Text-Only Instructions by Tina Pildain, Argentina
Description and more information:
This friendly crow is an action origami, which means it can make movements. In this case, by manually opening and closing its wings, we can see how its beak also opens and closes as if it were trying to caw or eat. This also implies that it can be presented in two ways, depending on whether its wings and beak are open or closed.
When it is folded, it is a flat version of a crow with its wings back. It has a rather sharp beak that points forward, away from us, and is composed of an upper and a lower part separated from each other. This is what allows us to open it. In this position, with the beak closed, these two parts form a rhombus. The back of the head faces us, and just below it we see a 4-sided shape that represents the body of the bird. The wings are two triangles whose sharpest point points towards the ceiling and whose base is the base of the entire figure. They are closed backwards, which means they point towards us. They are quite a bit shorter than the wings of a crane. Just below the beak there is a straight vertical fold that divides the body into two layers.
If we pull both wings at the same time, separating these two layers, we will unfold the body. One wing will point to the left, the other to the right, and the beak will open. When we repeat the flapping movement several times, the beak opens and closes again and again.
Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate
I recommend making this figure with a 15x15cm square. You can use smaller papers when you feel confident.
Throughout the folding we will use many rabbit ear folds. It may be the perfect time for you to learn how to do them or practice them, because I will explain them in detail.
Step 1:
Place the paper in the diamond orientation. This means that the tips should point to the top, bottom, left and right.
Step 2:
Fold the horizontal diagonal. For this, bring the lower tip towards the upper tip. Crease well and unfold.
Step 3:
Fold the vertical diagonal. For this, bring the left tip towards the right tip. Crease well and unfold.
Once this is done, the paper should be marked by a cross formed by the newly made diagonals.
Next we will make kite base folds on opposite sides of the paper. Don't worry, I'll explain it:
Step 4:
Bring the lower left edge to the horizontal center line that goes from the left corner to the right corner. I recommend starting the fold at the left corner, which has to be very sharp.
Now we will have an acute triangle in the lower left part of the paper. Leave folded.
Step 5:
Repeat by bringing the upper left edge to the horizontal center line, making it touch the upper edge of the triangle we created in step 4. Leave folded.
The result is the Kite Base, which I like to describe as an ice cream cone. On the left we have a long and sharp triangle that represents the cone. It has two layers of paper. If we run our fingers along the figure to the right, we will find the ice cream ball, which is a much less sharp triangle of a single layer of paper.
* On the surface of this kite base we can see two diagonal crease lines. Both start at the intersection between the center line and the vertical line that separates the cone from the ice cream ball and end at the upper and lower edges of the figure.
Step 6:
Unfold the figure completely.
Step 7:
We will now make a Kite Base at the right corner:
7.1: Bring the lower right edge to the horizontal center line. Leave folded.
7.2: Bring the upper right edge to the horizontal center line.
Now the cone will be on the right and the ice cream ball on the left. We can see 4 diagonal crease lines on the left part of the cone that form a rhombus or four-sided shape.
7.3: unfold the paper again.
Step 8:
The time has come to make our first two rabbit ear folds, which will help to form the wings.
8.1: Having the paper unfolded, we will focus on the lower corner. There are 3 folds that will help us: The central vertical line and the first diagonal folds that we find nearest us. They end at the left and right edges of the paper.
8.2: Now we will close these two diagonal folds again at the same time, bringing the lower edges to the horizontal center line. The left and right corners will be flat, but in the central part the paper will rise a little.
8.3: In the central part, where the paper rises, there is also the vertical center line. We have to shape the paper following this line, so we will join the left and right layers perpendicular to the figure without letting the corners rise. Following and creasing this line well with our fingers, we must form a triangle that points upwards. This is our first rabbit ear fold. We must crease this triangle well, since it will be one of the wings.
Step 9:
Now we will repeat step 8 with the upper edges. Since the figure is still symmetrical, we can rotate it 180 degrees so that the corner we have to fold faces us and it is easier to maneuver.
