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How to fold an origami polar scene

A real project. Fold a polar bear with folded legs, a hump and a lowered head, penguins, a seal, a faceted iceberg, an ice floe, a whale tail and wavy northern lights. Stand it up.

You need: 13 pieces: navy A4, dark blue, green, violet, pale blues, black, cream, grey and slate (sizes in steps). Glue, pens.. Challenge, 85 steps, about 100 minutes.

Steps

  1. Whale tail: triangle. Start with the whale's tail: a 5.1 cm slate square, white side up, as a diamond. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  2. Whale tail: flukes up. Fold the left and right corners up from the middle of the bottom edge, not quite to the top: each tip leans out 30° from upright.
  3. Whale tail: the notch. Fold the point between the flukes behind, 1.4 cm down from its tip, so the tail dips in the middle.
  4. Northern lights: new sheet. Set the whale tail aside. For the northern lights, take a 2.8 × 29.4 cm green strip, white side up, lying long.
  5. Lights: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle, for a long ribbon coloured on both sides.
  6. Lights: pleat 1, fold over. Fold the right part back over the ribbon on an upright crease 4.6 cm from the left end.
  7. Lights: pleat 1, fold back. Fold it back out 3 mm nearer the left, on a crease tilted a little, so the ribbon swings up.
  8. Lights: pleat 2, fold over. Fold the right part back over the ribbon on an upright crease 4.6 cm past the last pleat.
  9. Lights: pleat 2, fold back. Fold it back out 3 mm nearer the left, on a crease tilted a little, so the ribbon swings down.
  10. Lights: pleat 3, fold over. Fold the right part back over the ribbon on an upright crease 4.6 cm past the last pleat.
  11. Lights: pleat 3, fold back. Fold it back out 3 mm nearer the left, on a crease tilted a little, so the ribbon swings up.
  12. Lights: pleat 4, fold over. Fold the right part back over the ribbon on an upright crease 4.6 cm past the last pleat.
  13. Lights: pleat 4, fold back. Fold it back out 3 mm nearer the left, on a crease tilted a little, so the ribbon swings down.
  14. Lights: pleat 5, fold over. Fold the right part back over the ribbon on an upright crease 4.6 cm past the last pleat.
  15. Lights: pleat 5, fold back. Fold it back out 3 mm nearer the left, on a crease tilted a little, so the ribbon swings up.
  16. Lights: point the tip. Fold the two corners at the right end behind, to a point.
  17. Second light: new sheet. Set the northern lights aside. For a second band of light, take a 2.2 × 19 cm violet strip, white side up, lying long.
  18. Lights: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle, for a long ribbon coloured on both sides.
  19. Lights: pleat 1, fold over. Fold the right part back over the ribbon on an upright crease 4.2 cm from the left end.
  20. Lights: pleat 1, fold back. Fold it back out 3 mm nearer the left, on a crease tilted a little, so the ribbon swings down.
  21. Lights: pleat 2, fold over. Fold the right part back over the ribbon on an upright crease 4.2 cm past the last pleat.
  22. Lights: pleat 2, fold back. Fold it back out 3 mm nearer the left, on a crease tilted a little, so the ribbon swings up.
  23. Lights: pleat 3, fold over. Fold the right part back over the ribbon on an upright crease 4.2 cm past the last pleat.
  24. Lights: pleat 3, fold back. Fold it back out 3 mm nearer the left, on a crease tilted a little, so the ribbon swings down.
  25. Lights: pleat 4, fold over. Fold the right part back over the ribbon on an upright crease 4.2 cm past the last pleat.
  26. Lights: pleat 4, fold back. Fold it back out 3 mm nearer the left, on a crease tilted a little, so the ribbon swings up.
  27. Lights: point the tip. Fold the two corners at the right end behind, to a point.
  28. Iceberg: new sheet. Set the second light aside. For the iceberg, take a 6.2 cm pale blue square, white side up, as a diamond.
  29. Iceberg: crooked peak. Fold the top corner down on a crooked crease, 4 mm down the left edge and 7 mm down the right. A blue facet and a jagged peak.
  30. Iceberg: crooked sides. Fold the left and right corners in the same way, each on its own slant, so the sides are jagged with blue facets.
  31. Sea: new sheet. Set the iceberg aside. For the sea, take a 29.7 × 6.7 cm dark blue sheet, blue side up, lying long.
  32. Sea: the horizon. Fold the top edge behind 6 mm for a straight horizon.
  33. Ice floe: new sheet. Set the sea aside. For the seal's ice floe, take a 7.8 × 3.2 cm pale blue strip, coloured side up, lying long.
  34. Ice floe: slanted ends. Fold the bottom corners behind, 1.2 cm along the bottom and 1.8 cm up each end, so the ends slope in.
  35. Ice floe: front edge, up. Fold the bottom edge up on a crease 1.1 cm above it.
  36. Ice floe: front edge, down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. The ledge is the icy top edge of the floe.
  37. Seal: new sheet. Set the ice floe aside. For the seal, take a 6 cm grey square, white side up, as a diamond.
  38. Seal: crease the diagonal. Fold the left corner to the right corner, crease, and unfold.
  39. Seal: make a kite. Fold the two lower edges in to lie along the centre crease.
  40. Seal: long diamond. Fold the two upper edges in to the centre crease too, making a long diamond with a point at each end.
