Text-Only Instructions - Copyright 2024 by Alysha Hiller, USA
Adapted from
With thankful acknowledgement to my husband, Andrew, for help with folding this model.
Designer/Creator: Unknown/Traditional
Folding Level: Intermediate
For any questions, comments or suggestions, email accessorigami@gmail.com
Description and more information:
This model is a winged dragon. It has a long, fairly flat body with wings and legs that can either be folded completely flat or made 3D.
Features like the neck, head and horns as well as 4 legs and a tail are folded in separate steps, so that the end result is a fairly detailed representation of the dragon in flight.
Moreover, if you are wanting to improve your origami skills, folding this dragon will teach you the sink fold, rabbit ear fold, and crimp fold.
Paper to be used: Speciality origami or Fairly thin, strong paper is recommended for this model. Try to use a large square (e.g. 20 cm by 20 cm or larger), since this will make folding the smaller features easier.
Summary Explanation:
To help orient yourself, please read this section before starting to fold.
The dragon is folded by starting off with the Preliminary or Square Base, leading into the Bird Base, followed by various folds to prepare for the final shaping of the different features of the finished model.
The tutorial may be summarized as follows:
Phase 1: Preliminary or Square Base.
Phase 2: petal folds to form the Bird Base.
Phase 3: Sink, Rabbit Ear and Crimp Folds
Phase 4: Creating legs, neck, head and horns, tail and wings.
You can learn about the different origami bases at the following link:
Bases Used in Origami
NOTE: The Bird Base starts with the Square or Preliminary Base followed by two petal folds. If you are able to achieve the Square Base without instructions, fold it, then go to Step 9; if you are able to fold the Bird Base, go to Step 16.
Instructions
Phase 1: Preliminary or Square Base
Step 1
Position a square of paper on your work surface so that its points are facing up and down, left and right or like a diamond.
Step 2
Bring the left point over to meet the right point. Crease and unfold.
Step 3
Bring the top point down to meet the bottom point. Crease and unfold.
Step 4
Turn the paper over and position the square so that its edges are now facing up and down, left and right.
Step 5
Bring the left edge over to meet the right edge. Crease and unfold.
Step 6
Bring the top edge down to meet the bottom edge. Crease and leave folded.
Step 7
Grasp the resulting rectangle at its left and right sides and push inward. The folds you made previously should allow the model to collapse into a diamond shape with one folded flap sticking out towards the front of the model and one sticking out towards the back.
Step 8
Fold the front flap to the left and fold the back flap to the right so that your model will lie flat.
The model will have one open end.
Working further from this Square Base, we will form the Bird Base by adding two petal folds to the Square Base.
Phase 2: The Bird Base
Step 9
Position the model so that the open end is pointing toward you.
Step 10
Bring the lower left edge of the model's top layer over to meet the vertical center crease. Leave folded.
Repeat with the lower right edge.
Step 11
Fold the top point down as far as it will go, so the triangular shape at the top of the diamond will cover the already-folded flaps beneath.
Make a strong horizontal crease along the top edge of the model.
Step 12
Unfold the top point and both the left and right triangular flaps.
Step 13
Pull the bottom point of the model (top layer only) up toward the top point. The top layer should collapse along the existing crease lines as you move upward and you should be able to take the bottom point up an over to lay flat on the work surface.
At the same time, the raw edges of the figure will seem to rise up slightly and move towards each other, meeting at the center of the model.
The result will be a long, skinny diamond shape sitting on top of the diamond-shaped bottom layer.
Step 14
Turn the model over from left to right.
Step 15
Repeat Steps 10 to 13 on this side of the figure.
Your Bird Base is completed. It will be a long, skinny diamond shape that will now be symmetrical and multi-layered. Next, we will start to form the dragon.
Phase 3: Sink, Rabbit Ear and Crimp Folds
Step 16 - Sink fold
The bird base is a diamond shape consisting of 2 halves: a top section consisting of 2 triangular flaps on the front and back with a smaller triangular flap hidden between them, and a bottom section consisting of two side-by-side long and skinny triangular flaps separated vertically from one another. Fold the top flap, top layer only, down as far as it will go so it covers the two vertically divided long and skinny flaps at the bottom and reveals the smaller triangular flap on the top. Flip the model over and do the same thing on the other side.
Step 17
Examine the top triangle of the model. There will be a crease dividing it vertically in half as well as a horizontal crease going between the left and right corners of the model and marking the base of this top triangular section. Fold the top point of the model down to the point where these vertical and horizontal creases meet. Crease well and unfold. Flip the model over and repeat this step on the other side. This will produce horizontal creases on both the front and back of the model parallel to and above the horizontal crease dividing the model’s left and right corners.
Step 18
Now pick up your model off your work surface and hold it so the closed point is pointing upward and the open end at the bottom points downward. Open the model by gently pulling the bottom flaps away from each other. You will notice that the creases made in the previous step form a horizontal square shape around the model with the top point sticking up in the middle of the square. The goal of this step is to form a sink fold to turn this point inside out so it points downward inside the model, and the creases forming the square become the top edges of the model. Think of this like flipping an umbrella inside out. You will need to reverse the direction of some previously formed creases but should not make new creases in this step.
