the bottom left hand corner up to the top right, then unfold, fold the bottom right hand corner up to the top left hand corner, unfold, then the paper right side to left side, bottom to top, in other words, at the end of all the folding, you will have a piece of paper that will look like that in the next pic.

Step 3. Rotate the paper so that it looks like the pic above.

Step 4. Now carefully manoeuvre the two outside points towards the middle, as shown. You may need to "help" the folding of the creases on the sides inwards.

Step 5. Holding the points as shown, gently bring your hand down to the table, and the whole thing will flatten itself.

Step 6. This is where you should be at :)

Step 7. All the points match up and you are ready for the next step!

Step 8. Lifting the top edge you are now going to fold the paper as shown above. The outer edges will fold in towards the inner folds. This is a bit tricky, but do it slowly, one fold at at time. Your paper should look like the next pic.

Step 9. WIP! Fold the other side now.

Step 10. Your birdie should look like this now. Both sides have been folded inwards. You can still see the under section needs to be folded. The bit that I am holding is the flap that will from the wing of the bird.

Step 11. Turn the paper over and repeat the same process.

Step 12. Turning over ;)

Step 13. Lifting the flap to start folding the edges inward.

Step 14. Your paper should look like this.

Step 15. If you slide your hand into the fold as shown, you can use your other hand to gently pull the point marked, up and outward.

Step 16. Lift the point as shown, making sure that you leave about 1cm of edge BELOW the line of the paper that my finger is placed on. This is important for the "flying action" of the birdie. In the small inset pic, I have lifted the whole flap that was in front, upwards to show you the area I mean.

Step 17. Flatten the side of the bird so that it looks like the pic below.

Step 18. Now repeat the same manoeuvre for the other side. You are nearly done!

Step 19. Your birdie should look like this.

Step 20. On the left side, fold the point as shown, you are making the head of the birdie.

Step 21. I have taken this pic from the top, to show you how to fold the crease inwards, to form the little head. When you flatten this area, the head will stay as is, as in the pic below.

Step 22. Lift up both flaps (which are the wings), as shown below. Your birdie is Done :)

You will need to learn how to make him fly now...

Step 23. You need to hold the little bird as shown below, EXACTLY! Your thumb on one side and your forefinger on the other. Your finger placement is really important, both fingers should lie ABOVE the wing fold line, in the "chest" area of the bird.

Step 24. Imagine that the turquoise dot under my thumb is the Bull's Eye that shows the thumb placement needed, and turquoise line is the reference point, above which your fingers should be placed. Pinch together with firm pressure. Use your right hand to bend the wings into a nicely curved shape, and then hold the end point of the tail, and gently pull outwards. Your bird will begin to fly....

The final product!

I like to use origami creations to add a bit of interest to wrapped presents, cards etc. You can also use them to entertain children, make them up in plain white paper, and let the kids colour them in with pencils and crayons. They are also inexpensive and easy to make... :)

On a completely different note, I found this link quite interesting... I have a bit of a survivalist streak in me, (knowledge is power I say!)...

Word of The Day

sedulous:

an adjective, meaning "involving great care, effort and persistence"

Have a FaBuLoUs SuNdAy :)

Lots of Love,

Heidi :)