Origami is a modern art form that has been a Japanese tradition for centuries. There are many folding methods that can be used to make dragons and each method has its own style and artistic taste. Making dragons out of paper is generally an intermediate or advanced folding art, but if you're just starting out with origami, you can make simple dragons at beginner level. By following the steps below, you can make a nice dragon out of folded paper.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Creating an Intermediate Dragon
Step 1. Try making this dragon if you are an intermediate origami folder
You'll need to know how to make basic bird shapes and winged bird shapes before trying this method.
Step 2. Start with square origami paper
The recommended size of origami paper is 7x7 cm, but you can also use square origami paper of a different size. If you're a beginner, it's a good idea to start with a larger paper size (20x20 cm), as this will make it easier for you to fold.
If you only have stationery-sized paper, make it a square by bringing the top-left corner of the paper together to the right, so that the paper is folded diagonally. Then take the top right corner of the paper and fold it over to the left side, so that it meets the left corner of the fold made earlier. The rest of the paper that doesn't fold is at the bottom and is rectangular; Fold the excess paper and emphasize the crease. Unfold the fold and cut out (or tear if the crease is very well imprinted) the excess rectangular paper. Now your paper has a square shape
Step 3. Fold the paper diagonally, horizontally, and vertically to make star-shaped crease marks
You'll need to make each fold one at a time, unfolding the fold you just made before making the next fold. Do it carefully and make sure you fold properly, make sure the creases are deep enough and the corners are sharp.
Step 4. Do the squash fold technique to fold the paper into a basic square shape
Bring the top corner of the paper together with the bottom corner, as well as bring the right and left corner of the paper together with the bottom corner. Do this by making a crease between the bottom and top layers of the paper, or using the overlapping technique. Now the paper looks like a diamond in the shape of a square.
If your paper is colored on only one side, the colored side will be on the outside at this point. When creating a basic square shape, start with the colored paper side down (facing the tabletop)
Step 5. Make the folds of the basic bird shape
Fold the two sides of the top layer so the corners meet in the middle, then fold down the triangle shape on top. Unfold the three folds you just made. Perform the petal fold technique by taking the bottom corner of the paper on the top layer and bringing it up, while emphasizing the folds formed on the sides so that the top layer of paper turns into a diamond shape. Turn the paper over and do the same on the side that is now on top: fold the two sides so that the two sides meet in the middle and fold down the triangle shape that is on top, unfold these three folds, take the bottom corner of the paper on the top layer and bring it down. top, then emphasize the creases formed on the sides so that the top layer of paper turns into a diamond shape. This fold is the basic shape of the bird.
In the process of folding the basic bird shape, the paper will look like a flower in bloom when you lift the corner of the top layer paper upwards
Step 6. Make a fold on the part of the paper where the right and left sides do not connect (separately)
Pull the corners on each side, then do the overlapping technique to form overlapping folds. This will form the dragon's head and tail. Now the paper has very sharp corners, with the corner on the left being the dragon's head, the corner in the middle being the wings, and the corner on the right being the dragon's tail.
- To make the dragon's head, gently take the crease on the left side and pull the top corner down, between the front and back layers of the paper. Pull the ends so they form a slightly downward angle (so the dragon's head will be facing up diagonally) and define your crease.
- To make the dragon's tail, gently take the crease on the right side and pull the top corner down, between the front and back layers of the paper. Make a fold when the corner of the paper is pointing to the right horizontally so that later the dragon's tail is in a straight position to the right side.
Step 7. Rotate the paper so that the dragon's head is facing up
Rotate the paper 180 degrees. Make sure the point of the unfolded diamond shape is facing up so you can add details and move on to the next step. Now the dragon head is pointing to the left side.
Step 8. Add details to the dragon's head
You can add jaws and horns and/or reduce the neckline to add details to the head, so the result will look more like a dragon.
