Learn how to make a lovely origami dolphin, with its sleek lines and charming and lifelike appearance, especially its cute snout and elegant tail fluke, this origami dolphin is sure to bring joy to anyone who sees it.
I’ve heard that a pink dolphin symbolizes luck, so why not make one out of pink paper? It would be beautiful and bring good fortune.
If you are new to origami, start here from our beginner guide to know the basics and how to read the step-by-step instructions.
- Folding time: 15 minutes
- Paper: 15×15 cm
- Difficulty: Middle
Material
Prepare a piece of 15×15 cm origami square paper or any other square paper, with different colors on each side, to create a 5.6×11.3 cm origami dolphin.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Place the paper with the desired display color side down to begin folding, fold it in half horizontally, leaving a crease then unfold it.
Step 2
Fold the top and bottom right edges to align with the horizontal crease, crease them well, and unfold them.
Step 3
Fold the left point toward the right along the dotted line that connects the two red spots.
Step 4
Rotate it 180 degrees from the back to the front to flip it over.
Step 5
Fold up the bottom part along the dotted line, ensuring these two red spots align.
Step 6
Fold the right edge of the top layer down to align with its bottom edge, leaving a crease then unfold it.
Step 7
Fold the top point of the top layer down along the dotted line that connects the two red spots, crease only the left half, and unfold it.
Step 8
Press down the top left and right edges of the top layers along the existing creases, sharpen the top point to form a flap, then press down this flap to the right side.
Step 9
Fold the top part down along the black dotted line, ensuring the two red spots align.
Step 10
Fold up the bottom right edge of the top layer to align with its top edge, and unfold it.
Step 11
Fold up the bottom point of the top layer along the dotted line that connects the two red spots, crease only the left half, and unfold it.
Step 12
As you did in step 8, lift the bottom left and right edges of the top layer along the creases you have made, then sharpen the bottom point to form a flap, and finally press down this flap toward the right side.
Step 13
Rotate it 180 degrees from the back to the front, to turn the paper over.
Step 14
Fold the top and bottom left corners diagonally along the dotted lines.
Step 15
Fold the paper in half horizontally from the top to the bottom.
Step 16
Fold up the bottom corner indicated by the red spot along the dotted line to align with another red spot on the top edge, then flatten the fold.
Step 17
Fold these two edges backward along the red dotted lines, then press down the flap, creating a fin.
Step 18
Rotate it 180 degrees from the left to the right, then repeat steps 16-17.
Fold up the bottom corner indicated by the red spot to meet the top red spot, then flatten the fold [picture 2 and 3].
Next, fold the bottom and right edges backward along the red dotted lines, and finally press down the flap to create another fin [picture 4 to 6].
Step 19
Rotate it 90 degrees to the front, and open it from the bottom, then shape the paper along the two white dotted lines to get two creases.
Step 20
Rotate it 180 degrees from the front to the back to flip it over, then fold the left point toward the right side along the dotted line.
Step 21
Shape the middle horizontal crease, then bring the top and bottom edges together along the existing creases, do not flatten the left side.
Step 22
Focus on the left part, shape the creases indicated by the red dotted lines, and press down the middle horizontal crease. Next, rotate the paper 180 degrees to flip it over, and finally press down the top point of the tail fluke.
Step 23
Shape the two creases indicated by the red dotted lines on both the back and front sides, then pinch the right point of the paper, and slightly press it down a little, to form a snout.
Step 24
Rotate it 180 degrees from the front to the back, then fold the top and bottom edges of the body part toward the center.
Step 25
Rotate it 180 degrees from the right to the left, this is the final shape of an origami dolphin. You can glue the areas in the picture that are held with clips to get a better result.
What’s Next
That’s your lovely origami dolphin, if you are an animal lover, now you can explore our other origami animal instructions. Happy folding!
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