Origami Reindeer

 

This is one of the more difficult origami makes (well, the head is anyway, the body's easy!) so it may take a little practise to get a nice, neat-looking head.  Remember, accurate folding is essential so please take your time over it.

For this one print:-

A reindeer background onto medium-weight white card (160gsm Print Perfect is great for this)
The reindeer sheet onto quality white paper (Print Perfect 90 is just right)
The reindeer presents sheet onto white paper such as Print Perfect 90 

To make the card:-

Stick one of the backgrounds onto a square card with double-sided tape.  If you want to add a metallic card border, cut out one of the backgrounds without the border, stick the piece to metallic card and trim round with a craft knife and ruler before sticking it to the background with the border.

To make the origami reindeer:-

1. Cut out the face-part of the reindeer with a sharp craft knife and ruler.

Origami Reindeer

 

2. Fold it vertically and unfold.

Origami Reindeer

 

3. Fold it horizontally and leave folded.

Origami Reindeer

 

4. Now put your thumb into the pocket created by the fold on the left-hand side and fold it flat on the centre-line to create a diamond.

Origami Reindeer

 

5. Turn it over and it looks like this.  

Origami Reindeer

 

6. Repeat step 4 by putting your thumb into the pocket created on the left-hand side and flattening it down.

Origami Reindeer

 

7. You will end up with a shape like this.

Origami Reindeer

 

8. It will look like this when you open it out into a 3-dimensional shape.

Origami Reindeer

 

9. Open up the face-part.....

Origami Reindeer

 

10. .... and flatten it out.

Origami Reindeer

 

11. Fold in one of the sides to the centre.  A cocktail stick will help to get accurate points.

Origami Reindeer

 

12. Repeat on the other side.

Origami Reindeer

 

13. Now fold back the top point so that it looks like this, then open it out again.

Origami reindeer

14. It should now look like this.

Origami Reindeer

 

15.  Repeat steps 11 & 12 on the back of the piece, then unfold.

Origami Reindeer

 

16. Now put down the piece so that the face-part is upwards and lift up the bottom point of the face, creasing it above the eyes on the fold that you just made.

Origami Reindeer

 

17. Neatly flatten it out.  You can see the face through the paper in the picture.

Origami Reindeer

 

18. Use a cocktail stick to help you to get accurate points.

Origami Reindeer

 

19. It will now look like this.

Origami Reindeer

 

20. Fold down the face and it will look like this.

Origami reindeer

 

21. Now repeat steps 16-19 on the back of the piece.

Origami reindeer

 

22. There are dotted lines on the back - use an embossing tool and ruler to emboss these lines.

Origami reindeer

 

23. Fold up one of the sides on the angled dotted line.

Origami Reindeer

 

24. Repeat on the other side.

Origami Reindeer

 

25. Now fold the points back down so that it looks like this.

Origami reindeer

 

26. Now lift and pull out the side on the angled creased you've just made, inverting it as you go.

Origami Reindeer

 

27. Repeat on the other side.

Origami Reindeer

 

28. Turn the piece over and emboss the dotted lines on the back of the antlers with an embossing tool or similar.

Origami Reindeer

 

29. Fold on these lines, creasing sharply.  Also fold the top of the head over.

Origami Reindeer

 

30. Fold the back parts of the reindeer head as shown.

Origami Reindeer

 

31. Further fold and crease sharply the tops of the antlers.  Use double-sided tape or tiny dabs of glue to hold the antlers and other parts in place.

Origami Reindeer

If you don't like the creases on the face, cut out another reindeer-face piece, cut it to size and stick it over the folded origami one (cheating on the origami front but hey, it looks better!).

 

For the body:-

32. Cut out the body-square using a sharp craft knife and ruler.

Origami reindeer

 

33. Fold the piece diagonally as shown.

Origami reindeer

 

34. Emboss the dotted lines with an embossing tool or similar, then fold back the tail.  Make sure the dotted lines don't show on the front of the piece.

Origami reindeer

 

35. Fold the tail as shown. Trim any white paper that's showing if necessary with a very sharp craft knife and ruler.

Origami reindeer

 

36. Fold back the paper on the long dotted line.

Origami reindeer

 

37. Fold both sides of the paper into the centre and stick both the tail and legs with double-sided tape.  

5416dec76a433reindeer-37.jpg

 

38. Stick the head to the body with double-sided tape.

Origami reindeer

To complete the card:-

Stick the completed reindeer to the card with double-sided tape.  Make him a scarf with gold pulling ribbon, felt or satin ribbon - whatever you happen to have.

The presents are made by taking each patterned present square and folding in each edge so that there are no raw edges. Stick these to the card with large sticky pads and add pulling ribbon as decoration.

Add a greeting if required.

Products used on the Origami Reindeer card


Public Domain Image Library