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How to fold an origami pheasant

A long diamond folded in half. Pleats sweep the long tail up and stand the neck, and an outside reverse fold turns the small head forward.

You need: 1 square sheet, 15 × 15 cm, copper on one side; a black pen and a white pen. Hard, 11 steps, about 25 minutes.

Steps

  1. Turn it. White side up. Turn the square so a corner points up, like a diamond.
  2. Crease the diagonal. Fold the left corner over to the right corner, crease, and unfold.
  3. Make a kite. Fold the two lower edges in to lie along the centre crease.
  4. Narrow the top. Fold the two upper edges in to the centre crease too, making a long diamond.
  5. Fold in half. Mountain-fold it in half along the centre crease, so the flaps stay on the outside.
  6. Lay it down. Turn it so the fold runs along the bottom and the point that was at the bottom is on the right.
  7. Tail: fold in. Fold the long left point over to the right on a crease from the bottom, 7.5 mm behind the peak, leaning a little to the left.
  8. Tail: fold out. Fold it back to the left from the same point, on a crease leaning a little to the right. The long tail sweeps up.
  9. Neck: fold in. Fold the right point over to the left on a crease from the bottom, 3.75 cm in front of the peak, leaning a little to the right.
  10. Neck: fold out. Fold it back to the right from the same point, on a crease leaning to the left. The neck stands up.
  11. Head. 1.4 cm below the tip, outside-reverse-fold the tip forward and a little down: a small head with a short beak.

Strut, strut!

Colour the head black, draw a white ring round the neck, and give it a white-rimmed eye.

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