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How to fold an origami iguana

Reverse-fold a folded strip into a long thin tail and a lifted blunt head, and cut legs from a second strip. Fold a pale strip small and snip it into a crest of spikes, and add a dewlap.

You need: Green paper: an 18 x 5 cm strip and a 6 x 3.2 cm strip. Pale green: a 9.6 x 1.7 cm strip and a 2 cm square. Scissors, a ruler, glue. Hard, 24 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. White side up, long sides at the top and bottom. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The fold is the iguana's back.
  2. Tail back. Outside-reverse-fold the left end back over the body on an upright crease 8 cm from the left edge. Each layer wraps round the outside.
  3. Cut the tail. Cut up the tail fold, leaving its top 1.4 cm. Cut the tail flap to a point, from the end of that cut to its tip on the top fold.
  4. Tail out. Outside-reverse-fold the tail out again on a crease from its top corner, so the long tail stretches out behind.
  5. Head back. Outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the body the same way, on a crease 3 cm from the right edge.
  6. Cut the head. Cut up the head fold, leaving its top 2 cm. Taper the head flap to 1.3 cm deep at its tip and snip its top corner round.
  7. Head out. Outside-reverse-fold the head out on a crease from its bottom corner, so it points forward and a little up.
  8. Round the body. Cut the two bottom corners of the body off in short slants, so the chest and the rump are round.
  9. Legs: new sheet. Set the iguana aside. Lay the legs strip coloured side up, long sides at the top and bottom.
  10. Legs: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  11. Legs: cut them. Through both layers, cut a slant off the bottom corner at the fold, from 2.3 cm up. Cut a slant down the open edges to their bottom corner.
  12. Legs: open them. Unfold it: a hind leg and a front leg, joined at the top and splayed out.
  13. Crest: new sheet. Set the legs aside. Lay the long pale strip coloured side up, long sides at the top and bottom.
  14. Crest: fold in half. Fold the right end over onto the left end.
  15. Crest: again. Fold the right end over to the left end again.
  16. Crest: and again. And once more, so it is 1.2 cm wide and eight layers thick. Press it flat.
  17. Crest: snip a tall spike. Cut a long slant off each top corner, from the middle of the top edge down to each side 1.2 cm below the top.
  18. Crest: open. Unfold the last fold.
  19. Crest: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  20. Crest: open it out. Unfold the first fold. Eight tall spikes stand in a row!
  21. Dewlap: new sheet. Set the crest aside. Turn the small pale square like a diamond, white side up.
  22. Dewlap: fold in half. Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner: a triangle pointing down.
  23. Dewlap: round it. Snip the bottom point off in two little slants, so the dewlap hangs round.
  24. Glue it together. Glue the dewlap under the chin, the legs behind the belly, and the crest behind the back so the spikes stand up.

Sunbathing!

Draw an eye, a nostril, a big round cheek scale and a mouth. Colour dark bands round the tail and draw long toes.

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