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How to fold an origami beach day

A real project. Cut and pleat a battlemented sandcastle wall, add pointed towers and a flag, then a scalloped umbrella, wavy sea, towel, bucket, spade, crab and beach ball. Glue it all into one standing scene.

You need: 13 pieces: sand, red, blue, pink, brown, dark blue, green, orange, pale sand (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue, black pen, white gel pen.. Challenge, 78 steps, about 50 minutes.

Steps

  1. Wall: fold in half. Start with the hard part, the wall: a 12 × 6.1 cm sand piece, sand side up, long sides across. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  2. Wall: in half again. Fold the right end back over onto the left fold.
  3. Wall: and again. Fold it in half once more, the same way. Crease hard.
  4. Wall: crease a guide. Fold it in half one last time, the same way, and crease it hard.
  5. Wall: open the guide. Open that last fold again. Its crease shows where to cut.
  6. Wall: cut the battlements. Through all the layers, cut down the guide crease 1.1 cm from the top, then straight across to the right edge. Throw the little block away.
  7. Wall: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  8. Wall: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  9. Wall: open flat. Open it flat. Square teeth and gaps run all along the top: the battlements.
  10. Wall: first sand ledge. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 2.6 cm below the top. The white side shows for now.
  11. Wall: fold it back down. Fold the flap back down 4 mm higher. A ledge runs right across the wall, like a step patted into the sand.
  12. Wall: second ledge. Fold the bottom edge up again, creasing 1.5 cm below the first ledge.
  13. Wall: and back down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher too. The wall now has two sandy steps.
  14. Flag: new sheet. Set the wall aside. For the flag, take a 2.4 × 1.5 cm red piece, red side up, long side across.
  15. Flag: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  16. Flag: cut a pennant. Cut from the bottom left corner up to the right end of the fold. Keep the triangle.
  17. Flag: open it. Open it out: a pointed red pennant.
  18. Towers: new sheet. Set the flag aside. For the towers, take a 12 × 7.9 cm sand piece, sand side up, long sides across.
  19. Towers: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  20. Towers: crease a guide. Fold the open edges over to the left by 1.9 cm and crease hard.
  21. Towers: open the guide. Open it again. The strip outside the crease will be a tower.
  22. Towers: cut the towers. Cut down the crease to 3 cm above the bottom, then across to the fold. Snip the strip's top to a point, from 1.3 cm down each side.
  23. Towers: open it. Open it out. A tall pointed tower stands at each end, joined by a low strip that hides behind the wall.
  24. Build the castle. Glue the wall in front of the towers, bottoms level. Draw a pole up from the left tower's tip and glue the flag to it.
  25. Sea: new sheet. Set the castle aside. For the sea, take a 21 × 6.5 cm blue strip, blue side up, lying long.
  26. Sea: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  27. Sea: in half again. Fold the right end back over onto the left fold.
  28. Sea: and again. Fold it in half once more, the same way. Crease hard.
  29. Sea: cut a wave. Cut the top into one low hump: from 7 mm down at the left fold, up to the top edge in the middle, and down to 7 mm at the right.
  30. Sea: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  31. Sea: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  32. Sea: open flat. Open it flat. Eight round waves roll along the top of the sea.
  33. Towel: new sheet. Set the sea aside. For the towel, take a 6.8 × 3 cm pink piece, pink side up, long side across.
  34. Towel: fold the edges. Fold the top and bottom edges in by 4 mm. Two white stripes run along the towel.
  35. Towel: slant the ends. Cut both short ends on the same slant, 1.1 cm across, so the towel looks spread out on the sand.
  36. Umbrella: the pole. Set the towel aside. For the umbrella pole, take a 1.2 × 13.5 cm brown strip, white side up, standing tall.
  37. Pole: fold the sides in. Fold both long edges in to meet in the middle. The pole is brown all over.
  38. Pole: point the end. Snip the bottom end to a point, so it can push into the sand.
  39. Umbrella: the canopy. Set the pole aside. For the canopy, take a 9 × 4 cm red piece, red side up, long side across.
  40. Canopy: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  41. Canopy: cut the dome. Cut a smooth curve from the top of the fold down to the open edge, 6 mm above the bottom corner. Throw the corner away.
  42. Canopy: in half again. Fold the right end back over onto the left fold.
  43. Canopy: and again. Fold it in half once more, the same way. Crease hard.
  44. Canopy: cut a scallop. Cut the bottom into one round bump: from 6 mm up at each fold, curving down to the bottom edge in the middle.
  45. Canopy: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  46. Canopy: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  47. Canopy: open flat. Open it flat: a round dome with eight scallops along the bottom, like a sunshade.
  48. Spade: new sheet. Set the canopy aside. For the spade, take a 2.3 × 6.8 cm green strip, green side up, standing tall.
  49. Spade: fold in half. Fold the left long edge over onto the right one.
  50. Spade: crease a guide. Fold the open edges over to the left by 7.5 mm and crease hard.
  51. Spade: open the guide. Open it again. The crease marks the side of the handle.
  52. Spade: cut the handle. Cut down the crease 3.8 cm from the top, then across to the open edges. Snip the bottom to a point, from 1.1 cm up the edge.
  53. Spade: open it. Open it out: a narrow handle on a wide, pointed blade.
  54. Bucket: new sheet. Set the spade aside. For the bucket, take a 3 × 2.6 cm blue piece, blue side up.
  55. Bucket: fold the rim. Fold the top edge down 6 mm. The white band is the bucket's rim.
  56. Bucket: slope the sides. Cut each side on a slant, from the top corner to 4 mm in at the bottom, so the bucket is narrow at the bottom.
  57. Crab: the legs. Set the bucket aside. For the crab's legs, take a 5.4 × 2.2 cm orange strip, orange side up, lying long.
  58. Legs: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  59. Legs: in half again. Fold the right end back over onto the left fold.
  60. Legs: and again. Fold it in half once more, the same way. Crease hard.
  61. Legs: cut a point. Cut the bottom to a sharp point: from 1 cm up each side down to the middle of the bottom edge.
  62. Legs: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  63. Legs: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  64. Legs: open flat. Open it flat. Eight pointy legs stand in a row.
  65. Crab: the body. Set the legs aside. For the body, take a 4.5 × 2.7 cm orange piece, orange side up, long side across.
  66. Crab: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  67. Crab: crease a guide. Fold the open edges over to the left by 8 mm and crease hard.
  68. Crab: open the guide. Open it again. The strip outside the crease will be a claw.
  69. Crab: cut the claws. Cut 9 mm down the crease, then across to the fold. Snip the claw's outer top corner, and round the bottom corner.
  70. Crab: open it. Open it out: a round body with a claw raised on each side.
  71. Ball: new sheet. Set the crab aside. For the beach ball, take a 2.6 cm blue square, blue side up.
  72. Ball: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  73. Ball: cut a half circle. Cut a round half circle from one end of the fold to the other, as big as the paper allows.
  74. Ball: open it. Open it out: a round ball.
  75. Sand: new sheet. Set the ball aside. Last, the beach: a 21 × 3.4 cm pale sand strip, sand side up, lying long.
  76. Sand: round the corners. Snip a little corner off each top corner of the strip, 9 mm each way.
  77. Build the beach. Glue the sea behind the sand and the castle on it. Add the towel, the umbrella, then the spade behind the bucket, the crab and the ball.
  78. Stand it up. Bend the right end of the sand strip gently towards you, 3 cm from the end, and stand the whole beach up on the table.

Surf's up!

Draw the gate, tower windows, flag pole and bucket handle in pen. Add the umbrella's ribs, white stripes on it and the ball, and the crab's face.

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