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How to make an easy origami penguin
Learn how to create this adorable origami penguin with these brilliant step-by-step instructions.
Fold your way to the Antarctic with this adorable origami penguin! Join us as we show you how to bring this playful penguin to life, using just one sheet of paper and a few clever folds.
By following our step-by-step instructions, you'll be amazed at how quickly a flat piece of paper can become a charming origami penguin.
Ideally, you’ll want a piece of paper that is black on one side and white on the other, as both sides will be visible in the completed model. The white side will help to create the penguin’s belly, and the black side will form the penguin’s back and wings.
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How to make your own easy origami penguin
This adorable origami penguin is made from a single square of black and white paper. As far as origami goes, it’s a fairly realistic-looking penguin, but you can add personality by varying the position of the head, tail, and wings.
Once you’ve mastered this origami penguin, why not fold a smaller one from all-grey paper, to create a baby?
For these origami penguin instructions, we have used paper that is black on one side and white on the other.
How to make an easy origami penguin step-by-step
You will need:
Origami paper (Black on one side, white on the other)
paper creaser
Step 1
Start with a 15x15cm square of paper. For this origami penguin, you’ll want to find some paper that is dark on one side, then white on the other. Start with the dark side of the paper facing up, with the white side facing down. Fold and unfold along the diagonals. Crease the folds well.
Step 2
Turn the paper over so the white side is now facing up, and fold one of the corners up to meet the centre. Unfold.
Step 2a Step 2b
Step 3
Fold the opposite corner down to meet the crease you just made. Unfold.
Step 3a Step 3b
Step 4
Flip the paper over, so that the black side is facing up. Orient the paper so that the new creases are positioned horizontally and fold the paper in half along the central vertical line.
Step 4a Step 4b
Step 5
If it’s not already, orient the paper so that the point of the triangle is facing towards the right. Fold the bottom corner up to meet the first horizontal crease. Unfold.
Step 5a Step 5b
Step 6
Push this corner inside the paper, so that the folds are on the inside. This is called a reverse fold. Flatten the creases.
Step 6a Step 6b
Step 7
Fold the right-hand edge back, so that it lines up with the vertical edge of the model.
Step 8
Flip the model over and repeat on the other side: fold the left-hand edge back so that it lines up with the vertical edge of the model.
Step 8a Step 8b
Step 9
With the open side of your model facing towards the right, fold down the top of the paper to the right. This will be the head of the penguin!
The head can be any size, but to give you an idea of measurement, it’s a little over 1/3 of the total height when measured from the left-hand side.
Angle the head slightly downwards (i.e., not perfectly horizontal) and flatten the crease.
Step 10
Flip the head inside out to secure it in place. This is called an ‘outside reverse fold’. You can do this by unfolding the fold you just made, then opening the paper slightly and folding the head back down (following the crease lines) so that the head is now inside out.
Flatten the creases.
Step 11
With the open side still facing the right, fold the top layer back to form the wing. Like the head, you can make the wings big or small. But if you like the way we’ve done ours, position the bottom of the wing so that it’s more or less lined up with the top of the tail. Crease all the way to the top, to where the wing meets the head.
Step 12
Turn the model over and repeat on the other side, lining the second wing up with the first.
Step 12a Step 12b
Step 13
Next, we’re going to shape the wing. Fold the wing back down as shown (forming the wing into something a bit like a zig-zag shape), making a new fold as you go. As before, start your crease from the top of the wing, and line up the penguin’s elbow (do penguins have elbows?) with where the tail joins the back.
Step 14
Fold the ‘elbow’ inwards, as shown.
Step 14a Step 14b
Step 15
Flip this new fold inside out, and push it inside the wing, making a new crease that extends to the tip of the wing as you do so. This is called a ‘rabbit’s ear fold’ and marks the completion of one of the wings!
Step 15b Step 15a
Step 16
Repeat on the other side to complete the second wing.
Step 17
Next, we’re going to make the feet. Fold the bottom of the model up, so that the open edge lines up with the base of the black wing.
Step 18
Flip the feet inside the model to hide the fold. Do this on both sides. This will also allow your origami penguin to stand up! Repeat on the other side.
