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How to fold an origami nudibranch

Fold a purple strip into a slug with a white rim. Reverse-fold the ends of a thin orange strip into two horns, and fan-pleat a second strip into a frilly gill tuft.

You need: A 20 × 5 cm strip of purple paper, a 1.4 × 8.5 cm and a 2.1 × 11 cm strip of orange paper, all white on the back, glue and a pen. Hard, 16 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Body: white rim. Purple side up, lying across. Fold the bottom edge up by 7.5 mm, so a white rim runs along the foot.
  2. Body: round the head. Fold the top left corner behind on a big slant and the bottom left corner on a small one, so the head is round.
  3. Body: slim tail. Fold the bottom right corner behind on a short slant.
  4. Body: slim tail, too. Fold the top right corner behind on a long slant from the middle of the top edge, so the tail ends in a point.
  5. The horns. Set the body aside. Take the thin orange strip, orange side up, lying across.
  6. Horns: fold thin. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge. It is white outside; the reverse folds will turn the orange out.
  7. Horns: left horn. Outside-reverse-fold the left end up on a slant 3 cm from the end: open the layers and wrap the end up around the outside, orange out.
  8. Horns: right horn. Outside-reverse-fold the right end up the same way, 3 cm from its end, leaning back. Two orange horns!
  9. The gills. Set the horns aside. Take the 2.1 × 11 cm orange strip, orange side up, rising steeply to the right.
  10. Gills: fan pleat 1. 2.4 cm along the top edge, fold the rest of the strip over, on a crease straight across it.
  11. Gills: fan pleat 1 back. Fold it back on a crease from the same point on the top edge, angled so the bottom edge tucks in. The strip turns, fanning out.
  12. Gills: fan pleat 2. 2.4 cm further along, fold the rest of the strip over, on a crease straight across it.
  13. Gills: fan pleat 2 back. Fold it back on a crease from the same point on the top edge, angled so the bottom edge tucks in. The strip turns, fanning out.
  14. Gills: fan pleat 3. 2.4 cm further along, fold the rest of the strip over, on a crease straight across it.
  15. Gills: fan pleat 3 back. Fold it back on a crease from the same point on the top edge, angled so the bottom edge tucks in. The strip turns, fanning out.
  16. Glue it together. Glue the horns behind the head so they stand up, and the gill fan behind the back near the tail.

Slow and splendid!

Dot a small eye near the front and a row of white spots along the back.

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