How to fold an origami porcupine
Fold a big square into a narrow fan and cut deep spikes into its end, then open it into a half circle of quills. Tuck the corners of a dark square for the body.
You need: Dark brown paper: a 9 cm square. Light tan paper: a 15 cm square. Scissors and glue. Medium, 11 steps, about 15 minutes.
Steps
- Body: tuck the corners. Start with the body: the dark square, dark side up. Fold all four corners behind, 1.5 cm each.
- Body: round it off. Fold the eight little corners behind too, so the body is round.
- Quills: new sheet. Set the body aside. Take the big tan square, tan side up.
- Quills: fold in half. Fold the right edge over onto the left edge.
- Quills: edge to the bottom. Fold the folded edge, now on the right, down onto the bottom edge, creasing from the bottom-right corner.
- Quills: and again. Fold the new slanted edge down onto the bottom edge again, from the same corner. Crease all the layers hard.
- Quills: cut deep spikes. Cut the end into a long point through all the layers: from 4 cm along each side out to a point 7.5 cm from the corner where the folds meet.
- Quills: open it out. Unfold the last fold.
- Quills: open again. Unfold the next fold.
- Quills: open flat. Open it out flat: a half circle with eight long spikes round the edge.
- Glue on the body. Glue the body on the middle of the straight edge, so the quills fan out all round its top.
Prickly hugs!
Draw two shiny eyes, a big black nose and a little smile. Colour the tips of the quills dark.