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origamidiagrams

Bird base

The bird base is a traditional starting shape made by petal folding both sides of a preliminary base, giving a long diamond with two narrow flaps at the top and two split flaps at the bottom.

Begin with a preliminary base, open end toward you. Fold the lower edges of the top layer to the center, fold the top triangle down, and unfold all three to leave guide creases. Petal fold the front, turn over, and repeat on the back. The four long points can then be shaped into necks, tails, legs or wings.

Uneven petal folds are the main problem: if one side is taller than the other, the finished model will lean. Check that each diamond is symmetrical before moving on. The bird base is the foundation of the Paper Crane and many other traditional birds.

Practice it on these models

Advanced15 min · 19 steps

Paper Crane

The origami crane is the traditional Japanese orizuru, a bird with spread wings folded from a single square without cuts or glue. It is an advanced model: expect about 15 minutes for your first one, mostly spent learning the petal fold and inside reverse fold.