Origami For Dummies

This page is all about origami for dummies. We'll start you off as a complete newbie and guide you along the way until you're comfortable making any model on this page.

Ok. So what is origami? Origami is the art of paper folding that first originated from China and popularized by Japan. That mostly means folding paper into recognizable models such as animals, flowers, stars, etc. There are basic folds to do this and the folds are named and often mentioned in the instructions. Then there are the bases that are very simple folds that many origami models begin with. We'll go over the folds, the bases, and then proceed to fold origami models.

Let's begin the origami for dummies guide. When folding, try to flatten each crease as much as possible. You can flatten the folds with a letter opener or even your finger nails so that the creases are really flat and the edges are sharp.

Origami Folds

These folds are part of every origami. It's good to know their names so that you're not confused when instructions mention them.

Origami Bases

Below are the origami bases that are the beginning point of many models. You'll sometimes see instructions that begin with one of these bases instead of the very beginning.

Now that you've been exposed to the origami basics, let's have some fun and fold some origami for dummies. Try out the easy ones first, then jump to the more complex models when you're more comfortable.

Easy Origami

Origami Animals

Origami Birds

Origami Boxes

Origami Flowers

Origami Hearts

Origami Stars

Origami Toys

Paper Airplanes

Hope you enjoyed origami for dummies!