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How to fold an origami komodo dragon

Fold a strip in half and reverse-fold both ends back and out again into a thick drooping tail and a flat head. Cut splayed legs from a second strip and snip a forked tongue.

You need: Grey-brown paper: an 18 x 6 cm strip and a 7.2 x 3 cm strip. A 2.4 x 0.5 cm yellow strip. Scissors, a ruler and glue. Hard, 17 steps, about 30 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 dragon's back.
  2. Tail back. Outside-reverse-fold the left end back over the body on an upright crease 7 cm from the left edge. Each layer wraps round the outside.
  3. Cut the tail. Cut up the tail fold, leaving its top 2.2 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 3.2 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 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 top corner, so it points forward and a little down.
  8. Round the body. Cut the two bottom corners of the body off in short slants, so the chest and the rump are round and heavy.
  9. Legs: new sheet. Set the dragon 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 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. Tongue: new sheet. Set the legs aside. Lay the yellow strip coloured side up, long sides at the top and bottom.
  14. Tongue: fold in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge.
  15. Tongue: snip the fork. Cut a slant off the right end, from 6 mm along the fold down to the bottom corner.
  16. Tongue: open. Unfold it. The tongue ends in a fork.
  17. Glue it together. Glue the legs behind the belly, feet level, and the tongue behind the snout so the fork pokes out of the mouth.

Here be dragons!

Draw a heavy-lidded eye, a nostril and a long mouth line, curved claws on the feet and some scaly dots along the body.

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