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The following instruction set will instruct you on how to make an origami flying swan. Although similar to the traditional swan , the flying swan has the added ability for flapping the bird's wings.
Steps
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Position paper in the portrait orientation. -
Fold the lower right corner across to the left side. When finished, the bottom edge of the paper should now be flush with the left edge.Advertisement -
Fold the excess paper down over the top of the triangle fold you just made. -
Open the last fold and trim the excess. You should now have a square piece of paper. -
Fold the crease on top of itself and then unfold. You should have a piece of paper with an "X" fold when finished. -
Flip the paper over, fold across the horizontal axis, and unfold. -
Fold the paper across the vertical axis and unfold. Note: Green guide lines are for reference in the next step. -
Bring the edges of the 4 diagonal folds together. This corresponds to the green guide lines in the image above. -
With the diagonal folds together, fold the two adjacent folds on each side onto each other to create a square.
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Position the square from Part 1 so that the crease runs vertically and the open end is facing down.
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Fold the right side flap inwards. -
Repeat the last step for the left side. -
Fold the top triangle down on top of the last two folds. -
Unfold the last three folds. -
Carefully peel back the first layer of paper at the bottom and open it upwards. -
After opening upwards, fold the paper on the creases that were made in steps 2, 3, and 4. -
Crease the opposite side in the same way as the previous step. -
Flip the paper over and fold the right side flap inwards. -
Repeat with the left side flap. -
Fold the top flap downwards. -
Unfold the last three folds. -
Carefully peel back the first layer of paper at the bottom and open it upwards. -
Fold the left side inward over the creases. -
Repeat with the right side. -
Confirm that you now have a diamond-shaped paper with two free lower flaps. -
Fold the right section upwards behind itself diagonally. -
Repeat with the left section. -
Carefully unfold the crease in the right section and open the fold. -
With the fold open, fold the right section upwards into itself so that the section extends from the inside of the body. -
21Repeat steps 12 and 13 with the left section
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Carefully pull the right section downwards to reduce the angle and re-crease. -
Fold the left section downward to create a head shape. -
Fold the left wing down and crease. -
Flip over and repeat with the right wing.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I make the other diagonal line/crease?Community AnswerYou can make the other diagonal crease by either folding the paper in half again to form a smaller triangle, or unfolding the paper and spinning it once. Then fold and do the same process you did the first time.
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QuestionMy bird's wings won't flap on mine!Community AnswerYou may have made a mistake in the folds. Undo the paper and try again or use a new piece of paper. Be sure to read the steps really carefully and to check against each image.
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Things You'll Need
- One 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper
- Pair of scissors (optional)
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about origami, check out our in-depth interview with Robert Homayoon .
About This Article
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Reader Success Stories
- "I've always wanted to learn how to make this origami swan with flapping wings. I finally made it, and now am able to teach it to others. Thanks a lot for this tutorial!" ..." more
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