  41. Seal: blunt the nose. Fold the top point down about 1.2 cm. This end will be the seal's nose.
  42. Seal: fold in half. Fold the left half behind the right half.
  43. Seal: lay it down. Turn it so the long fold is at the bottom and the blunt nose points left.
  44. Seal: head back. Fold the whole front end over onto the body, toward you, on a crease from the bottom edge 4 mm in front of the hump, leaning a little forward.
  45. Seal: head up. Fold it forward again on a crease from the same spot that stands almost straight up, so the head sticks up and out at a slant.
  46. Seal: snip the tail. Cut along the bottom fold from the tail point, about 2.8 cm in, so the tail splits into a front and a back layer.
  47. Seal: fan the flippers. Fold the front layer of the tail up at a slant from the end of the cut. Fold the back layer up behind, just a little, so the flippers fan apart.
  48. Ice floe: new sheet. Set the seal aside. For the penguins' ice floe, take a 6.6 × 3.2 cm pale blue strip, coloured side up, lying long.
  49. Ice floe: slanted ends. Fold the bottom corners behind, 1.2 cm along the bottom and 1.8 cm up each end, so the ends slope in.
  50. Ice floe: front edge, up. Fold the bottom edge up on a crease 1.1 cm above it.
  51. Ice floe: front edge, down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. The ledge is the icy top edge of the floe.
  52. Penguin: new sheet. Set the ice floe aside. For a penguin, take a 4.5 cm black square, white side up, as a diamond.
  53. Penguin: crease the diagonal. Fold the left corner to the right corner, crease, and unfold.
  54. Penguin: fold the coat. Fold the two upper edges in towards the crease, leaving a white gap that widens at the bottom.
  55. Penguin: head down. Fold the top point down to make the head.
  56. Penguin: beak. Fold the tip of the head back up a little for the beak.
  57. Penguin: feet. Fold the bottom corner up to make the feet.
  58. Penguin: slim the body. Fold the left and right sides behind.
  59. Penguin: new sheet. Set the penguin aside. For a second penguin, take a 4.5 cm black square, white side up, as a diamond.
  60. Penguin: crease the diagonal. Fold the left corner to the right corner, crease, and unfold.
  61. Penguin: fold the coat. Fold the two upper edges in towards the crease, leaving a white gap that widens at the bottom.
  62. Penguin: head down. Fold the top point down to make the head.
  63. Penguin: beak. Fold the tip of the head back up a little for the beak.
  64. Penguin: feet. Fold the bottom corner up to make the feet.
  65. Penguin: slim the body. Fold the left and right sides behind.
  66. Ice floe: new sheet. Set the penguin aside. For the polar bear's ice floe, take a 12.2 × 4 cm pale blue strip, coloured side up, lying long.
  67. Ice floe: slanted ends. Fold the bottom corners behind, 1.5 cm along the bottom and 2.2 cm up each end, so the ends slope in.
  68. Ice floe: front edge, up. Fold the bottom edge up on a crease 1.3 cm above it.
  69. Ice floe: front edge, down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. The ledge is the icy top edge of the floe.
  70. Polar bear: new sheet. Set the ice floe aside. For the polar bear, the hard part: a 9.9 cm cream square, white side up, as a diamond.
  71. Bear: fold in half. White side up, fold the top corner down to the bottom corner. The long fold at the top is the bear's back.
  72. Bear: crease the front legs. Fold the right point over on an upright crease 1.5 cm right of the middle and crease it hard. This marks the back of the front legs.
  73. Bear: open it. Unfold it again.
  74. Bear: crease the hind legs. Fold the left point over on an upright crease 1.5 cm left of the middle and crease it hard. This marks the front of the hind legs.
  75. Bear: open it. Unfold it again.
  76. Bear: crease the neck. Fold the right point over on an upright crease where the right edge is 4.4 cm below the back. This marks the front of the front legs.
  77. Bear: open it. Unfold it again.
  78. Bear: cut legs and neck. Cut the bottom point off level, 4.4 cm below the back. Cut up the leg creases to 2.8 cm below the back and across between them. Cut the neck 2.1 cm deep.
  79. Bear: hump and rump. Cut the back in a gentle slope from above the front legs down to the rump, and round the rump with three short cuts. Slant the legs in a little.
  80. Bear: head up. Outside-reverse-fold the head up and back over the neck, on a crease from the back 3 cm from the nose. Each layer wraps round the outside.
  81. Bear: head down. Outside-reverse-fold the head forward again on a crease from the same point, so it hangs low in front of the shoulders. Glue the head layers.
  82. Bear: blunt the nose. Snip 3 mm off the tip of the nose so it ends square, like a bear's broad snout.
  83. Sky: new sheet. Set the polar bear aside. Last, the sky: a navy A4 sheet, coloured side up, lying long.
  84. Build the scene. Glue on the whale tail, lights and iceberg, then the sea over their bottoms. Add the three floes: seal on the left, penguins on the right, bear in front.
  85. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you just left of the bear, and stand the polar scene up on the table.

Under the northern lights!

Draw the bear's eye and nose, the penguins' faces, the seal's eye and whiskers, a few white stars and splashes round the whale's tail.

What to fold next