Origami, do-it-yourself swan: diagrams, step by step instructions for beginners

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

The art of origami has existed in the East for a long time. Europeans fell in love with folding paper figures much later. There are two types of origami - picking up a figure according to a paper pattern and composing a whole from individual modules. It is not only entertaining, but also educational. During the task, memory, attention, the ability to understand schemes, navigate in space, and distinguish cardinal points develop. To create a beautiful figure, you still need to be careful and diligent.

With modular origami, you need to fold the same modules in large numbers, so you still need to have patience and diligence. In the article we will look at how to make an origami swan according to the schemes and from the modules. The photos in the article will help you learn how to navigate the step-by-step instructions so that in the future you can do the work yourself. A detailed description will help those who make the figure for the first time.

Start with a simple origami swan for beginners according to the diagram below.

Easy option

Before you start, prepare a square leafpaper. A colorful glossy craft will look beautiful, which has different colors on each side of the sheet. The square is located at an angle to the master and the first fold is made diagonally. Each of the triangular halves is bent one more time. The sides should be exactly on the center line. Smooth the fold line well with your fingers.

Straight corners inside unfold at the same angle and also smooth out well. After that, two triangles are turned outward, the fold line should be on top. The sharp corner of the workpiece will subsequently be the neck and beak of the origami swan. Therefore, this part is turned up and the very edge is folded forward. The final touch in doing the work will be double folding the tip of the bird's tail. An eye is drawn on the head with a marker, you can paint the beak in red. The origami swan figure turns out to be flat, with small bends of individual parts of the bird's body. The child can either just play with the swan, or use it as a blank when creating an appliqué or postcard.

3D origami swan

In the photo below you can see how to do the first part of the work. The initial stage of work is similar to the first simple method of making an origami swan according to the scheme. To work, you need a square sheet of colored thick paper. The swan can also be assembled in white. The red beak and black eyes of the bird are made at the end by cutting out elements from colored paper.

Fold a square in half by folding the paper alongdiagonals. Then the sides are connected inside along the center line. To make the work look neat, be sure to smooth the paper with your finger after folding.

Continue work

To continue working on the origami swan with your own hands, you need to turn the workpiece on the table to the back. Two triangles are bent a second time to the level of the central diagonal. The step-by-step photo clearly shows how to work with paper.

Then the sharp corner of the workpiece must be connected with the opposite. Remember to carefully smooth all the folds with your finger. The edge of the sharp corner bends forward. This will be the bird's beak. In order for the craft to be put on the table, it is necessary to bend it in half along the center line. When turning the neck of the swan up, the lower part is crushed with fingers. This part in the correct position should be at right angles to the body. Wings spread left and right. The tail can be beautifully curved, as in the previous version.

Napkin variant

If you made such a craft from a napkin folded four times, then after making an origami swan, a magnificent tail is formed. To do this, all layers of thin paper are carefully lifted in turn. The craft looks more impressive and voluminous than from plain paper.

This swan can be made before the arrival of guests and place the birds on each plate. You can surprise guests not only with deliciously prepared dishes, but also with beautiful table setting.

Origami swan from modules

For beginners, we can recommend trying to make a small bird. It's easier to start making each level of modules out of paper of a different color. Before you start making the bird itself, try, firstly, to practice folding the same modules, and secondly, first make a stand for the swan. How to make an origami swan, we will look further in the article, but first let's learn how to twist paper modules of the same size. To construct a medium sized swan, you will need at least 300 pieces of modules, so take the time in advance and prepare the material for work in advance.

In addition to making modules, you also need to learn how to connect them together. After all, the origami swan from the modules is performed absolutely without glue. The figure must be assembled tightly enough so that the modules do not pop out.

Learning to make modules

For the first time we will use a simple white sheet of A-4 format for work. Fold the paper several times in half and cut along the fold lines with scissors. The task is carried out until small rectangles remain. One sheet of A-4 should make 16 parts. When the required number of parts is cut, you can start folding the paper according to the scheme shown in the photo below.