- To add jaws, fold the tip of the dragon's head down so that it touches the bottom corner of the paper on the left, then unfold the crease. Hold the dragon's neck with one hand and push the dragon's head towards the neck with the other hand. The dragon's neck will fold inward so that its head forms a small fold at the end of the neck, which forms the dragon's jaw.
- To add horns, fold the tip of the dragon's head to the underside of the jaw. Reopen the fold. Unfold the dragon's head (spreading the front and back layers of the paper over the dragon's head), then fold the edges slightly towards the back of the head. Thus a horn will form on the dragon's head.
- To reduce the dragon's neck, fold the sides (the side facing you and the side facing the tabletop). Take a small section on the bottom edge of the neck and fold it into the paper layer. Fold in about two more sections (so that the small folded section is three on each side) to reduce the width of the dragon's neck, and make it thinner.
Step 9. Add details to the dragon's tail
Fold it over to make the dragon's tail look thinner and/or more spiked. It's all up to you. Use your creativity!
- To add spikes to the tail, unfold the tail layer and fold the tail end up in the direction you want. Then fold most of the tail inward, leaving a small part sticking out at the end of the tail. You can do this near the end or in the middle of the tail. You can also make some quill folds on the tail. Close the tail layer again.
- To reduce the width of the tail, unfold the tail layer and fold the bottom edge of the tail into the layer. Again, this can be done in several parts of the tail, to form a tail that is thin and looks flexible.
Step 10. Add details to the wings
Starting with the left wing (with the dragon's head facing left), bring the top corner of the front layer of the wing to the bottom corner between the head and tail. Open the fold. Unfold the left wing, then fold the entire wing down and tuck into the inside of the excess fold (the crease that opened before folding the wing down) so that it covers the wing. After that, fold the fold that covers the wing to the left and open the flap of the wing by pulling the bottom corner back up. Fold the right and left corners of the wings downwards, and unfold them. Press the crease on the right side of the wing (the colored side of the paper) inward so that the wing bulges down. Make another fold on the left side by directing the left corner of the wing toward the colored side of the paper. Hold on to the right side of the wing as you do so, to prevent the right side from bulging upwards. Repeat these steps on the right wing.
Step 11. Spread the wings apart by pulling the dragon's chest and tail
Gently pull on the dragon's chest and tail to move the wings as if the dragon was flying.
Method 2 of 2: Creating an Beginner Level Dragon
Step 1. Try to make this dragon if you are a beginner
This simple dragon is perfect for people who are still learning origami. By making this dragon, you will learn how to do the kite fold technique and the inside reverse fold technique.
Step 2. Start with square origami paper
The recommended size of origami paper is 7x7 cm, but you can also use square origami paper of a different size. If you're a beginner, it's a good idea to start with a larger paper size (20x20 cm), as this will make it easier for you to fold.
If you only have paper that is the size of regular stationery, make it a square by bringing the top left corner of the paper together to the right, so that the paper is folded diagonally. Then take the top right corner of the paper and fold it over to the left side, so that it meets the left corner of the fold made earlier. The rest of the paper that doesn't fold is at the bottom and is rectangular; Fold the excess paper and emphasize the crease. Unfold the fold and cut out (or tear if you emphasize the fold very strongly) the excess rectangular paper. Now your paper has a square shape
Step 3. Reposition the paper so that the folds are vertical
Fold the paper in half according to the previous fold, then unfold the fold again. Take the two corners that are on the right and left of the paper and fold them so that the corners meet at the center crease line. This is called the kite folding technique.
Step 4. Unfold the fold again, and then repeat making the kite fold from the top corner of the paper
Reunite the right and left corners of the paper on a diagonal line in the center of the paper, this time starting at the top corner. Now, keep these sides folded.
Step 5. Turn your paper over and reunite the right and left corners in the center of the paper
Do it from the bottom corner of the paper. Make a valley fold by bringing together the corners made by the kite fold to the diagonal line in the center of the paper. Then take the outer corners of the topmost layer of paper and meet them with a diagonal line in the middle of the paper. Do this starting at the bottom corner of the paper.
