The skull has always been a very popular element as decoration for holidays. It appears in various forms, such as a necklace, a pendant, or a clothing accessory. This time, we will make an origami skull and experience the spooky but fashionable paper craft.
This origami skull design is both realistic and intricate. It contains many delicate steps. To achieve a perfect skull, it’s essential to take your time and follow the instructions carefully. In particular, the eye sockets, cheekbones, and teeth have been thoughtfully crafted to represent the symbolic characteristics of a real skull accurately. Its intricate structure makes it a standout piece in any origami collection.
This project is perfect for Halloween or themed party decorations, bringing a spooky vibe to any occasion.

When I first saw this origami skull, it reminded me of the movie Coco. You can probably make a skull out of patterned or colorful paper, just like the characters in the movie, and celebrate the Day of the Dead and remember your deceased loved ones.
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.

To celebrate the Day of the Dead, consider folding origami hearts with wings to express your love and longing for those who have passed away. These unique heart designs feature wings that symbolize the ability to carry your thoughts. They may fly to your deceased relatives, conveying your heartfelt emotions.
To celebrate Halloween, you can make some origami ghosts, it is quite easy to make and pairs well with a skull to add to the festive mood.
- Folding time: 30 minutes
- Paper: 15ร15 cm
- Difficulty: Advanced
Material
Prepare a piece of 15ร15 cm origami square paper to create a 7.5ร5.4 cm origami skull. Feel free to experiment with various colors to give your project a unique outlook.

Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Place the paper with the desired display color side up to begin folding, and fold it in half horizontally from bottom to top.

Step 2
Fold the paper in half vertically, leaving a crease, and unfold it.

Step 3
Fold the left and right points to meet the top point, leaving two creases, and unfold them.

Step 4
Fold the left and right sections of the bottom edge to align with the creases on each side you made in the previous step separately. Then, fold down the left and right triangles along the dotted lines, and finally, lift and squash them.

Step 5
Fold the two small squares on the left and right sides in half vertically, crease them well, and unfold them [pictures 1 and 2].
Fold up the bottom left point of the left square and the bottom right point of the right square to meet the red spots, which are located on the vertical creases you just made.

Step 6
Flip the paper over from front to back.

Step 7
Fold up the bottom point to meet the top point, leaving a crease, and unfold it. Then, fold up the bottom point again to meet the center intersection point formed by creases and unfold it. Next, fold up the bottom point of the top layer to meet the intersection point shown by the red spot.

Step 8
Fold the short edge on the left and right sides to align with the middle vertical crease, then turn over the paper from left to right.

Step 9
Fold the bottom left and right edges to align with the middle vertical crease, crease them well, and unfold them.

Step 10
Turn over the paper from left to right, then rotate it 90 degrees from back to front and open the bottom opening.

Step 11
View the paper from the right side, then press down the edge shown by the black dotted line to make a valley fold, and mountain fold the two creases shown by the red dotted lines on each side [pictures 1 to 3].
Flatten the fold and close the opening on this side, then rotate the paper 90 degrees from left to right to lay it flat [pictures 4 to 6].

Step 12
Rotate the paper 90 degrees from left to right and similarly, press down the edge shown by the black dotted line to make a valley fold, and mountain fold the two creases shown by the red dotted lines on each side [pictures 1 to 3].
Flatten the fold and close the opening on this side, then rotate the paper 90 degrees from right to left to lay it flat [pictures 4 to 6].

Step 13
Rotate the paper 90 degrees from left to right, open the opening on this side, and take out the paper layer sandwiched in the opening. Finally, flatten the fold and rotate the paper 90 degrees from right to left.

Step 14
Rotate the paper 90 degrees from right to left, and similarly, open the opening on this side, and take out the paper layer sandwiched in the opening. Finally, flatten the fold and rotate the paper 90 degrees from left to right.

Step 15
Fold up the bottom edge of the top layer along the black dotted line, then fold down the top trapezoidal of the layer you folded up, remember to fold up and reveal the triangle on the back side to get a pentagon on the top of this layer [pictures 1 and 2].
Then, fold up the bottom edge of the top layer, fold down the whole layer [pictures 3 and 4].
Finally, Fold up the bottom point of the top layer along the black dotted line [pictures 5 and 6].

Step 16
Fold down the top point of the small pentagon along the edge shown by the black dotted line, then fold the left and right sides of the resulting layer toward the center to sharpen the bottom point.
Fold up the bottom tip a little, and then fold up this layer along the dotted line.

Step 17
Rotate the paper 90 degrees from right to left, then open the opening to take out the layer sandwiched in this opening [pictures 1 and 2].
Expand this layer, and we can see a vertical crease on it, mountain fold the bottom section of this crease, shown by the red dotted line. Then fold the bottom left edge of this layer along the black dotted line, making the two red spots meet [pictures 3 and 4].
Finally, flatten the fold, close this opening, and rotate the paper 90 degrees from left to right.

Step 18
Rotate the paper 90 degrees from left to right, and similarly, open the opening to take out the layer sandwiched in this opening [pictures 1 and 2].
Expand this layer, and we can see a vertical crease on it, mountain fold the bottom section of this crease, shown by the red dotted line. Then fold the bottom right edge of this layer along the black dotted line, making the two red spots meet [pictures 3 and 4].
Finally, flatten the fold, close this opening, and rotate the paper 90 degrees from right to left.

Step 19
Fold up the bottom point along the crease shown by the dotted line, then fold this point back to the bottom side to meet the bottom edge, and then fold it back to the top [pictures 1 to 3].
Fold up the bottom edge to align with the crease indicated by the grey line, leaving a crease, and unfold it [pictures 4 to 6].

Step 20
Focus on the upper layer at the bottom and fold down the top point, aligning the creases indicated by the red and grey lines.
Slightly lift this layer, fold its top edge backward along the crease shown by the red dotted line [pictures 2 and 3].
Finally, fold up the small triangle.

Step 21
Fold down the top point of this triangle a little, leaving a crease, and unfold it. Then, fold this tip again backward along the crease you just made.

Step 22
As you can see in the first picture, we used a blue spot to mark the corner. Turn over the paper from left to right, and slightly bring up the left slanted edge to reveal the part under it [pictures 1 and 2].
Fold the left edge along the black dotted line extending from the blue spot to reveal the corner indicated by this spot [picture 3].
Bring down the edge you lifted and turn over the paper from left to right [pictures 4 to 6].

Step 23
Here, we still used a blue spot to mark the corner on the left side. Turn over the paper from left to right, and slightly bring up the right slanted edge to reveal the part under it [pictures 1 and 2].
Fold the right edge along the black dotted line extending from the blue spot to reveal the corner indicated by this spot [picture 3].
Bring down the edge you lifted and turn over the paper from left to right [pictures 4 to 6].

Step 24
Fold the left and right edges along the dotted lines, then flip the paper over from left to right.

Step 25
Fold the left and right edges along the black dotted lines.

Step 26
Fold down the top left and right points along the black dotted lines, leaving two creases, and unfold them. Fold down the two points again and tuck them into the pockets underneath them.

Step 27
Fold down the top point and then turn over the paper.

Step 28
Fold these points backward along the dotted lines.

Step 29
Make some mountain and valley folds to represent the teeth of the skull.

Step 30
Slightly fold the skull in half vertically backward a little.

What’s Next
Now you have completed making this cool origami skull. Next, check out our other origami ideas for holiday. Happy folding!
Other Origami Ideas