Step 18a Step 18b Step 18c Step 18d
Step 19
All that’s left now is to make the beak. Fold the tip of the head back on itself, lining the horizontal edge (bottom edge) of the beak up with the horizontal edge of the head. Flatten the crease. Add a crimp fold to the beak; fold the tip of the beak forward again, making a 5mm ‘crimp’ or ‘pleat’ as you go. This is what it should look like.
Step 20
Finally, flip the beak inside out to secure your crimp fold. Do this by unfolding the pleat you just made, then open the paper slightly and push the beak inside the head. Follow the fold lines; you don’t need to make any more creases at this point. The beak will eventually ‘pop’ into place. Close up the head and burnish the folds. Congratulations, you’ve made an origami penguin!
If you’d like to work with larger-size origami paper, which is especially useful while you’re learning, then a great option is to look for books which have tear-out pages. This kit has 100 sheets of 22x22cm paper, and the patterns are lovely.
The reverse of the paper features a coordinating single colour, which is useful if you’re folding a project that shows both sides of the paper. There are also tutorials at the front of the book, so you can learn how to make a selection of origami animals, including a swan, jumping frog and butterfly.
You’ve probably noticed a cutting mat in the background of most of our origami tutorials. Folding on a craft mat not only ensures a flat surface and a crisp fold, but it also provides easy measurements. For example, when a tutorial says to fold 2cm in from a corner, it’s a lot easier to use the measurements on a cutting mat, than it is to use a ruler.
The mats we use are the ANSIO brand A2 cutting mats, which are double-sided, self-healing, and come in a variety of different colours.
Keep your precious origami paper crumple-free by storing it in a custom-made container. This storage box is designed especially for storing 15x15cm (6x6in) origami paper, and there’s a nifty cut-out tab that allows you to lift the paper up without curling the corners.
The carry handle sits neatly into the lid when not in use, and the whole thing is translucent, so you can see what you’ve got.
Do you want to recreate your own Antarctic scene for your origami penguin? How about opting for some fake snow to create the perfect Christmas window display? Or, if cardmaking is your thing, why not mount your origami penguin on the front of a card blank, and ground them with a brush of PVA glue sprinkled with a little fake snow?
Make your own origami penguin
This origami penguin can be made following our simple step-by-step instructions. We have photos for every step, so you can be confident of each fold before you make it.
You might like to practise with some regular copy paper while you get the hang of this paper penguin, but if possible, we recommend you use single-sided paper (white on one side) to really make this penguin pop.
In this easy origami penguin tutorial, you’ll learn how to make an outside reverse fold, rabbits-ear fold, and crimp fold. With a little practice, you’ll be a pro in no time.
Discover more awesome origami projects with Gathered
If you’re looking for more fantastic origami animals and progress to the next level, we think you’ll love this origami dragon. It’s a little more advanced than this origami penguin, but it’s still beginner-friendly and each of the steps is broken down into manageable chunks.
And if you do happen to get stuck, we’ve even got a clear, easy-to-follow video to help you make a whole hoard of dragons. You’ll want to use a slightly larger piece of paper for the dragon; either 20x20cm or 25x25cm on account of the smaller head and horn.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this origami penguin tutorial, so be sure to keep an eye out for lots more exciting origami projects, right here on the UK’s leading craft website, Gathered.
Holly is the Staff Writer for BBC Science Focus and looks after the popular Q&A section. She holds an MSc (distinction) in Geoscience (Space and Climate Physics) from UCL, and specialises in astronomy and earth sciences. Before joining Our Media, she worked as a geoenvironmental consultant and engineer, informing on ground risk and remediation in the north of England, while hunting for exoplanets in her spare time.
Alongside this, she was regional editor of a popular theatre website for nine years, and has a solid background in curating and developing content for the digital space. Holly is also an artist and illustrator, and regular contributor to the craft website, Gathered. She has previously worked with the RSPB, English Heritage, Disney, Pilot and Brother, as well as on BBC Good Food magazine, Home Style magazine, and Papercraft inspirations magazine. She enjoys photography and has a sustained interest in antiques.
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