All models

How to fold an origami mermaid lagoon

A real project. Fold a mermaid with a pleated teal tail, a cut fin, long hair and a shell top, sit her on a rock before a scallop throne, add a shell palace, two fish and sand, then stand the sea up.

You need: 13 pieces: gold, aqua, teal, skin (2), pink (2), grey, lavender, orange, purple, tan and half-A4 blue (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue, pens.. Challenge, 64 steps, about 60 minutes.

Steps

  1. Hair: fold in half. Start with the mermaid's long hair: a 5 × 6.4 cm gold piece, gold side up, standing tall. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  2. Hair: round it. Round the top corner at the open edges with two snips, and slant the bottom corner off from 2.5 cm up, so the ends of her hair taper.
  3. Hair: open it. Unfold it. A round top for her head and long hair falling past her shoulders.
  4. Fin: new sheet. Set the hair aside. For the tail fin, take a 5 cm aqua square, aqua side up.
  5. Fin: fold in half. Fold the right edge over onto the left edge.
  6. Fin: cut a lobe. Cut from the top, 3 mm left of the fold, down and out to a rounded tip at the bottom-left corner, then back up to the fold 1.4 cm from the bottom.
  7. Fin: open it. Open it out: a wide fin with two lobes.
  8. Tail: new sheet. Set the fin aside. For the tail, take an 8 cm teal square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  9. Tail: fold a kite. Fold the lower left and lower right edges in to meet on the middle line.
  10. Tail: slimmer. Fold the new side edges in to the middle line again, creasing from the bottom point. Now it's a long, slim kite.
  11. Tail: flat top. Fold the top point down on a level crease between the two side corners. This straight top is her waist.
  12. Tail: fold up. Pleat the knee. Fold the bottom of the tail up on a level crease about 5 cm above the bottom point.
  13. Tail: swish. Fold it back down on a crease 7 mm higher, slanting the crease a lot, so the end of the tail swings out to the side.
  14. Head: new sheet. Set the tail aside. For her head, take a 3 cm skin-colour square, skin side up.
  15. Head: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 6 mm each way, for a round face.
  16. Shell top: new sheet. Set the head aside. For her shell top, take a 3.6 × 1.8 cm pink piece, pink side up, lying long.
  17. Shell top: fold in half. Fold the right edge over onto the left edge.
  18. Shell top: cut a cup. Cut a round cup shape from the folded piece, leaving 3 mm of the fold in the middle so the two cups stay joined.
  19. Shell top: open it. Open it out: two round shells side by side.
  20. Body: new sheet. Set the shells aside. For her body and arms, take a 2.8 × 3.8 cm skin-colour piece, skin side up, standing tall.
  21. Body: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  22. Body: shoulders and waist. Round the top corner at the open edges with a snip, 5 mm each way. Then cut a slim slant down that side, so her waist is narrower.
  23. Body: open it. Unfold it: round shoulders and a slim waist.
  24. Build the mermaid. Glue the hair behind her shoulders, the tail behind her waist sweeping right, the fin behind the tail's tip, the head on top and the shells across her chest.
  25. Throne: new sheet. Set the mermaid aside. For her shell throne, take a 9.6 × 7.6 cm pink piece, pink side up, lying long.
  26. Throne: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge. Crease hard: two more folds follow the same way.
  27. Throne: in half again. Fold the right edges back over onto the fold.
  28. Throne: and again. Fold it in half once more, to a stack 1.2 cm wide.
  29. Throne: round the ribs. Round off both top corners of the stack with two small snips each, starting 4 mm down the sides.
  30. Throne: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  31. Throne: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  32. Throne: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. Eight round ribs scallop along the top.
  33. Throne: fan shape. Fold the bottom corners behind, on creases from 8 mm either side of the bottom middle up to 3.4 cm down the sides. Now it's a scallop shell.
  34. Rock: new sheet. Set the throne aside. For the rock, take a 9.5 × 6 cm grey piece, grey side up, lying long.
  35. Rock: lumpy corners. Fold the four corners behind, each a different size: 2.2 cm top left, 1.5 cm top right, 1 cm at the bottom.
  36. Rock: round the top. Fold the four new top corners behind too, about 6 mm each, so the rock is round and bumpy.
  37. Sit her down. Glue the throne behind the rock, its point hidden. Sit the mermaid on the rock in front of the throne, her tail lying along the rock.
  38. Palace: new sheet. Set the rock aside. For the shell palace, take a 4.5 × 9 cm lavender piece, lavender side up, standing tall.
  39. Palace: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  40. Palace: in half again. Fold the right edges back over onto the fold, to a stack 1.1 cm wide. The top two layers are a flap: they'll be the short towers.
  41. Palace: the tall roof. Cut through all layers from the top at the middle fold down to the other side 1.9 cm down, then snip 1.2 cm on down that fold.
  42. Palace: short towers. Lift the front flap and cut just its two layers to a point 2.2 cm below the top, sloping 9 mm down each side.
  43. Palace: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  44. Palace: open flat. Unfold the first fold too: a tall pointed tower with a short one each side.
  45. Orange fish: new sheet. Set the palace aside. For the orange fish, take a 6 cm orange square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  46. Orange fish: triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  47. Orange fish: corners up. Fold the left and right corners up to the top point. Now it's a square.
  48. Orange fish: round the body. Fold the left and right corners behind, 7 mm in, and the bottom corner behind 4 mm. That's the back, belly and nose.
  49. Orange fish: flick the tail. Fold the top tip of each flap out to the side, so the two tips fan apart into a tail.
  50. Purple fish: new sheet. Set the orange fish aside. For the purple fish, take a 6 cm purple square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  51. Purple fish: triangle. Fold the left corner over onto the right corner. The right point is the nose.
  52. Purple fish: sweep the fins back. Fold the top corner down and back so its tip pokes out 1.5 cm past the fold, just above the middle. Same with the bottom corner: a forked tail.
  53. Purple fish: blunt the nose. Fold the nose tip behind, 6 mm.
  54. Sand: new sheet. Set the purple fish aside. For the sand, take a 21 × 3 cm tan strip, tan side up, lying long.
  55. Sand: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  56. Sand: in half again. Fold the right end back over onto the fold, to a stack about 5 cm wide.
  57. Sand: round the dunes. Round off both top corners of the stack with two long, gentle snips each, starting 4 mm down the sides.
  58. Sand: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  59. Sand: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. Four soft sand dunes roll along the top.
  60. Sea: new sheet. Set the sand aside. Last, the sea: half an A4 sheet of blue paper (21 × 14.8 cm), blue side up, lying long.
  61. Sea: crease the stand. Fold each short end in 4 cm and open it again. These two creases let the sea stand up like a screen.
  62. Sea: round the top. Fold the two top corners behind, 1.5 cm each way.
  63. Glue the lagoon. Glue the rock and mermaid in the middle, the palace on the left, the orange fish top left, the purple fish top right, and the sand along the bottom.
  64. Stand it up. Bend both end panels gently towards you on their creases, and stand the whole lagoon up on the table.

Welcome to the lagoon!

Draw her face and tiara, scales on her tail, ribs on the shells, windows on the palace. Dot white bubbles and pearls everywhere with a gel pen.

What to fold next