As the point moves downward into the model and the model flattens, the edges of the square closest and farthest from you come together to rest parallel and stacked on one another, and the center points of the left and right edges move inward until they meet at the center, folding the left and right edges in half. It can be helpful to pinch the edges of the square creases into more defined mountain folds as a first step before conducting the sink fold.
So after finishing the sink fold, the top of the model has 2 straight, horizontal edges on the front and back. If you open it slightly, the inside edges roughly form an X shape divided in the center. The left and right flaps of the diamond should still move as they did before the sink fold, but if you pinch them between your fingers at the top, you should be able to feel that all four flaps have a small triangular portion completely hidden inside them.
The result should look like a diamond shape with its top corner cut off. Place it back down on the work surface with the cut off corner facing away from you.
Step 19
The model has two corners at the left and right side of the top edge, two corners at the outer left and right sides, and one point at the very bottom. The top edge of the model consists of two layers of flaps on the left and right that are joined in the middle.
In this step, valley fold the top layer of the top right side of the model with a crease that extends between the middle of the top where the flaps join and the outer right corner. This creates a very thin, long, small triangular flap on the top right side of the model whose bottom edge roughly aligns with the horizontal.
Step 20
Repeat with the top layer on the left.
Once both these triangles are folded, their long bases extend along the top edges of the model from the center of the top downwards to the outer corners of the diamond shape.
So, only their top points will touch, forming a triangular space between them.
Step 21
Flip the model over and repeat steps 19 and 20 on the other side.
Step 22
Lift up the top layer of the right half of the model and fold it to the left like turning the page of a book to reveal a smooth surface. Flip over the model and repeat on the other side. The model should now be diamond shaped with a short, obtuse triangle on the top and a long, acute triangle on the bottom. The Front and back surfaces should both be smooth.
Step 23 - Rabbit Ear Fold
Pick up the bottom point of the diamond, top layer only, and fold it upward as far as it will go. This will hide the obtuse triangle at the top and make the diamond shape symmetrical again. Flip over the model and repeat this step on the other side. You should now have a model that appears similar to the bird base from step 15 with two layers of wide triangular flaps at the top, a small triangular section hidden between these two flaps, and narrower, vertically divided triangular flaps at the bottom.
Step 24
Next, fold the upper right edge of the model, top layer only, so it aligns with the horizontal line between the two outer corners. Crease only between the right outer corner and the vertical line dividing the model in half and unfold. You should now have a diagonal valley crease starting at the right outer corner and moving up and to the left until it hits the central vertical line. Repeat on the left side, reversing the directions so the left side crease extends from the left outer corner up and to the right until it meets the central vertical line. These two creases, along with the horizontal line between the left and right outer corners, should form a triangle shape.
Step 25
Grasp the upper left and right edges of the top layer of the model and bring them together, collapsing on the creases you made in the previous step. This results in the top flap folding in half and sticking straight upward off the work surface with the triangle shape formed by the creases from the last step forming the base. Put another way, the outer left and right edges of the top layer flap fold down to meet the horizontal line dividing the left and right outer corners until they meet in the middle, after which they move off the work surface together at a 90 degree angle until they reach a sharp point.
Step 26
Move the triangle sticking up from the model downward and to one side so it lies flat. It will protrude horizontally past one of the outer corners. This forms a rabbit ear fold.
Step 27
Flip the model over and repeat steps 25 and 26 on the other side, making sure to fold the triangle down to point in the same direction as the previous one.
Step 28 - Crimp Fold
Fold the two vertically separated flaps at the bottom of the model upward as far as they will go and crease well. Your model now appears roughly triangular with a thick hinge fold at the bottom and two small triangular points sticking out from one of the bottom corners.
Step 29
Fold the top right flap down and outwards so its inner, vertical edge aligns with the bottom horizontal edge of the model, leaving the crease from the previous step folded.
Step 30
Fold the top left flap down and outwards so its inner, vertical edge aligns with the bottom horizontal edge of the model, leaving the crease from step 28 folded. The model now has a long flat bottom, elongated points pointing left and right, and a zig-zag top consisting of three points.
Step 31
Unfold the flap forming the right-facing point so it again points vertically downward, the way it was before step 28. If your rabbit ear triangle from step 26 or 27 is pointing to the right, lift it and fold it to the left instead so it is out of the way.
Step 32
Next, we will perform the crimp fold utilizing the creases formed in steps 28 and 29. Examine the flap now pointed downward on the right from the previous step. The goal will be to point it again to the right but between the front and back layers of the model instead of just resting on the front. It will again form the rightmost point for the zigzag at the top. We will accomplish this by folding along the creases formed in the previous steps. I find the easiest way to accomplish this crimp fold is to lift the front layer of the top right half of the model so it points straight up off the work surface. Near the top, you will notice there are edges, now pointing horizontally on the bottom and vertically on the lifted top layer, forming a 90 degree angle to one another. Place your fingers on the outer surfaces of the bottom right flap which is now open and press them upward so the flap forms valley creases along these edges. The two layers of the flap should come together again along the diagonal creases formed in the previous step. Flatten the model, collapsing on these creases, so the right flap again points horizontally out to the right, and forms a point that mirrors the left side.