The workpiece is folded in half in length, then similarly bent in half and in width. The edges of the rectangle wrap forward and downso that the halves of the top line are connected in the center at a right angle. Then turn the workpiece to the wrong side. It can be seen that the ends of the bent rectangle hang below the triangle. Their corners along the edges must be bent at a right angle to the middle of the module. It remains only to bend the hanging parts inward and smooth the fold line with your finger. The final touch in preparing the module is bending the part in half. A narrow fold of paper is hidden in the middle of the module. On the back side, you can see two pockets, where later other parts will be inserted when assembling the origami swan.

How to assemble the stand

The base for the bird can be made to begin with the simplest, namely, consisting of one layer of modules. For ease of use, you need to make at least 30 modules of the same or different colors. With your hand, holding the first module with your fingers by the forked edges, insert the second module into the pockets on the back side, tightly pushing the parts inward all the way. In this way, a long strip is collected. Then gently bend it in a circle and connect the edges. It turns out a round stand, on which, after manufacturing, a swan figurine is simply placed.

Making the bird's neck

If you have already understood how to make the modules themselves, and have learned how to fasten them together, you can easily assemble the neck and head in the same way for an origami swan. If you are designing a regular white bird, then for the beak make one module of red or orange. The size of this part of the body depends on the shape of the neck. If it is curved down, then you need to prepare modulesmore, because in addition to lifting up to the desired length, you also need to smoothly turn it and lower it down a little.

In the way we already know, the modules are inserted one into the other until the neck reaches the desired size. A red module is put on the very edge. The eyes of the swan can be glued on, cut out of black paper, or simply drawn with a pencil or felt-tip pen.

Main body work

To perform a torso up, the modules are fastened differently. If earlier we inserted the corners of one module into two pockets of another, now we need to act differently. One module is inserted into the pocket of the second module close to it, and on the other side a part is attached, the sharp corner of which is inserted from the other side also into the second module.

It turns out the shape of a triangle. Further work is progressing similarly. It turns out that the assembly of modules occurs immediately in two rows. If in the first row we, for example, took 30 modules, then in the second row 31 pieces will already come out. The third row also has one more module and already consists of 32 parts.

When there are already three rows in a circle, you can start assembling the wings. Consider carefully how to do this.

Make wings and tail

Since our craft base has a round shape, we start making the first wing from absolutely anywhere. The lower part of the wing has 10 modules, which are inserted in the fourth row. The fifth row already has 9 pieces, each subsequent one is assembled fromamount less than one unit. Only one element should remain at the very top. The first wing is ready. The craft is turned to the other side, and the same work is repeated. In front, where you plan to attach the neck, it is enough to leave a three-piece segment between the wings.

The space that remains from the back of the body is intended to form the tail of a swan. The lift is small, depending on the number of modules between the wings.

Assembling parts together

Origami swan with step by step instructions is easy to do. The neck joins at the front and arches beautifully at the right angle. The swan itself is placed on a round base. You can make a double stand, as in the photo in the article, with the lower circle going larger, and the upper one becoming smaller. A stand assembled from multi-colored elements looks beautiful, for example, made up through one. You can assemble a stand in three rows, made according to the same principle as the body of a swan. The swan looks very original, in which the colors of the modules alternate in a spiral or in layers. The shape and size of the wings can also vary. If you insert modules through one at the edge of each wing, you will get the impression that the swan has spread its wings and feathers are visible. You can fantasize in different ways, both with the color scheme and with the shape of the craft.

For novice masters who work with modules for the first time, you can complete the task exactly according to the instructions in the article. With the acquisition of work skills and experience, you will try other options,making the task more difficult.

To make work go faster, you can plan it sequentially. For example, first prepare a large number of modules on one day, and the next - already assemble origami from prepared parts. You need to complete the modules all the same size so that the craft looks neat and even. You need to insert the corners into the pockets until they stop, tightly, but gently, so as not to deform the module.

Follow the tips given in the article and you will definitely get a beautiful swan.