How to fold an origami albatross
One long strip makes both wings: the ends fold over to show dark tips, are cut to swept points, and tapered pleats at the wrists droop the outer wings. A kite-folded body and beak go on top.
You need: A 30 × 2.4 cm strip, dark grey on one side, white on the other; a white 7 cm square; a pale yellow scrap; pale blue 30 × 13 cm; dark blue 30 × 2.6 cm. Hard, 13 steps, about 35 minutes.
Steps
- Dark wingtips. Long strip, white side up. Fold 2.3 cm of each end over onto the strip, so the dark side shows at both tips.
- Point the tips. Cut each end on a long slant through both layers, from the back edge 3.5 cm in, to a sharp point at the front edge.
- Wrist pleats: in. 5.8 cm from the middle on each side, fold the outer wing back toward the middle on a line straight across the strip.
- Wrist pleats: out. Fold each one back out from the same front point, on a line that slants a little. The outer wings now droop gently.
- Body: new sheet. Set the wings aside. Take the white square turned like a diamond.
- Fold a kite. Fold the two lower edges in to meet along the middle, from the bottom corner: a kite with a long point at the bottom.
- Short tail. Fold the long bottom point up behind, about 2 cm, so the body is short and plump with a little tail.
- Round head. Fold the top point behind, about 1.3 cm, to give the head a flat, round top.
- Round it. Snip off the two top corners of the head and the two side corners, so the head and body are round.
- Beak: new sheet. Set the body aside. Cut the pale yellow scrap into a long beak shape, 1.2 cm wide, pointed at the bottom.
- Sea: new sheet. Set the beak aside. Take the dark blue strip for the sea.
- Sky: new sheet. Set the sea aside. Lay the pale blue sheet flat: the sky.
- Glue it together. Glue the sea along the bottom of the sky and the wings across the middle. Glue the body over the middle of the wings, the beak on its head.
Glide, albatross!
Draw two round dark eyes either side of the beak. Draw white wave crests on the sea.