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How to fold an origami grasshopper

Five pieces. Fold and pleat a slim body, cut a long tapered leg and fold a sharp knee and foot into it, add a wing, a comb of front legs and a V of feelers.

You need: Green paper: a 3.6 × 3 cm band, an 8 × 0.6 cm strip, an 8 × 1.6 cm dark green strip, a 2.4 × 12 cm strip and a 10.5 × 4 cm piece; scissors, glue. Hard, 21 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Front legs: fold in half. Start with the 3.6 × 3 cm band, coloured side up, lying across. Fold it in half, left edge onto the right edge.
  2. Front legs: in half again. Fold it in half again, right edges over onto the left fold. It is 9 mm wide.
  3. Front legs: cut a point. Through all four layers, cut both long edges in to a thin point at the bottom middle, starting 1.5 mm below the top.
  4. Front legs: open once. Unfold the last fold.
  5. Front legs: open flat. Unfold it flat: four pointed little legs hanging from a strip.
  6. Feelers. Set the legs aside. Take the 8 × 0.6 cm strip, white side up, lying across.
  7. Feelers: fold thin. Fold it in half the long way, bottom edge up to the top, green side out.
  8. Feelers: fold a V. Fold the right half down and back over the left on a steep slant at the middle, so the two halves make a narrow V.
  9. Wing. Set the feelers aside. Take the dark green 8 × 1.6 cm strip, coloured side up, lying across.
  10. Wing: shape it. Snip the bottom left corner off on a long slant. Round the right end into a blunt point, a little nearer the top edge.
  11. Jumping leg. Set the wing aside. Take the 2.4 × 12 cm strip, white side up, lying across.
  12. Leg: fold in half. Fold the bottom edge up to the top, green side out. Keep the fold along the bottom.
  13. Leg: taper it. Cut the open top edge on one long slant, from full width at the left end to 2.5 mm wide at the right. Round the top left corner.
  14. Leg: fold the knee. 5.6 cm from the left end, fold the thin part down and back under the thick thigh on a steep slant, making a sharp V. That point is the knee.
  15. Leg: fold the foot. 1.3 cm from the end, fold the tip out to the right on a slant for the foot.
  16. Body. Set the leg aside. Take the 10.5 × 4 cm piece, white side up, lying across.
  17. Body: fold in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The fold along the top is the grasshopper's back.
  18. Body: pleat. Fold the right end over to the left on a crease 2.7 cm from the left end.
  19. Body: and back. Fold it back on a crease 3 mm further left. The step behind the head is the edge of its saddle.
  20. Body: shape it. Round the head at the left into a tall, blunt face. Then cut the belly up in a gentle curve to a narrow tail at the right end.
  21. Glue it together. Glue the front legs under the front half of the body and the feelers behind the head. Glue the wing along the back, and the leg's thigh on the side.

Ready to spring!

Draw a big round eye with a white shine, a little mouth line and a vein along the wing.

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