Ever since I learned about Origami in 4th grade, I have always loved to fold. The part I like most is showing others how to fold. When I see the joy on their face after they fold their first figure, that is payment enough. So I decided to make an Inastructable, seeing there was not an origami one for beginners. I hope this is clear enough and understandable so that you may learn fairly quickly.

All you will need is some square paper, your hands, and some determination.

If there are any spots that aren't clear, please comment so that I may make it more understandable.

The pictures below will be some of the things you will learn how to fold.

Step 1: How to Make Square Paper

Most craft stores sell 100-300 packs of origami paper in different patterns or colors, but you can always make your own out of any sheet of paper you come across.

First, take your sheet of paper, and fold the top edge to either the left edge or the right edge. Then, you fold the bottom edge over the edge you folded down. You can then cut along that crease, or crease firmly and tear it off if scissors are unavailable.

Step 2: The Kabuto and Basic Folds

Instead of doing the basics and then the figures, I decided to combine them into one. I will teach you the basics as we are folding. Again, I hope this is clear to understand.

In this step you will learn how to fold an Origami Kabuto, or Samari Helmet.

Start off with a vally fold. An easy way to remember is that when folded, it looks like a vally (pic 1). Vally fold from one corner to a corresponding corner. It sould now look like Picture 2.
Then vally fold the side corners to the top point, like in Picture 3.
Then vally fold the two corners you just folded to the bottom (pic 4). Rotate 180 degrees.
Vally fold the same two corners to the sidesto make the horn things, like in Picture 5.
Now, take the bottom flap and vally fold part of it up, not all the way. (pic 6)
Vally fold the rest of the flap up, like in picture 7, and then flip over.
You can do two things with this flap. Tradittionally, it is vally folded upward, but you can tuck it inside the helmet if you want. Picture 8 is what it should look like traditianally. Fortucking it in, look at picture 9. You need to preform a mountan fold (pic 9) and then tuck it as far up in the helmet as you can get it.
If you have completed this, you have a Kabuto, and you know how to do mountran and vally folds.

Step 3: Base Folds

In this step you will learn some base folds. Base folds are what models normally start out with.
Book Base: Vally fold one edge to the oppisite edge (Pic 1).
Bintz Base: Make a book base. Unfold. Rotate 90 degrees. Fold another book base. Unfold. Fold all four corners to center. (Pic 2)
Cupboard Base: Fold a book base. Unfold. Vally fold the two edges to the center crese.(Pic 3).
Kite Base: Vally fold one corner to a coresponding corner. Unfold. Vally fold two sides of the same angle to meet the middle crease (Pic 4).
Square Base: Fold in half horizantally and vertically. It should now be in 4ths. Flip over and fold in half from corner to corner. Collapse (Pic 5).
Waterbomb Base: Fold upper-left coner to meet bottom-right corner, and again from the bottom left corner to the upper right. The two lines should intersect in the middle of the paper. Flip over and fold in half vertically. This crease should cross the intersection of the diagonal creases. Take the points where the vertical crease meets the edge of the paper, and fold them to the bottom. Press it flat and you should have it!
Bird Base: Make a square base. Fold two flaps in tword the middle crease. Repeat behind. Fold upper triangle down as far as it can go. Unfold. Repeat behind. Unfold to the square base. Take the bottom corner and fiold up along the creases you just made. Repeat behind (Pic 7).

As you can see, there's a lot of bases.

Step 4: Folding the Waterbomb

Start off with a Waterbomb base.
Vally fold all the side corners to the top corner, as in Picture 1.
Vally fold the side corners you just made to the center. You can guess on this. (pic 2)
Vally fold the top flap corners into the pockets you just made. (Pic 3)
Blow into the hole at the bottom to inflate it. (pic 4)

You're done!

Step 5: Folding the Crane

The crane is the model that first comes to mind for many when they think about Origami. It is a traditional Japanese model that goes back a long time. It is said that whoever folds 1000 will get one wish. Here, I will show you how to make one. For the other 999, you're on your own.

Start with a bird base. Vally fold the side flaps so they line up with the middle seam. Repeat behind. (Pic 1)
Vally fold both of the "legs" up, fold back down (pic 2)
Inside reverse fold the legs. (pic 3 and 4)
Vally fold the wings down. (pic 5)
Vally fold the head to the size you want it, then inside reverse fold. (pic 6)

Now you can get started on the other 999.

Remember: "It isn't origami until it's shared." Phillip Chapman-Bell AKA oschene

Step 6: Extra Links

Here are some links for some origami sites. If you stick with Origami long enough, you will be able to fold not only squares, but pentagons, triangles, circles, decagonns, heptagons, and several other -gons.

The Origami Resource Center
oschene's Blog
The Origami Club