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The origami swan is a very traditional structure. This swan is very simple to make. Requiring only several mountain and valley folds, this origami swan is very well suited for beginners. The results of this swan may look a bit shabby at first, but soon, your swan will look very elegant and beautiful after only a few minutes of practice.
Steps
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1Get a square piece of paper, turn it over so that the colored side is at the bottom. You can find a range of origami paper on Amazon.
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2Fold the piece of paper in half diagonally, so that it looks like a triangle.Advertisement
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3Unfold your triangle so that it looks like a square again.
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4Take the two edges across from the center crease and fold them to that crease. It should make a kite shape.
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5Turn your paper over.
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6Take the sides of your kite shape and fold those into the middle crease again. The kite should be thinner with triangular designs on one side.
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7Without turning the paper over, take the bottom point of the kite (the thinnest part) and fold it up to the top point of your kite shape, with the thin point along the middle crease.
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8Take the tip of the thin point and fold down a small portion of the point down, the portion should look like a triangle that is only about 1 or 2 centimeters (0.4 or 0.8 in) tall. The triangle formed by the previous step that was a triangle, should now look like a very tall trapezoid.
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9Remember that middle crease at the very first step? Fold the crease in half again. Except with the design side on the top.
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10Tightly holding the base of the triangle, pull up the thin point of the triangle to a desired height. It could be straight up, or at a sharp angle.
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11Pull the little part out to resemble a beak.
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12Decorate as desired.
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13Finished.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat if I use a rectangle instead of square?
Community AnswerIf you were use a rectangular paper instead of a square, your swan will end up uneven. The extra paper will stick out and could ruin your swan. -
QuestionDoes this swan stand by itself?
Community AnswerYes it does, if you have the bottom part spread a little bit. -
QuestionWhy can't I get the beak right?Community AnswerIt is probably because you are folding it too shortly, or folding it too long. Remember to keep practicing. If that doesn't work, try doing it again on a new sheet of paper. Also don't use rectangular papers.
Warnings
- Try not to get frustrated; just try again.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Watch out for the edges of the paper, they are sharp. You don't want to get a paper cut.⧼thumbs_response⧽
Things You'll Need
About This Article
If you want to fold a traditional origami swan, fold a square piece of paper in half diagonally so it makes a triangle, then unfold the square again. Fold in 2 edges to meet at the center crease so that the paper makes a kite shape. Turn the paper over, then fold the sides of the kite shape into the middle crease again. Take the bottom point of the kite and fold it up to the top point, then fold a small portion of the thinnest point and fold 1-2 cm back down. Fold the paper in half again along the middle crease, then pull up the thinnest point of the triangle to unfold the swan. For pictures of how to create the origami swan, read on!