Step 33
Repeat step 32 on the left side so the leftmost flap points in the same direction as before but moves between the layers of the model.
Step 34
Again, if your rabbit-ear folded triangle from step 26 or 27 is pointing to the right, fold it to the left and out of the way for this step. The top of the model still has a zigzag shape consisting of 3 side-by-side points. Examine the rightmost of these points. It consists of two layers. Take the point of the top layer only and fold it down so the top and bottom edges of the top layer of the right-facing pointed portion of the model align. This folds the top layer of the elongated point in half, narrowing it. Crease and unfold.
Step 35
Slide your finger from the rightmost point of the model toward the left until you reach the center, lifting the small flap you will find slightly upward. Next, fold along the crease you made in the previous step so the pointed section is again folded in half, but make sure to tuck the top left edge of the rightmost zigzag point inside out, downward, and as far to the left as possible under the flap you found. This ensures that this flap still has a right-pointing triangular portion that can move freely back and forth.
Step 36
Repeat steps 34 and 35 on the left side. Flip over the model and repeat steps 34 and 35 two more times for the right and left of the other side of the model.
The model is now roughly the shape of a very short, very long triangle with a flat bottom and narrow points facing left and right. These narrow points will form the tail and neck/head of the dragon. There are short, thick triangular flaps on either side of the model pointing left and right whose bottom edges align with the flat bottom edge of the model. You should be able to lift these smaller flaps up off the work surface and move them back and forth freely. They attach to the model at their bases which extend from the top edge to the bottom edge of the model, a little left and right of center. These flaps will form the legs of the dragon. The front and back of the model also has one additional, longer triangular flap that can move back and forth freely around the vertical center of the model. These flaps will form the wings.
Phase 4: Creating legs, neck, head and horns, tail and wings.
Step 37 - Legs
Fold the triangular leg flaps downward on each side of the model. You can fold them in half so the top outer edge aligns with the inner, vertical edge where they attach to the body. This will cause the point to extend straight down below the flat bottom edge of the model. Alternatively, you can fold them at a slight angle depending on how you would like your dragon to look. One suggestion is to fold one set of legs straight down to form the back legs and one set of legs at an angle pointing downward and toward the outer point of the model for the front legs. These flaps are thick and rather small, so you will have to crease very well.
Step 38 - Neck, head and horns
Orient the model so the narrow point intended to be the neck and head is facing left, the point intended to be the tail is facing right, and the legs are pointing to the bottom. Fold the neck at its base so it points upward at the angle you prefer. Crease and unfold.
Step 39
Open the top edge of the neck and push the leftmost point up and to the right until the neck is flipped inside out and comes to rest at the angle indicated by the creases you previously made. Flatten. This is called a reverse fold.
Step 40
Approximately half way up the neck, fold the top point diagonally down and to the left. Crease and unfold.
Step 41
Similar to step 39, make a reverse fold by opening the left edge of the neck and moving the point down and to the left until the top part turns inside out and rests in the creases formed in the previous step.
Step 42
Approximately 1/3 down the length of the head, fold the point back on itself to the right. Before creasing, ensure that the point extends past the right edge of the head.
Step 43
Make another reverse fold by opening the top of the head and folding the point to the right to rest past the right edge of the head. This forms the horns.
Step 44 - Tail
Now it’s time to shape the tail. Fold the rightmost narrow point, the tail, upward at the angle you prefer.
Step 45
Make another reverse fold by opening the top edge of the tail and moving the right point upward so the tail flips inside out and rests in the creases you previously made.
Step 46
Decide where you want the tail to wiggle, we’ve gone for halfway up, and fold the tail downward. Flip it inside-out to secure and crease the fold.
Step 47
Add another reverse fold near the tip to point the tip upward again.
Step 48 - Wings
The final steps involve shaping the wings. Examine the central triangular flap that hinges on the vertical line at the center of the model, between the two legs. Move this flap so it points left, toward the head.
Step 49
Now, fold this flap up and at an angle so its point faces upward and to the right, back toward the tail, forming one of the wings. The crease should start at the bottom right side of the flap where it meets the horizontal and angle upward and to the left.
Step 50
Flip the model over and repeat the previous 2 steps on the other side, making sure to match the angles of the two wings.
Step 51
This step is optional. If you want a ‘fuller’ look to your dragon’s wings, pull the back layer of the wing out. A new diagonal crease will form, and once you’re happy with the positioning, flatten the paper to hold the wing in place.
Making origami accessible through text-only instructions.
for non-commercial use only.
Compiled by Alysha Hiller and Lindy van der Merwe, September 2024
This text copyright 2024 by accessorigami.com
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