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How to fold an origami dalmatian

Fold a triangle, crease and cut four long slim legs, reverse-fold a thin tail and a tall neck, crimp the head forward, glue on floppy ears and add lots of spots.

You need: 1 square sheet, 15 × 15 cm, pale grey on one side, a small black square for the ears, scissors, glue and a black pen. Hard, 19 steps, about 25 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. White side up, fold the top corner down to the bottom corner. The long fold at the top is the dalmatian's back.
  2. Crease the front legs. Fold the right part over on a crease from 1.4 cm right of the middle on the top fold to 2.3 cm right of it 7.4 cm down. Crease hard.
  3. Open it. Unfold it back into the triangle.
  4. Crease the hind legs. Fold the left part over on a crease from 1.5 cm left of the middle on the top fold to 2.3 cm left of it 7.4 cm down.
  5. Open it. Unfold it again. These creases mark the inside edges of the legs.
  6. Tail back. Outside-reverse-fold the left end back over the body, on an upright crease 3.2 cm left of the middle.
  7. Cut the legs. Cut the bottom point off level, 7.4 cm below the top fold, and the right point off square 1.6 cm in. Cut up both leg creases, then across between their tops.
  8. Cut the tail. Cut up the tail fold, leaving 0.5 cm at the top. Trim the tail flaps to a strip 3.5 cm long.
  9. Lift the tail. Outside-reverse-fold the tail out on a crease from its bottom corner, so it sticks out behind.
  10. Neck back. Outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the body, on an upright crease 3.2 cm right of the middle.
  11. Cut the neck. Cut up the neck fold, leaving 1.6 cm at the top. Trim the neck flaps to a strip 1.6 cm wide at the fold and 1.3 cm at the tip.
  12. Lift the neck. Outside-reverse-fold the neck up on a crease from its bottom corner, so it stands up and leans a little forward.
  13. Head back. Outside-reverse-fold the top 2.9 cm of the neck back and down, on a crease slanting across the neck from its back edge.
  14. Head forward. Outside-reverse-fold the head back out on a crease from the same corner, so the nose points forward.
  15. Round the paws. Snip both bottom corners off each leg, so the paws are round.
  16. Ears: a small square. Set the dalmatian aside. Take a 2.4 cm square, coloured side up, turned like a diamond.
  17. Ears: narrow it. Fold the left and right corners behind on upright creases 0.6 cm from the middle, so it is long and narrow.
  18. Ears: round the tip. Snip the bottom point round with three little cuts, so the ear ends soft. Make a second ear the same.
  19. Glue on the ears. Glue an ear on each side of the head, just behind the top, so it hangs down over the cheek.

Spotty!

Draw round black spots of different sizes all over the body, legs, neck and tail. Add an eye, a black nose and a mouth.

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