How to Fold Our Most Popular Design: The Paper Crane

The paper crane is the design most people picture when they hear the word "origami," and it's also our best-selling fold at Paper Kings. Here's how to make your own, plus why the proportions on this one have held up for centuries.

Difficulty: Medium

If you've never folded origami before, start with something easier first, like our Paper Boat or Paper Boomerang. Once you've got the basic mountain and valley creases down, the crane is a great next step.

What you'll need

• One square sheet of origami paper (6x6 inches works well)

• A flat, hard surface to crease on

• Patience for the petal fold step, which trips up most beginners the first time

The basic steps

• Start with the paper color-side down and fold it into a square base (fold in half both diagonally and horizontally, then collapse into a triangle-based square)

• Fold the two bottom edges of the top layer in to the center line, then unfold

• Lift the bottom point up and use your existing creases to fold it into a petal shape

• Repeat the petal fold on the back

• Fold the two side flaps in to the center to form the neck and tail points

• Fold one point down to form the head, and pull the wings apart gently to shape the body

The trickiest part is the petal fold in step 3 — if your base folds in step 1 aren't sharp, the petal won't sit flat. Take an extra minute to really crease those first folds before moving on.

Once you've got the crane down, check out our full lineup of origami designs, ranked from easiest to hardest, in our difficulty guide.