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How to fold an origami plesiosaur

Fold a long sheet in half, reverse-fold a long neck out and a short tail, and crimp the small head. Cut two swept-back paddle flippers from the bottom band and round the belly.

You need: A 32 x 15 cm strip, slate blue on one side; scissors and a ruler. Hard, 15 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 at the top is the back.
  2. Crease the belly. Fold the bottom edge up on a level crease 4 cm below the top fold.
  3. Open it. Unfold it again. The body goes above this crease, the flippers below it.
  4. Crease the middle. Fold the right end over on an upright crease 13.3 cm from the left edge.
  5. Open it. Unfold it again. One flipper will be cut on each side of this crease.
  6. Tail end back. Outside-reverse-fold the left end back over the body on an upright crease 6 cm from the left edge.
  7. Cut the tail. Cut up the left end fold, leaving 2 cm at the top. Trim the flap to a point: a slant from there to its far end on the top fold.
  8. Tail out. Outside-reverse-fold the tail strip out on a crease from its top corner, so the short tail points back and a little down.
  9. Neck end back. Outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the body on an upright crease 10 cm from the right edge.
  10. Cut the neck. Cut up the right end fold, leaving 2.2 cm at the top. Trim the flap in a long slant to 1.5 cm deep at its tip, and round the tip's corners.
  11. Cut the flippers. Cut along the belly crease, leaving two 2.4 cm stretches, and up the middle crease. Trim each flap below them to a paddle sweeping 4 cm back.
  12. Round the body. Snip the two bottom corners of the body off in slants: 1.5 cm along the belly at the tail end, 1.2 cm at the chest.
  13. Neck out. Outside-reverse-fold the neck strip out on a crease from its bottom corner, so the long neck reaches forward and up.
  14. Head back. Outside-reverse-fold the top 2.8 cm of the neck back down along it, on a crease from its back edge.
  15. Head forward. Reverse-fold it out again from the same point, so the small head looks ahead, nearly level.

Splash!

Draw a small eye and a smile on the head. Glide it through the air like it is swimming, flippers sweeping back.

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