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How to fold an origami dragon cave

A storybook scene that stands up. Fold, snip and pleat a rocky hill with a round cave mouth, then add a sleeping green dragon with orange spikes and a folded wing on a heap of gold, two gems, a torch, a peeking knight and two bats.

You need: 19 pieces: 22 × 14 cm grey-brown, then black, brown, orange, green, gold, blue, pink, red, grey and sky blue pieces (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue, pens.. Challenge, 61 steps, about 80 minutes.

Steps

  1. Rock: fold in half. Start with the hard part, the rock: a 22 × 14 cm grey-brown rectangle, coloured side up, lying long. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  2. Rock: cut a rocky peak. Cut the top through both layers in three straight cuts, each steeper than the last, from the top of the fold to halfway down the open side.
  3. Rock: fold the bottom up. Fold the bottom edge up over the front, creasing 3.5 cm above it.
  4. Rock: fold on a slant. Fold the right part up on a slant from the bottom of the centre fold, so the bottom fold lies along the centre fold.
  5. Rock: snip the cave mouth. Snip the closed corner at the bottom left off in one straight cut, from 6.5 cm up one fold to 6.5 cm up the other.
  6. Rock: open the slant. Unfold the slanted fold.
  7. Rock: open the bottom. Fold the bottom back down.
  8. Rock: open it. Open the centre fold too: a rocky hill with a big, round-topped cave mouth.
  9. Rock: pleat a ledge. Fold the top down over the front, creasing 3 cm below the peak. The white side shows for now.
  10. Rock: fold it back up. Fold it back up 5 mm lower. The pleat leaves a rocky ledge over the cave.
  11. Cave: new sheet. Set the rock aside. For the dark inside of the cave, take a 13.6 × 10.8 cm black piece, black side up.
  12. Cave: round the top. Fold both top corners behind, 3 cm along each edge, so they stay hidden behind the rock.
  13. Darken the cave. Glue the rock on top of the black piece, so the cave mouth looks deep and dark.
  14. Torch: new sheet. Set the rock aside. For the torch, take a 1.6 × 4.8 cm brown strip, white side up, standing tall.
  15. Torch: a strong stick. Fold the left and right edges in to meet in the middle.
  16. Flame: new sheet. Set the stick aside. For the flame, take a 2.8 cm orange square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  17. Flame: make a kite. Fold the two upper edges in to meet along the middle: a kite with a long point at the top.
  18. Flame: blunt the bottom. Fold the bottom point behind, a little below the side corners. A flame with a hot white heart.
  19. Grass: new sheet. Set the flame aside. For the grass, take a 30 × 2 cm green strip, green side up, lying long.
  20. Grass: round the ends. Fold both top corners behind, 1 cm along each edge.
  21. Gold: new sheet. Set the grass aside. For the pile of gold coins, take a 16 × 4 cm gold piece, gold side up, lying long.
  22. Gold: heap it up. Fold both top corners behind, 3 cm along each edge. A low, round heap of treasure.
  23. Spikes: new sheet. Set the gold aside. Now the dragon. For its spiky back, take a 6.4 × 2.4 cm orange strip, orange side up.
  24. Spikes: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  25. Spikes: in half again. Fold the right edges back over onto the left fold.
  26. Spikes: cut a point. Cut a slant off both top corners, from 1.4 cm down each side to the middle of the top edge.
  27. Spikes: open it. Unfold one fold.
  28. Spikes: open flat. Open it flat: four sharp spikes in a row.
  29. Dragon: new sheet. Set the spikes aside. For the dragon's body, take a 16 × 10 cm bright green rectangle, green side up, lying long.
  30. Dragon: fold in half. Fold the top half down behind, onto the bottom half. Green on both sides.
  31. Dragon: cut the body. Cut the top left corner off on a slant for a round back. Then cut a long slant from 9 mm right of the middle down to near the bottom right: the tail.
  32. Wing: new sheet. Set the body aside. For the raised wing, take a 5.2 cm dark green square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  33. Wing: fold a triangle. Fold the bottom corner up onto the top corner: a green triangle.
  34. Head: new sheet. Set the wing aside. For the head, take a 6.4 × 4.4 cm bright green piece, green side up, lying long.
  35. Head: shape the snout. Fold the top left corner behind by 1.8 cm and the bottom left corner by 8 mm, for the snout. Fold the top right corner behind by 1 cm.
  36. Blue gem: new sheet. Set the head aside. For a gem, take a 2.6 cm blue square, blue side up, turned like a diamond.
  37. Blue gem: cut the facets. Fold the top corner behind, 9 mm down. A flat-topped, pointed gem.
  38. Pink gem: new sheet. Set it aside. For a second gem, take a 2.6 cm pink square, pink side up, turned like a diamond.
  39. Pink gem: cut the facets. Fold the top corner behind, the same as the first gem.
  40. Knight: new sheet. Set the gems aside. For the knight's tunic, take a 2.8 × 3.6 cm red piece, red side up, standing tall.
  41. Knight: shoulders. Fold both top corners behind, 7 mm along each edge.
  42. Helmet: new sheet. Set the tunic aside. For the helmet, take a 2.2 × 2.4 cm silver-grey piece, grey side up.
  43. Helmet: round the top. Fold both top corners behind, 9 mm along each edge. A round helmet.
  44. Big bat: new sheet. Set the last part aside. For the big bat, take a 6 × 2.4 cm black strip, black side up, lying long.
  45. Big bat: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  46. Big bat: cut the outline. Cut a small V off the top corner at the fold, then a long slant from the bottom, 8 mm from the fold, up to near the top of the open end.
  47. Big bat: fold the wing in. Fold the long end over onto the front, creasing 7 mm from the fold.
  48. Big bat: shape the ears. Snip a slant off both top corners at the new fold, and a small V off its bottom corner. Then cut the top of the wing on a slant.
  49. Big bat: open the wing. Unfold the wing.
  50. Big bat: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. Two pointy ears, a little body, and wings that rise to sharp tips.
  51. Small bat: new sheet. Set the last part aside. For the small bat, take a 4.5 × 1.8 cm black strip, black side up, lying long.
  52. Small bat: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  53. Small bat: cut the outline. Cut it just like the big bat: a small V at the top of the fold, then the long slant along the bottom.
  54. Small bat: fold the wing in. Fold the long end over onto the front, creasing 7 mm from the fold.
  55. Small bat: shape the ears. Snip the same corners at the new fold, then cut the top of the wing on a slant, like the big bat.
  56. Small bat: open the wing. Unfold the wing.
  57. Small bat: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. A second, smaller bat.
  58. Dusk sky: new sheet. Set the bat aside. Last, the evening sky: a 30 × 20 cm blue piece, blue side up, lying long.
  59. Dusk sky: round the top. Fold the two top corners behind, 3 cm along each edge.
  60. Build the scene. Glue the rock in the middle, the torch beside the cave, grass along the bottom, gold in the mouth, the dragon on it, the gems, the knight and the bats.
  61. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently back just left of the rock and towards you just right of it, in a zigzag. Stand the whole scene up on the table.

Shh, the dragon is asleep!

Draw cracks in the rock and sleepy Zs, the dragon's closed eye, smile, horns and scales, coins, gem facets, the knight's visor and cross, and bat eyes.

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