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wikiHow to Make an Origami Elephant

Four Parts:Setting upFoldingDesigningTroubleshootingCommunity Q&A

It is easy to create an origami elephant with a square piece of paper! You don’t have a square of paper? That’s alright—there are instructions on how to make a square piece of paper out of a rectangular piece of paper. No experience is necessary to make this origami, but it might be helpful if you know how to do basic origami. If you're looking for a fun craft or a way to entertain children, start with step 1, below.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Coloring utensil (preferably crayon)
  • Scissors
  • Black writing utensil
  • Tape (optional)
  • Pencil (optional)
  • Colored utensils (optional)

Part 1
Setting up

  1. 1
    Fold the paper diagonally.
    • Line up the edges to have a sharp point on one corner. (If you turn it sideways, it looks like half a trapezoid.) This step is essential to create a square piece of paper out of the rectangular paper. If you already have the pre-made square origami paper, then you can scroll down to part 2: Folding; however, you still need to make a diagonal crease of the paper.
  2. 2
    Use a pencil and cut the bottom strip off.
    • You do not have to use a pencil if you do not feel the need to use it. Creating a line makes it easier to but the paper into two pieces. Now, the paper should be a square.
  3. 3
    Color one side of your paper gray.
    • You are also free to color whatever color you would like your elephant to be. Do not be limited to conventional colors of what an elephant is meant to be. Remember, this is a fun craft that children can also enjoy to do.

Part 2

  1. 1
    Fold the paper diagonally again but in the other way.
    • The folded lines should form an X when the paper is in the square position. The folded creases will serve as a guide for future steps.
  2. 2
    Position the paper so the colored side is on the back and the folded lines form a + sign.
    • The paper is in a diamond or rhombus position. This step is necessary since it positions the paper for you to make the next step’s fold.
  3. 3
    Fold the top tip of the paper to the middle.
    • This part will form the top of the head of your elephant.
  4. 4
    Fold the two flaps on the side inwards.
    • The paper should form a triangle. To achieve this step, you can also make the flaps overlap. The main goal of this step is to create the three corners of the triangle as best you can. Make note that the bottom corner is going to be the trunk, so you should make sure that the trunk is long and gradually gets narrower.
  5. 5
    Fold the inner flap then the outer flap outwards.
    • Each flap looks like a triangle. This step is a little tricky, but you can accomplish this step by using the right side of the middle upside-down triangle formed by step 3 of part 2 as a guide to fold the inner flap first. Then, you can fold the outer flap by lining up with the folded inner flap. The outer and inner flaps should also form a straight horizontal line. This step is necessary to serve as a guide for the next fold.
    • This step’s folds create the ears of the elephant.
  6. 6
    Fold the bottom part up.
    • Remember to fold up to the horizontal line created by the last step.
  7. 7
    Leave some room and fold that same part down.
    • This fold is like an accordion style fold.
    • This is going to be the trunk, so you can decide for yourself how long you want the trunk to be. You should make sure the folds are straight and are parallel to the fold in step 5 of part 2. This way the trunk is not going to be slanted, and you will have a trunk pointing straight down.
  8. 8
    Fold the top two corners in.
    • You should not fold too much in. Fold in until you see a folded line.
    • This step is going to shape the head of the elephant. This will imitate a rounder head and not a square and boxy head of an elephant.
  9. 9
    Tape the folded parts down.
    • This step is only necessary if you want to preserve the form of the elephant, and you do not want the folds to undo itself. To conserve on the amount of tape you want to use, you can use four pieces of tape and fold the top two corners and the sides of the trunk.

Part 3

  1. 1
    Flip the paper over.
    • You have finished the origami—the folding—part of this craft, so the elephant is basically completed; however, you can continue on with the steps in order to create facial features of your elephant.
  2. 2
    Draw the eyes and the mouth.
    • This is the basic facial features you can give your elephant. You can also add additional details to the face of your elephant. Some examples may include drawing the creases on the trunk or the pinks of the ears.
  3. 3
    Add whatever personalized features on the face to make it fun and unique.
    • This is optional, and this can include other drawings or colors not involving the details of an elephant. You can add unrealistic features on the elephant to add more fun. Some examples may include drawing a bow or a mustache.

Part 4

  1. 1
    Paper rips.
    • Get a new piece of paper and start over, or you could use a clear tape and tape the pieces together.
    • To prevent this, take your time and be patient.
  2. 2
    Too many folds.
    • Go over the correct folds and fold them by pinching the folds harder. A tip on how to fold harder is to use the tips of your fingernails and pinch while sliding your nails across the paper. This makes the folds stay flatter. This will also allow these folds to stand out against the other folds.
    • To prevent this, fold lightly at first then fold harder over the correct folds.
  3. 3
    Inconsistent coloring spots.
    • Color the areas again.
    • To prevent this, use a different type of coloring utensil. Colored pencils can be the most inconsistent utensil. Markers will make the coloring consistent, but it will be difficult to draw the facial and other personalized features at the end. Crayons may be the best to use since they are more consistent and will allow you to draw other features at the end.

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    Categories: Animal Origami

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