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How to fold an origami lionfish

Fold a square into a tapered fish body. Zigzag a long thin strip into a fan of spines and fold each tip to a point, then add a folded tail and white stripes.

You need: A 15 cm square, a 6 cm square and a 1.6 × 63 cm strip (tape strips end to end), red on one side and white on the other, glue, a white and a black pen. Hard, 16 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Body: in half. Red side up, fold the bottom half behind, up onto the top half. The fold is the belly; the head will be on the left.
  2. Body: lower the back. Fold the top edge behind on a level crease, 2.25 cm down.
  3. Body: shape the fish. Fold all four corners behind on slants: big ones at the head, and long ones at the tail end so it tapers to a slim tail.
  4. The spines. Set the body aside. Take the long strip, white side up, standing tall.
  5. Spines: fold thin. Fold the long strip in half the long way, so it's a thin red strip.
  6. Spines: in half. Fold the top part behind on a level crease 25 cm up from the bottom end. The fold is the tip of the middle spine.
  7. Spines: fan out. 5.5 cm down from the tip, fold the front strip up and forward, and the back strip up and back, behind it.
  8. Spines: fold back. 5.5 cm out, fold each strip straight back down to where it turned. Now there are three spines.
  9. Spines: out again. Fold the front strip down and a little back, as a long low spine. Fold the back strip out to lie further back.
  10. Spines: fold back again. 5.5 cm out, fold the back strip straight back to where it turned.
  11. Spines: last turn. Fold the back strip down and back where the others turn: the last low spine.
  12. Spines: sharp points. Fold one corner at the end of every spine behind, on a slant from the middle of the end.
  13. Spines: sharp points, too. Fold the other corner of every spine behind the same way, so each one narrows to a sharp point.
  14. The tail. Set the spines aside. Take the 6 cm square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  15. Tail: fold in half. Fold the right corner over onto the left corner: a red triangle.
  16. Glue it together. Glue the spines behind the body, where they meet just under its back. Glue the tail's point behind the slim end of the body.

Spiky and proud!

Draw white stripes across the body and white bands on the spines, a big eye and an upturned mouth.

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