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How to fold an origami tortoise

Fold a sheet in half, pleat a rim along its bottom and cut it into a tall dome. Reverse-fold a wrinkly head out of a grey strip and cut stumpy legs, then tuck them under the shell.

You need: Brown paper: a 10.5 x 15 cm rectangle. Grey paper: a 13.9 x 4.8 cm strip and a 7.2 x 3 cm strip. Scissors, a ruler and glue. Hard, 14 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Shell: fold in half. Start with the shell: the brown rectangle, white side up, short sides at the top and bottom. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge.
  2. Shell: pleat up. Fold the bottom fold up 1.6 cm, all layers together.
  3. Shell: pleat down. Fold the top 7 mm of that band back down. The pleat makes a raised rim along the bottom of the shell.
  4. Shell: cut the dome. Cut the top into a tall round dome through all the layers: snip off both top corners, then snip off the corners that leaves, a little at a time.
  5. Head: new sheet. Set the shell aside. Lay the long grey strip white side up, long sides at the top and bottom.
  6. Head: fold in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The fold is the top of the neck.
  7. Head: fold back. Outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the strip on an upright crease 3.2 cm from the right edge. Each layer wraps round the outside.
  8. Head: shape it. Cut up the head fold, leaving its top 1.9 cm. Taper the flap to 1.4 cm at its tip, round its top corner, and cut the left end of the strip to a stub.
  9. Head out. Outside-reverse-fold the head out on a crease from its bottom corner, so the neck stretches forward and up.
  10. Legs: new sheet. Set the head aside. Lay the legs strip coloured side up, long sides at the top and bottom.
  11. Legs: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  12. Legs: cut them. Through both layers, cut a slant off the bottom corner at the fold, from 2.2 cm up. Cut a slant down the open edges to their bottom corner.
  13. Legs: open them. Unfold it: a hind leg and a front leg, joined at the top and splayed out.
  14. Tuck it under the shell. Glue the legs and the head strip behind the shell, the feet poking out under the rim and the head peeping out at the front.

Slow and steady!

Draw hexagon plates on the shell and notches round the rim. Give the head a sleepy eye, a beaky smile and wrinkles, and draw toenails.

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