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Writing Portfolio: Arts & Crafts Articles
How to
Make an Origami Wolf
It's easy to learn how to make an
origami wolf using only one piece of paper— no special tools required. In fact,
a wolf sculpture is perhaps one of the easiest of all origami folding techniques
to master. Besides being a lot of fun, learning how to make an origami wolf is a
wonderful lesson in patience and persistence for both children and adults alike.
Origami Basics
The graceful beauty of an origami model
is simplicity at its finest. Origami, the ancient Japanese art of creating
various shapes and forms like animals, insects, fantasy creatures, and any
object you can imagine, using only one piece of paper, astounds us with its
seeming complexity. Yet, we can all learn how to create beautiful artistic
creations using only a few basic folding techniques. It's all about geometry and
sequence and focus on the process. It's exciting to know that one little piece
of paper can hold such infinite possibilities.
Origami comes from the Japanese verb ''oru''
which means to fold and the noun ''kami'' which means paper. A finished
origami figure is called a ''model'', the method for folding a model is
called a ''design'', and the instructions for a model is called a set of
''diagrams''. Origami artists are referred to as ''paperfolders''.
Origami is a powerful symbol of Japanese
cultural heritage. This fascinating art form is now practiced globally and
transcends any language and cultural barriers simply because we all can
appreciate its ethereal beauty.
As with any art or craft project,
practice makes perfect. Once you have mastered the techniques, you will want to
explore other sculptural interpretations of animals, insects, objects, and even
teddy bears. There is virtually nothing you cannot make using origami!
Making the Wolf
You will need the following materials
to make an origami wolf:
- Origami paper in square shapes of
various sizes of any color or pattern.
- Work space that is hard and smooth.
Follow the directions below to create
your origami wolf:
- Place the paper on your work
surface so it looks like the shape of a diamond.
- Folding from the bottom, fold away
from yourself or up so that now the shape is that of a triangle.
- Now fold the lower right corner of
the triangle to meet the lower left corner so you have another triangle
shape on its side, like a sailboat's mast.
- Hold your triangle and lift up one
flap and fold it up and away from yourself until the two points meet at the
top.
- Turn your model over and lift the
other bottom flap of the triangle up and away from yourself—you have now
created a smaller triangle like a reverse mast.
- Rotate your design 45 degrees and
fold both ends on both sides to the center which is forming the legs, and
make a fold and firm crease at the back point for the tail so your model can
stand on its own.
- Hold your model at the back, open
up the three point/flaps and take the center flap and pull down to form the
wolf's head—the other two flaps remain as the wolf’s pointy ears.
- Stand your model and start making
more adults, puppies, and adolescents to form your very own wolf pack.
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