Origami

Learn to fold a traditional crane

The crane (tsuru) is the canonical origami model — built from the bird base, requiring clean valley folds, mountain folds, and inside reverse folds. Most beginners can fold a recognisable crane within an hour.

Master the four foundational bases

Square base (preliminary base), bird base, waterbomb base, and fish base underlie the majority of traditional models. Once all four are automatic, any traditional diagram becomes accessible.

Learn to read origami diagrams

Valley fold (dashed line, fold toward you), mountain fold (dash-dot line, fold away), and arrow conventions are standardised internationally — a diagram from a Japanese book uses the same notation as one from Spain.

Join an origami community

r/origami is active for photo sharing, diagram recommendations, and technique help. The British Origami Society and OrigamiUSA have libraries of diagrams and host conventions accessible to beginners.