Have you ever watched a stingray swim in the water? Its movement is so graceful. Let’s capture that feeling with a piece of paper.
This design, adapted from Nick Robinson’s book Origami Fish and Other Sea Creatures (2018), features a flat, sleek body, expansive fins, and those signature forward, curving mouth flaps. We’ll shape a naturally curling tail to give it a sense of peacefulness.
Almost all steps are easy, except for the two mouth flaps that may require more patience. Don’t worry, we have so detailed instructions to guide you. Let’s begin the fold.
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: 30 minutes
- Paper: 15×15 cm
- Total steps: 23
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Designer: Nick Robinson
Material
With a 15 × 15 cm square sheet of origami paper, you can make a stingray about 13.5 × 10.5 cm.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Place the paper in a diamond shape with the desired display side face down. Fold and unfold it vertically.
Step 2
Fold and unfold the paper in half horizontally, then turn it over from left to right.
Step 3
Fold the left and right corners to meet the center intersection point of the creases. Crease, and unfold. Flip the paper over from left to right.
Step 4
Fold the mountain crease on each side to align with the center vertical crease.
Step 5
Fold the bottom corner upward to meet the top corner of the left and right triangles. Leave a crease, and unfold.
Step 6
Fold the bottom corner to meet the center intersection point of the creases. Crease, and unfold.
Step 7
Turn the model over from left to right. Fold the left edge’s bottom section to align with the middle horizontal crease. Crease it well, and unfold it.
Repeat this for the right edge’s bottom section.
Step 8
Turn the model over from front to back, then completely unfold the paper.
Step 9
Mountain fold along the creases indicated by the red dash-dot-dot lines. This will form a triangular plane created by the creases. Take the top mountain crease and fold the triangle plane down along its base valley crease. (pictures 1-2)
Press the left and right sides of the model toward the center to flatten it. This action will cause a standing flap in the middle. (picture 3)
Open and squash this flap. (pictures 4-5)
Step 10
Fold the upper square’s top corner to meet its bottom corner, leave a crease, and unfold. Then, mountain-fold it backward along the same crease to sink it inside the layers.
Step 11
Fold the upper part in half vertically from left to right, then fold the left edge of the model to meet the vertical crease. Then, fold the top left corner along the black dashed line connecting the two corners (red dots). (pictures 1-3)
Next, work on the left layer: fold its left edge’s bottom section to meet its right edge, crease well, and unfold. (pictures 4-5)
Step 12
Fold all layers on the right side to the left.
Step 13
Fold the right edge to meet the vertical crease, then fold the top right corner along the black dashed line connecting two corners (red dots). (pictures 1-2)
Next, work on the right layer, fold its right edge’s bottom section to meet its left edge, crease well, and unfold. (pictures 3-4)
Unfold the top two layers back to the right side. (picture 5)
Step 14
Work on the two top layers on the upper side.
Fold and unfold the four edges to align with the center vertical line.
Step 15
Lift the top triangle layer and keep the pocket open. Then push the right corner inward to the center along the crease made in the previous step, and into the opening toward the center. (pictures 1-2)
Next, fold the right edge of the new top layer backward (mountain fold) along the existing crease. (picture 3)
Step 16
Same as the previous step for the left side. After finishing, you will have a standing flap in the center.
Step 17
Focus on the upper section.
Fold the right part’s left edge all the way down flat along the black dashed line (the base edge of the standing flap), then release. The paper will spring back to form a 90-degree upright plane. (picture 1)
Now, bring the right edge up by making a mountain fold along the red dash-dot-dot line and valley folds along the black dashed lines. This will attach a new layer flush against the upright plane you just created. (picture 2)
Adjust all layers neatly, then gently bend the entire assembly inward to complete the mouth flap. (picture 3)
Tip: For the first picture, ignore forcing a 90-degree fold because the paper is thick. Fold it completely down. The paper will spring back to about 90 degrees on its own.
Step 18
Repeat the previous step for the left side to create the other mouth flap.
Step 19
Fold the bottom corner upward along the black dashed line connecting the two red dots, then fold it back to the downside (pleat fold).
Step 20
Work on the bottom section.
Fold the right edge to align with the center vertical line, then squash-fold the arched corner that forms at the top right.
Repeat symmetrically on the left side.
Step 21
Make two mountain creases along the red dash-dot-dot lines, then lift the tail’s left and right sides along the center line to close it.
Step 22
Turn the model over from left to right, then press the sides to raise the center into a mountain fold.
A gentle reminder: The tail connection is delicate due to many layers. To prevent tearing, always hold the tail along its length, not right at the base.
Step 23
Make the tail naturally curl.
What’s Next
Your stingray is now ready to glide across your imagination. I hope you enjoyed the process of creating this gentle creature. Now you can explore more of my origami sea fish designs. Happy folding.
Other Origami Sea Fish Ideas
