Origami · folding only

Butterfly with Shaped Wings

Confident (level 4 of 5)
15 min
11 steps
Ages 7–12 (a guide, not a rule)

No scissors
No glue
No adult help needed

Start Making Print

This butterfly is built on the waterbomb base, a classic first step in many models. You fold two flaps up and out to make the upper wings, the back flaps stay as the lower wings, and a fold down the middle shapes the body. Use paper with a bright color or pattern: it covers both pairs of wings.

Before you start

You need

Square of origami paper, 150 x 150 mm (6 x 6 in). Colored on one side. Patterned paper makes a beautiful butterfly.

Decorating (optional): Draw spots or stripes on the wings with markers once it is folded.

No square of origami paper? A square of gift wrap or printer paper works; thin paper makes the neatest wings.

How to place the paper before the first step — **Your paper:** Put the square down flat, colored side up, with straight edges at the top and bottom.

Valley fold: blue dashes. Fold toward you, like a valley.
Mountain fold: pink dash-dot. Fold away from you, like a mountain.
Crease: a thin gray line where you folded before.
Turn over: flip the whole model to its other side.
Rotate: turn the model on the table; the number says how far.

Step by step

Each step shows what to do (left) and how it should look after (right).

Do this

Result

Step 1 of 11 Fold and unfold Fold the square in half edge to edge and unfold. Then fold it in half the other way and unfold.
Do this

Result

Step 2 of 11 Turn over Turn the paper over so the white side is up.
Do this

Result

Step 3 of 11 Fold and unfold Fold in half corner to corner and unfold. Then fold corner to corner the other way and unfold.
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Result

Step 4 of 11 Push Push the middles of the left and right edges in toward the center. The top half swings down toward you over them.
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Result

Step 5 of 11 Squash fold Press everything flat into a triangle with two flaps on each side. This is a waterbomb base.
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Result

Step 6 of 11 Valley fold Fold the bottom left corner of the top layer up along a slanted line, so its point sticks out past the slanted edge. (Zoomed in: the waterbomb base is drawn bigger from here on.)
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Result

Step 7 of 11 Valley fold Fold the bottom right corner of the top layer up the same way, so the two points match.
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Result

Step 8 of 11 Rotate Turn the paper half a turn so the long straight edge is at the top. The big corners are the upper wings; the small points are the lower wings.
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Result

Step 9 of 11 Mountain fold Fold the bottom point behind, just a little, to make a neat end for the body.
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Result

Step 10 of 11 Valley fold Fold the butterfly in half along the center line, left wings onto right wings. Crease the middle firmly: this is the body.
Do this

Result

Step 11 of 11 Open Open the wings partway so they make a shallow V. Pinch the body to shape it. Your butterfly is ready!

An orange origami butterfly with two pointed upper wings, two wide lower wings and a folded body down the middle.

You made it!

Yours may look a little different. That is part of making things by hand.

Print the steps

If something goes wrong

The paper will not collapse into a triangle.

Check the creases: the edge-to-edge folds are made colored side up and the corner-to-corner folds white side up. Crease them sharply and try again.

The upper wings are different sizes.

Start each slanted fold at the bottom middle point and make both wing points stick out the same amount above the top edge.

The wings spring flat again.

Crease the center fold firmly in step 9 before you open the wings.

Helpful hints

Every slanted wing fold starts exactly at the bottom middle point of the triangle.
Try different angles for the upper wings: a steeper fold makes taller wings.

An original PlayOwl project.