All models

How to fold an origami armadillo

Fold a triangle and pleat it twice on each side for the shell's bands. Fold the top behind into a dome, crimp the snout and tail up, and add a folded ear.

You need: 1 grey-brown square (15 cm), a small pink square (3.5 cm), glue and a black pen. Hard, 15 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. White side up, turned like a diamond, fold the bottom corner up to the top corner. The long fold at the bottom is the ground.
  2. Bands: first creases. Fold the right side over on an upright crease 1.6 cm right of the middle, and the left side behind on one 1.6 cm left of it.
  3. Bands: pleat. Fold each side back out on a crease 5 mm nearer the middle. Two narrow pleats stand up across the shell.
  4. More bands. Do it again further out: fold the right side over 3.7 cm right of the middle, and the left side behind 3.7 cm left of it.
  5. More bands: pleat. Fold each side back out on a crease 5 mm nearer the middle, so the shell has four bands.
  6. Round shell. Fold the top point behind, 5.4 cm above the ground, so the shell has a low round top.
  7. Round shoulders. Fold the two top corners of the shell behind on slants, so it is a smooth dome.
  8. Snout: crease. Fold the right point over on an upright crease 5.4 cm right of the middle, all layers together.
  9. Snout: crimp. Fold it back on a crease from the same ground point, slanting a little, so the long snout lifts off the ground.
  10. Tail: crease. Fold the left point over on an upright crease 5.6 cm left of the middle.
  11. Tail: crimp. Fold it back on a crease from the same ground point, slanting the other way, so the tapering tail lifts a little.
  12. Ear: new sheet. Set the body aside. Take the small pink square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  13. Ear: triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  14. Ears: fold in half. Fold the left corner over to the right corner. Now you have a tall pointed ear.
  15. Add the ear. Glue the body over the ear, so the ear stands up tall behind the head, just in front of the shell.

Roly-poly!

Draw a small eye and a nose at the tip of the snout, and a few rows of scales on the shell.

What to fold next