All models

How to fold an origami savanna

A real project. Fold a giraffe with a reverse-folded neck, an elephant with a crimped trunk and a striped zebra, pleat a flat acacia crown, add the sun and grass, and stand it up.

You need: 12 pieces: orange A4, yellow, brown, dark brown, dark green, grey, olive, a 17 cm yellow, 13 cm grey and 10.5 cm white square. Scissors, glue.. Challenge, 73 steps, about 100 minutes.

Steps

  1. Sun: corners behind. Start with the sun: a 12 cm yellow square, yellow side up. Fold each corner behind, 3.5 cm along each edge, for an octagon.
  2. Sun: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 1 cm each, for a big round sun.
  3. Ground: new sheet. Set the sun aside. For the ground, take a 29.7 × 9 cm brown strip, brown side up, lying long.
  4. Ground: straight horizon. Fold the top edge behind 5 mm, for a crisp horizon.
  5. Acacia trunk: new sheet. Set the ground aside. For the acacia trunk, take a 2.4 × 11.4 cm dark brown strip, brown side up, standing tall.
  6. Acacia trunk: taper it. Fold both long sides behind on a slant: 8 mm at the top, 2 mm at the bottom. The trunk is thin at the top.
  7. Acacia trunk: kink it. Fold the top part over to the left on a slant 3 cm from the top, then back up 5 mm lower. The trunk leans like a real acacia.
  8. Acacia trunk: kink it back. Fold the top part back up, 5 mm lower than the first fold, so a little step stays in the trunk.
  9. Acacia crown: new sheet. Set the trunk aside. For the flat crown, take a 10 × 6.4 cm dark green piece, green side up, lying long.
  10. Acacia crown: pleat 1, fold up. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 2.1 cm below the top edge.
  11. Acacia crown: pleat 1, fold back. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. A ledge of leaves runs across the crown.
  12. Acacia crown: pleat 2, fold up. Pleat again lower down: fold the bottom edge up, 1.4 cm below the first ledge.
  13. Acacia crown: pleat 2, fold back. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. A ledge of leaves runs across the crown.
  14. Acacia crown: flat top. Fold the bottom corners behind on long slants, 3 cm along the bottom and 1.6 cm up the sides. Round the top corners behind 6 mm.
  15. Giraffe: new sheet. Set the crown aside. For the giraffe, take a 17 cm yellow square, turned like a diamond, white side up.
  16. Giraffe: fold in half. Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner. The long fold at the top is the giraffe's back.
  17. Giraffe: crease the front legs. Fold the right point over to the left on an upright crease just left of the middle, and crease it hard.
  18. Giraffe: open it. Unfold it back into the triangle.
  19. Giraffe: crease the hind legs. Fold the left point over to the right on an upright crease 1.8 cm left of the first crease.
  20. Giraffe: open it. Unfold it again.
  21. Giraffe: neck back. Outside-reverse-fold the right point back over the body on an upright crease 1.6 cm right of the first crease.
  22. Giraffe: slim it. Snip up the neck fold from the bottom to 2.7 cm below the back. Cut each neck layer from there to 1.1 cm deep at the tip.
  23. Giraffe: cut the legs. Cut the bottom off level, 8.2 cm below the back. Snip up both leg creases to 3.4 cm below the back, and cut straight across between them.
  24. Giraffe: lift it. Outside-reverse-fold the neck up on a crease from its bottom corner, so it stands tall and leans a little forward.
  25. Giraffe: crimp, part 1. Fold the top 3 cm of each neck layer down over the neck, on a crease slanting across from the back edge.
  26. Giraffe: crimp, part 2. Fold it back out on a crease from the same corner, so the head points forward. Glue the two head layers together.
  27. Giraffe: the tail. Fold the left point behind and down on a slanted crease 7 cm from its tip, so it hangs down as a tail.
  28. Giraffe: shape the rump. Snip up the tail crease from below, leaving its top third. Cut from there to the back of the hind hoof, and trim the tail thin.
  29. Zebra: new sheet. Set the giraffe aside. For the zebra, take a 10.5 cm white square, turned like a diamond. Fold it like the Zebra model.
  30. Zebra: fold in half. Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner. The long fold at the top is the zebra's back.
  31. Zebra: 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.
  32. Zebra: open it. Unfold it back into the triangle.
  33. Zebra: crease the hind legs. Fold the left point over on an upright crease 2.1 cm left of the middle crease. This crease marks the front of the hind legs.
  34. Zebra: open it. Unfold it again.
  35. Zebra: neck back. Outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the body, on an upright crease 1.1 cm right of the middle crease. Each layer wraps round the outside.
  36. Zebra: cut the legs. Cut the bottom point off level, 4.2 cm below the top fold. Cut up both leg creases to 1.8 cm below the top, and straight across between them.
