Origami Whale – Easy Instructions for Beginners
Make an easy origami whale – a fun summer paper craft for kids! Find more fun crafts for tweens with paper here. This post contains affiliate links.
This origami whale is a fabulous craft for those of us eagerly anticipating summer – but also for any time you want to celebrate ocean and marine life!
While origami traditionalists might argue that you may not use scissors for proper origami, there are so many details you can add if you allow yourself the liberty of stepping out of the box.
Use this whale as part of an ocean themed tablescape (set the background in sea green) since it can stand up. Or, flatten it and string a few into a garland like I did with this origami apple. Craft it with friends and see if you can come up with different variations. You can try altering the mood of the whale – or make it in a rainbow of colors.
Origami projects are fabulous for cardmaking like I demonstrated in this origami heart card. Again, you’ll need to flatten it. Make it for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day with the water on top in the shape of a heart and write “I whale-y love you” for a corny card with a 3D look.
Which paper is best to use for an origami whale?
You don’t need to use origami paper to make this! Here are some of my favorite picks for origami projects, including this whale.
Origami paper
This might be your go to option since it’s called after the craft. The biggest advantages of using origami paper is: 1. It’s very thin and folds smoothly and 2. It tends to come in square shapes. Since origami often starts with a square – including this origami whale – you skip a step and start with a neat square.
Scrapbook paper
Available in a huge variety of colors, shapes and patterns, scrapbook paper is also readily available in a square shape. It doesn’t fold as neatly (if you use this, I recommend using a bone folder too) and is a bit pricier, but it’s usually larger and of superior quality. This is a fabulous choice if you want to make jumbo origami, decorations to save from year to year, or anything more durable.
Construction paper
Probably the cheapest craft paper option, construction paper is a bit more limited in color. It’s great for practice or for crafting with young children. It’s also not as pretty, and fibers on the surface can sometimes lift. You’ll need to turn it into a square first.
Copy paper
Colored copy paper is a fabulous basic craft supply to have handy and can be great for making this origami whale. Again, you’ll need to cut it into a square, but it’s a fabulous, easy to fold option for those on a budget.
What you need to make this easy origami whale
- Paper of your choice – see recommendations above
- Black and blue markers (optional) if you’d like to add detail
- Craft glue
- Scissors
- If you want: a bone folder can help you make neat creases
How to make an origami whale
1. Choose your preferred color for the origami whale. If it isn’t already a square, cut it into a square shape. You can do this by folding up from the bottom right corner so that the bottom side is flush with the left and trimming the excess on top.
2. If you already folded your paper to form a square, skip this step. If you didn’t, fold the paper into half diagonally. Unfold the paper. This will leave a crease on the square paper.
3. Place your paper on your surface so that the crease is vertical. Fold the right corner down to the crease so that the top right side of your paper now aligns with the crease.
4. Now fold the left corner the same way, so that the top left side of your paper is aligned to the crease.
5. Fold the bottom corner up to the center fold where the two sides you folded in meet.
6. Keeping all the folded parts on the inside, fold your origami whale in half.
7. Your fold should be on top, the opening on the bottom. Decide how big you want your tail to be. Fold the part of your paper that tapers off and is narrow up at that point.
8. Unfold the last two folds.
9. Bring the narrow side of the pattern upwards and valley fold along the crease created with the tail fold you made in step 7. While doing that, flatten and half fold the wide side.
10. Carefully, flatten the origami whale by bringing the narrow side upwards.
11. Use scissors to cut a small slit (1 cm will do) along the middle crease of the tail.
12. Fold each side of the slit outwards to form the tail fin of the origami whale. If you’d like to, at this point, you can create an eye and water splash using a marker on white paper.
13. Attach the eye on the wide portion of the origami whale and attach the water splash on the top side of the whale craft to complete it.
I hope you enjoyed making an easy origami whale! What will you be doing with yours? Comment below!
How to Make an Easy Origami Whale
Learn how to make an easy origami whale using these step by step instructions for beginners. This printable tutorial can be saved for later use by using the "print" button below.
Turn this into cards, garlands, ocean themed decor, or make them just for fun! Make them in any color you'd like.
Materials
Instructions
- Choose your preferred color for the origami whale. If it isn’t
already a square, cut it into a square shape. You can do this by folding
up from the bottom right corner so that the bottom side is flush with
the left and trimming the excess on top. - If you already folded your paper to form a square, skip this step.
If you didn’t, fold the paper into half diagonally. Unfold the paper.
This will leave a crease on the square paper. - Place your paper on your surface
so that the crease is vertical. Fold the right corner down to the
crease so that the top right side of your paper now aligns with the
crease. - Now fold the left corner the same way, so that the top left side of your paper is aligned to the crease.
- Fold the bottom corner up to the center fold where the two sides you folded in meet.
- Keeping all the folded parts on the inside, fold your origami whale in half.
- Your fold should be on top, the opening on the bottom. Decide how
big you want your tail to be. Fold the part of your paper that tapers
off and is narrow up at that point. - Unfold the last two folds.
- Bring the narrow side of the pattern upwards and valley fold along
the crease created with the tail fold you made in step 7. While doing
that, flatten and half fold the wide side. - Carefully, flatten the origami whale by bringing the narrow side upwards.
- Use scissors to cut a small slit (1 cm will do) along the middle crease of the tail.
- Fold each side of the slit outwards to form the tail fin of the
origami whale. If you’d like to, at this point, you can create an eye
and water splash using a marker on white paper. - Attach the eye on the wide portion of the origami whale and
attach the water splash on the top side of the whale craft to complete
it.
Your origami whale is complete!
Notes
Use whichever type of paper you'd like - construction, scrapbook, or even copy paper. You don't need to add the extra detail but it's more fun if you do!