Once these last steps are finished, the figure will be an elongated diamond. Right in the center, joining the upper and lower corners, we will see two triangles that protrude upwards. These are the wings of the crow.
Step 10:
Now we are going to fold our figure in half, bringing the left tip towards the right. The wings remain flat and hidden inside the fold, so that we have a smooth triangle. For the next step we will lift the figure from the table so that the closed edge points towards the ground and the sharp tip towards the ceiling.
Step 11:
It is time to shape the wings. We will pull the triangles made in steps 8 and 9 so that they protrude to the left and right of the large central triangle.
Let's start with the right wing:
Explanation: The left hand will act as a clamp to firmly hold the left part of the crow so that it does not open or move. The right hand will be the one that will slightly open the two layers and pull the wing to the right.
11.1: Hold the left half of the figure with the fingers of the left hand so that it does not open. The division into two halves is marked by the vertical center line.
11.2: With the right hand, open the two layers of the right half a little. Between them we can see the triangular flap that will be the wing of the crow.
11.3: Now we will pull this flap to the right. This is the only step that does not have precise references. We only pull until we believe that the wing is in the correct position and at that point we flatten and close the layers of paper again, which will generate new folds that are not seen from the outside. In my case, the proportion I usually use is 3 fingers between the right edge of the figure and the upper tip of the wing (on a 15x15cm paper). It is important to flatten the figure well in this step. Now, the wing can be seen as a triangle that protrudes diagonally to the right of the body.
* If you are not happy with the position in which you left the wing, do not be afraid to change it, since the folds generated in this step will not be seen in the final product.
Step 12:
Repeat step 11 for the left wing. Again, the figure is still completely symmetrical, so we can rotate it 180 degrees if we want to continue working in the same position.
A tip to make the wings the same is to fold the figure in half vertically. This fold is already marked, and in this way we can compare one wing with the other and change their position until we are satisfied. If we did this, we unfold again once the wings are ready.
Now we have a large central triangle, the body of the crow, and two smaller triangles to the left and right, the wings, which are already done.
The most difficult part is over! Finally, we are going to create the beak of our Cawing Crow with two rabbit ear folds.
Step 13:
Now we will work on the table again. The closed base of the figure has to be pointing towards us, the sharp tip towards the front and the wings to the left and right.
Step 14:
Taking only the first layer, bring the upper tip of the central triangle towards the lower edge. This tip has to be exactly at the bottom point of the vertical center line.
Step 15:
We are going to mark the folds necessary to make a rabbit ear. We will only work with the newly created triangle, whose upper edge is the last fold we made.
15.1: Bring the left edge of this triangle towards the upper edge. Crease only up to half of the figure, marked by the vertical central fold. Unfold.
15.2: Repeat with the right edge, again creasing only up to half. Unfold.
Step 16:
For this rabbit ear fold, we will fold again at the same time along the lines just marked as we did previously with the wings. They are two small diagonals that start at the vertical center line and end to the left and right of the upper edge. This time, a very sharp triangle will protrude, looking towards the ceiling, which is the lower part of the beak. The vertical center line will help us to define its shape well. Mold and crease strongly until you achieve a very pointed triangle perpendicular to the figure.
Step 17:
We only have to shape the upper part of the beak with another rabbit ear fold. The lower part of the beak is attached to the rest of the figure by a small, flat triangle, whose upper edge we will use as a reference. We will work with the upper tip of the large central triangle.
17.1: Bring the left edge of the upper tip towards the first line you find from top to bottom. Crease the fold only up to half of the figure. Unfold.
17.2: Repeat with the right edge. Unfold.
Step 18:
Make a rabbit ear fold using the lines just made. Again, the vertical center line will help us to define a sharp triangle that will be the upper part of the beak.
Now, the crow is on the table with its wings extended and its beak open, pointing upwards.
Step 19:
To close the figure, we will lift it from the table with the closed base pointing towards the ground and the beak pointing away from us. We only have to bring the wings together by folding in half vertically. When the wings collide, the beak closes.
For non-commercial use only.
Compiled: February 2025
This text copyright 2025 by the author and accessorigami.com
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