There will now be creases on each side of the now diamond-shaped paper
Step 6. Unfold the paper and repeat these folds from the top corner
Refold the kite like the first one with the original side up and turn your paper over. Reunite the corners with the diagonal line in the middle of the paper, starting at the top corner, then unfold the fold.
Step 7. Make another diagonal crease
Make one more diagonal crease where there is no diagonal crease, forming a large triangle, and unfold the crease again.
Step 8. Make a pleated diamond shape by highlighting the crease marks on the corners of the paper and bringing the corners closer together
Emphasize the crease lines, resulting from the diagonal crease, on both corners of the paper so that the crease lines protrude toward you (rather than protruding against the table surface). Then bring the two corners closer, while emphasizing the kite folds that you made earlier. Fold the previous kite fold lines so that the first kite fold line protrudes against the table surface, the second kite fold line protrudes towards you, and the third kite fold line protrudes into the table surface. The two corners you hold will stick up (not folded).
Now the paper is shaped like a diamond with two folds sticking out in the center of the diamond shape, on the right and left sides
Step 9. Fold the two unfolded parts towards the top corner of the paper
Fold the two parts sticking out towards the top corner of the paper. Now the paper is shaped like an arrowhead, or a kite with a dot sticking out of it.
Step 10. Change the position of the paper to horizontal and flip it over
Rotate the origami dragon so that the sharp corners are on the left and right. The two halves you just folded should point to the right. Then flip the origami dragon over, keeping the same direction.
Step 11. Align the bottom corner of the paper with the top corner so as to make a crease line in the middle
Fold the paper (which is now diamond-shaped) in half lengthwise, forming a crease in the middle, meeting the bottom corner with the top corner. Now the paper has a short and wide triangle.
Step 12. Fold the left side into both layers of paper (top layer and bottom layer) so that the left corner is on top
Perform the inside reverse fold technique to fold the left side into both layers of paper so that the left corner is on top. You will have to slightly unfold/separate the top and bottom layers of paper to fold the left side inwards into both layers.
Now, on the left side of the triangle there is a section sticking up while the middle and right sides of the triangle remain in a horizontal position
Step 13. Make the dragon's head by doing the reverse inward folding technique on the left side of the paper
Make the dragon's head by positioning the corners downward through the two layers of paper forming the neck. The dragon's head should be slightly shorter than the length of the neck. Now your crease is shaped like a head with a long muzzle at the end.
Step 14. Fold the left corner of the paper diagonally to the right and then fold it again diagonally to the left to make the dragon's mouth
Fold the left corner of the paper (about half the length of the dragon's head) to the right. Fold it horizontally so that the corner points point to the right. Then fold the corner (which is now pointing to the right) diagonally to the left to create the dragon's lower jaw.
There is now a short crease on the head that hangs down, forming a jawline appearance
Step 15. Fold the wings
Fold the wing (which is in the center of the dragon shape) down, bringing the top right corner of the wing together to the bottom edge. Do the same thing in the opposite direction on the other side, to make the wings.
Now your dragon looks like a swimming animal, because it looks like it has flippers
Step 16. Spread the two wings that are on the sides of the dragon
Open its wings to make the dragon look like it's flying. Your dragon has been completed.
Tips
- Don't rush and be patient. Sometimes doing certain folding techniques can be difficult, but if you're patient, you'll eventually find out how. If you're starting to get frustrated, try taking a break.
- Make the folds firmly so that they are neat and the creases are visible.
- Try not to tear the paper when folding.
- Don't mess it up and don't let it mess you up.
Related wikiHow Articles
- How to Fold Lilies in Origami
- How to Make a Heart out of Folded Paper
- How to Make Heart Origami
- How to Make an Origami Star Box
- How to Make an Origami Dragon
