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How to fold an origami baboon

Fold a sheet in half, crease and cut four legs, shape a long muzzle, crimp the head down with two reverse folds, and glue on an arched tail.

You need: Olive or grey-green paper: a 16 × 14 cm sheet and a 3.5 × 10 cm strip; small scissors, a ruler, glue, a black pen. Hard, 15 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Tail: in half. Take the small olive strip, white side up, standing tall. Fold the right edge over onto the left edge.
  2. Tail: bend it back. 4 cm up, fold the top part over to the left on a slanted crease, so it points back.
  3. Tail: and down. 3 cm further along, fold the end down on a slanted crease, so the tail rises, arches over and hangs down.
  4. Tail: round the tip. Snip both corners off the end of the tail.
  5. Body: new sheet. Set the tail aside. Take the big olive sheet, white side up, lying wide.
  6. Fold in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The fold at the top is the baboon's back; the head will be on the right.
  7. Crease the legs. Fold the right part to the front on an upright crease 1.5 cm right of the middle, and the left part behind on one 3.5 cm left of it.
  8. Open them. Unfold both parts. The creases mark the back of the front leg and the front of the hind leg.
  9. Crease the chest. Fold the right part to the front again on a crease 3.5 cm right of the middle. Right of it will be the head.
  10. Open it. Unfold the chest crease.
  11. Cut the legs. Cut up both leg creases 4 cm from the bottom and across between them for the belly. Slant the back of the hind leg and both sides of the front leg.
  12. Cut the head. Cut up the chest crease to 2.5 cm from the top and off square under the head. Slope the top of the head down to a long blunt muzzle.
  13. Head back. Outside-reverse-fold the head back over the body, on a crease from the back 5 mm right of the chest crease down to the top of the cut.
  14. Head down. Reverse-fold it forward again from the same top corner, so the long muzzle points forward and a little down.
  15. Glue on the tail. Glue the tail behind the top of the rump, leaning back, so it arches up and over.

On the move!

Draw a heavy brow with a bright eye under it, colour the long muzzle black with a nostril at the tip, and add a mouth and toes.

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