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How to fold an origami reindeer

Fold a triangle, crease and cut four legs, reverse-fold the neck back and up. Cut the antlers free along the neck, fork them, crimp the head forward and drop a short white tail.

You need: 1 square sheet, 15 × 15 cm, brown on one side, small scissors and a ruler. Hard, 20 steps, about 22 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. White side up, fold the top corner down to the bottom corner. The long fold at the top is the reindeer's back.
  2. Crease the antler strip. Fold the top edge down 9 mm through both layers and crease it hard. The end of this strip will become the antlers.
  3. Open it. Unfold the strip again.
  4. Crease it in half. Fold the top edge down to the crease you just made and crease it hard. The antler tips get notched along this line.
  5. Open it. Unfold the narrow strip.
  6. Crease the middle. Fold the triangle in half, right point onto the left point, and crease it hard. This crease marks the back of the front legs.
  7. Open it. Unfold it back into the triangle.
  8. Crease the hind legs. Fold the left point over on an upright crease 3 cm left of the middle crease. This crease marks the front of the hind legs.
  9. Open it. Unfold it again.
  10. Neck back. Outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the body, on an upright crease 1.5 cm right of the middle crease. Each layer wraps round the outside.
  11. Cut the legs. Cut the bottom point off level, 6 cm below the top fold. Cut up both leg creases to 2.75 cm below the top, and straight across between them.
  12. Cut the neck. Cut up the neck fold to 2.5 cm below the top. From there cut the neck flaps so they narrow to 2.2 cm deep at their tip.
  13. Lift the neck. Outside-reverse-fold the neck up on a crease from its bottom corner, so it stands almost straight up over the front legs.
  14. Cut the antlers free. Cut 4.5 cm down the antler crease from the top, and as far down the back fold. Cut the head square 3 cm above that. Snip 2.5 cm along the top from the left point.
  15. Head down. Fold the head part of each neck layer forward and down, on a crease from the bottom of the antler cut slanting down to the front edge.
  16. Head out. Fold the head back up on a crease from the same corner, so it points forward and a little down. Glue the two head layers together.
  17. Antlers apart. Fold the back antler away from you, back on a crease from the bottom of the antler cut, so the two antlers spread in a V. Leave the front one standing.
  18. Notch the antlers. Snip 1.6 cm down the middle crease of each antler from its tip. Then cut a thin V there, so each antler ends in two points.
  19. Tail down. Fold each layer of the left point down and back on a crease from the end of the snip, so a short white tail hangs from the rump.
  20. Shape the rump. Cut up the tail crease from below, leaving its top 8 mm. Cut the rump straight from there to the back of the hind hooves.

Ready to fly!

Colour the nose dark, draw an eye on each side and ink the hooves. Stand it on its four legs.

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