  37. Zebra: cut the neck. Cut up the neck fold to 1.6 cm below the top. From there cut the neck flaps to 1.1 cm deep at their tip, and snip the tip off square 7 mm in.
  38. Zebra: lift the neck. Outside-reverse-fold the neck up on a crease from its bottom corner, so it stands up and leans forward over the front legs.
  39. Zebra: snip the folds. Cut along the neck's back fold to the nose, and 7 mm down the crease at its base. Cut 3.5 cm along the top fold from the left point.
  40. Zebra: mane out. Fold the back edge of each neck layer out, 7 mm wide at the base and tapering to nothing 1.8 cm from the nose. This is the short upright mane.
  41. Zebra: head back. Fold the top 1.8 cm of each neck layer back over the mane, on a crease from the top of the mane slanting down to the front edge.
  42. Zebra: head out. Fold the head back up on a crease from the same corner, so it points forward and down. Glue the two head layers together.
  43. Zebra: tail down. Fold each layer of the left point down and back on a crease from the end of the cut, so it hangs straight down as a tail.
  44. Zebra: shape the rump. Cut up the tail crease from below, leaving its top 1.1 cm. Cut the rump from there, curving in to the back of the hind hooves. Trim the tail thin.
  45. Elephant: new sheet. Set the zebra aside. For the elephant, take a 13 cm grey square, turned like a diamond, white side up.
  46. Elephant: fold in half. Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner. The long fold at the top is the elephant's back.
  47. Elephant: crease the front legs. Fold the right point over to the left on an upright crease just left of the middle, and crease it hard.
  48. Elephant: open it. Unfold it back into the triangle.
  49. Elephant: crease the hind legs. Fold the left point over to the right on an upright crease 2.8 cm left of the first crease.
  50. Elephant: open it. Unfold it again.
  51. Elephant: head back. Outside-reverse-fold the right point back over the body on an upright crease 1.9 cm right of the first crease.
  52. Elephant: slim it. Snip up the head fold from the bottom to 2.3 cm below the back. Cut each layer from there to 1 cm deep at the tip, for a trunk.
  53. Elephant: cut the legs. Cut the bottom off level, 5.4 cm below the back. Snip up both leg creases to 3 cm below the back, and cut across between them.
  54. Elephant: lift it. Outside-reverse-fold the head flap forward on a crease from its bottom corner, so it sticks out in front, a little raised.
  55. Elephant: crimp, part 1. Fold the front 4.7 cm of each layer back over the head, on a crease slanting down from the top edge.
  56. Elephant: crimp, part 2. Fold it down again on a crease from the same corner, so the trunk hangs down. Glue the trunk layers together.
  57. Elephant: the tail. Fold the left point behind and down on a slanted crease 4.3 cm from its tip, so it hangs down as a tail.
  58. Elephant: shape the rump. Snip up the tail crease from below, leaving its top third. Cut from there to the back of the hind foot, and trim the tail thin.
  59. Ear: new sheet. Set the elephant aside. For its big ear, take a 3.2 × 3.8 cm grey piece, grey side up.
  60. Ear: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 1.2 cm along each edge, for a big floppy round ear.
  61. Ear: fold the rim. Fold the right edge over onto the front by 5 mm. The pale strip is where the ear joins the head.
  62. Grass 1: new sheet. Set the ear aside. For a tuft of tall grass, take a 4.5 cm olive square, turned like a diamond, white side up.
  63. Grass 1: triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  64. Grass 1: blades. Fold the left and right corners up on a slant, so their tips stick up either side of the top point: three tall blades.
  65. Grass 2: new sheet. Set the grass aside. For a tuft of tall grass, take a 3.4 cm olive square, turned like a diamond, white side up.
  66. Grass 2: triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  67. Grass 2: blades. Fold the left and right corners up on a slant, so their tips stick up either side of the top point: three tall blades.
  68. Grass 3: new sheet. Set the grass aside. For a tuft of tall grass, take a 4.5 cm olive square, turned like a diamond, white side up.
  69. Grass 3: triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  70. Grass 3: blades. Fold the left and right corners up on a slant, so their tips stick up either side of the top point: three tall blades.
  71. Sky: new sheet. Set the elephant aside. Last, the sky: a sunset orange A4 sheet, coloured side up, lying long.
  72. Build the scene. Glue the sun low on the sky, the ground over it, then the acacia, the giraffe, the zebra and the elephant, and the grass in front.
  73. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you just left of the acacia, and stand the savanna up on the table.

Golden hour!

Draw the giraffe's patches, horns and eye, the elephant's eye and white tusk, the zebra's stripes and a few birds in the sky.

What to fold next