How To Make an Origami Crane
- December 10, 2007
- 49,079 Views
from
foldmaster
(and 10 others) Subscribe
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Origami Expert
Tony Cheng
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Produced by
Howcast Media
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Directed by
Kevin Hall
- Source Origami USA
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Voice-Over Artist
Taige Jensen
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Production Designer
Karin Olsen
- Cosmetics Provided by M·A·C
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Music
Edison Music Corp
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Writer
Howcast Studios
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Art Director
Dew Gueramian
According to Japanese legend, folding 1,000 paper cranes in one year will guarantee your wish will come true. A young girl named Sadako did just that in 1955 and wished for world peace—the origami crane has been an international symbol of peace ever since.
You Will Need
- A square of origami paper folded into a Bird Base
- A flat surface
Step 1: Position Bird Base
Position the Bird Base so that there are separate right and left flaps on the bottom. These flaps will be the tail and neck of the bird.
Step 2: Fold the right flap to the center edge
Narrow the top layer of the right flap by folding its outer edge to meet the center vertical edge.
Step 3: Fold the left flap to the center edge
Narrow the top layer of the left flap by folding its outer edge to meet the center vertical edge.
Step 4: Flip the model over and repeat
Turn the model over and repeat, narrowing the remaining layer of the right and left flaps on the other side.
Step 5: Fold entire right layer over
Fold the entire top right layer over to the left side, along the center vertical.
Step 6: Flip the model over and repeat
Turn the model over and repeat, folding the top right layer over to the right side, along the center vertical.
Step 7: Fold the bottom flap up
Fold the top layer of the long pointed bottom flap all the way up to the top. This forms the tail.
Step 8: Flip the model and repeat
Turn the model over and repeat, folding the remaining long pointed bottom flap all the way up to the top. This forms the neck.
Step 9: Fold head
Fold the tip of the neck in on itself to form a head.
Step 10: Fold left layer over
Fold the top left layer over to the right side, along the center vertical.
Step 11: Flip model over and repeat
Turn the model over and repeat, folding the top left layer over to the right side, along the center vertical.
Step 12: Pull tail down
Pick up the model and hold it in the middle along the bottom. With your other hand, reach in between the layers and pull the tail down and out to a pleasing angle.
Step 13: Repeat to pull neck down
Repeat on the other end to form the neck, and pull out the head.
Step 14: Fan the wings
Gently spread apart the wing flaps, allowing the crane’s back to spread open.
Did you know? An origami crane folded in 2001 in a Japanese stadium had a wingspan of 256.5 feet—nearly the length of a football field.
Something wrong? Report this How-To
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Comments (17)
really nice!
over 3 years ago by 9alexia
great video directions!!
over 3 years ago by starpainter
To find directions on how to fold a bird base, type in ";Origami Bird Base"; in the search box. We purposely did not begin from an unfolded square since several origami models that were filmed began with the same base. Good luck and enjoy your folding!
over 2 years ago by foldmaster
have you got more origami
about 1 year ago by williamkoko
Yes, you can find the other videos I've made for Howcast by typing in ";Foldmaster videos"; in the search box. These are all traditional origami models. Enjoy!
about 1 year ago by foldmaster
hello foldmaster i made it! because my brother teach me how to make that!
about 1 year ago by kula_ice
foldmaster i make it it's hard rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicccccccccccceeeeeeee i make the others babies
about 1 year ago by iawakaradesu
Sorry, I'm a little confused by your comment. Did you mean that it was hard to fold but you eventually did manage to fold it successfully? Or that it was too hard for you and you could not fold the crane?
I hope you meant that you did finally fold the crane. If this is the case, congratulations! You have joined the group of new folders to enjoy the experience of creating a work of art simply by folding a piece of paper. If you meant that you could NOT fold the crane, please keep trying. The results are definitely worth the effort!
about 1 year ago by foldmaster
Cool!
about 1 year ago by midgetkillerz3
UMMM ...YEAH, I CANT MAKE IT!!!
about 1 year ago by origamiextreme1
I am SO sorry to hear that you had trouble folding the crane. Admittedly, it is NOT an easy origami model to fold. It is considered an intermediate level model because of the complexity of the folds. However, if you follow the directions carefully you should be able to fold the crane easily. As mentioned before, you can find directions to fold the Bird Base by typing in Origami Bird Base in the search box. You can always stop the video to catch up with the folding or reverse to see how a step was done. Don't give up! Others have tried this with much success and I'm sure you will as well. The results will be very rewarding. Good luck to you!
about 1 year ago by foldmaster
the origami crane is cool!!!
about 1 year ago by williamkoko
Tree of cranes!
over 2 years ago by superparkers
Show how to make the bird base.
over 2 years ago by Futureintern
it's so cute
about 1 year ago by isagonronnie
have you got more becouse i have done all of them
about 1 year ago by williamkoko
cool
about 1 year ago by paperboy
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