Traditional Origami Crane: How to Fold Your Own Origami Crane Using Standard Paper.

Folding a paper crane can be difficult, but very rewarding once finished. It's an activity with long historical roots and meaningful symbolism. In Japanese culture the crane is associated with peace, hope, good fortune, and longevity. Learning how to make a paper crane can be difficult at first, but once accomplished can be a meaningful and simple gift to give to those around us.

Supplies

Paper
Scissors

Note: if you have origami paper you can skip ahead to step 2.

Create a Square Paper

You can make a square by folding the right corner diagonally across, aligning it up with the left side. This will leave you with a small strip of paper along the top that you'll cut off.

Make the First Diagonal Fold

If you did step one use the crease to keep the paper folded into a triangle. If you skipped step one fold the paper diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner.

Crease the fold firmly.

Step 3

Brining the bottom corner of the paper up to the top corner create a smaller triangle fold.

crease the fold firmly.

In the second image notice how it creates a flap.

Step 4

Peeling the top flap upward. push down and you will see the two sides of the paper naturally fall outward. This creates what looks like a sail boat. Take the top tip of the sail boat and connect it to the bottom part.

Crease the fold.

Step 5

Once you've done step 4 you should have created this diamond shape with a wing on the left. you can flip the paper over and bring the wing centered.

Step 6

Opening the wing back up into our boat shape. you can repeat step 4 by brining the top of the boat down to the bottom.

Check Point.

Your paper should be looking like this at this point, before moving on.

Keep the opening parts of the paper at the bottom of your diamond.

Fold Into a Kite

Taking the bottom right edge fold it into towards the center crease. Take the left side bottom edge and bring it in towards the center. You will start to see a kite shape appear. Flipping the paper over repeat on the other side until you're holding a kite.

Step 9

Taking the top of your kite fold in downward adding a crease. Go ahead and fold it the other way to add a crease of both sides of the paper.

Step 10

Unfold the corners back out of the kite. Peel back the first layer of paper.

Step 11

Open the layer all the way up to create a canoe shape. Following the crease lines fold the outer walls of the canoe inwards on both sides.

Step 12

Flip and repeat steps 10 & 11 on other side.

Check Point

At this point you should have two large elongated diamonds. Rotate the paper so these diamond are facing away from you as seen in the image above.

Step 14

open the side facing you so that we can see a kite shape again.

Create Body Shape

on your open side fold the bottom of the kite upward. Repeat on the other side and you will have a shape that looks like the top of a tulip with no stem.

Press those creases closed once again when finished.

Wings

Press flat. Fold the triangle downward to create a wing. Flip and repeat on other side.

Here you can see that I have a little mistake in my crane. This happens and is ok, it wont effect the outcome of the crane.

Head and Tail

Folding the remaining two triangles downward you can shape a head and tail. This is where you can creatively decide what features to give your crane.

Finished Crane

Be proud of yourself and keep practicing!