Origami artist
Chinchillas are cute and lovely little rodents from Chile. I designed this model dedicated to my girlfriend and her chinchilla, Haku-chan.
Designed by Jo Nakashima (13/Apr/2015)
Difficulty level: intermediate
Recommended paper size: 20cm x 20cm
Diagrams: download [PDF]
This is an updated version of my origami Capybara originally designed in Jun/2015. The external shape looks the same as the first version, with addition of the eyes. But internally there are more improvements with locks and a better folding sequence.
Designed by Jo Nakashima (Jun/2015 + May/2019)
Difficulty level: intermediate
Recommended paper size: 20cm x 20cm
Notice: at first I’ve made these diagrams only for the video, not to be published separately. For this reason, some transitions or steps might not be so clear. If you find some step difficult, you can find more detailed instructions in the video tutorial.
The capybara is the largest living rodent in the world. They are common in South America, but people from other parts of the world might be unfamiliar with them.
If you like my work, please consider visiting and subscribing to my YouTube channel! You’ll find all my work, including models that are not in this website and also models from other origami artists. The easiest way to support my work is simply watching my videos, clicking the like button, leaving comments and subscribing to my channel!
You can also contribute with small donations on Patreon or YouTube Channel Membership. It’s basically like paying me a tip as a thanks for my work and get some rewards in return, like early access to my tutorials and your name in the video (the “thank you” list). They work with recurring payments, but you can cancel anytime so one-time donations are also possible.
I’ve created a simple origami Santa Claus. You can use a traditional origami Waterbomb as the bag and the Pandora’s Box as a gift box. See also other models for Christmas on my playlist!
Designed by Jo Nakashima & Camila Zeymer (07/Nov/2015)
Difficulty level: simple
Recommended paper size: 15cm x 15cm
Diagrams: download [PDF]
How to make the origami Devil Dragon
Designed by Jo Nakashima (2015/09)
Difficulty level: complex
The origami Devil Dragon is the evolution of my other origami dragons. I like it a lot specially because of the expression on his face. Now it has fingers, spikes on the tail, extra horns, eyes, improved lower jaw and larger wings.
In the video tutorial I start with 20cm x 20cm sheet of paper to show only the first steps, then I switch to 40cm x 40cm.
I’m using Red Tissue-foil, but this model doesn’t requires special paper if you use a sheet large enough (I recommend at least 40cm x 40cm). The eyes and the spikes on the tail can be a bit tricky to make if you use a small sheet.
You can see how it evolved from my previous Dragon in the crease patterns below.
Dragon CP  | Devil Dragon CP  |
The initial base is very simple, it is basically a mix of the bird base and the frog base. By “adding” some extra paper (the darker area at the top of the crease pattern) I managed to create all the extra features. This technique is called “border grafting” (to learn more about origami design I recommend the book Origami Design Secrets, by Robert J. Lang).
The tutorial is almost one hour long, but you can have an idea of the process in this time-lapse:
Learn how to make a simple origami pumpkin for Halloween from a square base.
Designed by Jo Nakashima (07/Oct/2015)
Difficulty level: simple
Recommended paper size: 15cm x 15cm
My paper: standard origami paper
Diagrams: download [PDF]
This model makes use of both sides of paper, if you don’t have the right colors you can use an additional green sheet of paper just to change the color of the top. The video below shows how to make it in more detail.
If you like my work, please consider visiting and subscribing to my YouTube channel! You’ll find all my work, including models that are not in this website and also models from other origami artists. The easiest way to support my work is simply watching my videos, clicking the like button, leaving comments and subscribing to my channel!
You can also contribute with small donations on Patreon or YouTube Channel Membership. It’s basically like paying me a tip as a thanks for my work and get some rewards in return, like early access to my tutorials and your name in the video (the “thank you” list). They work with recurring payments, but you can cancel anytime so one-time donations are also possible.
This model has the same base of my origami Velociraptor
Designed by Jo Nakashima (13/Set/2015)
Difficulty level: low intermediate
Recommended paper size: 20cm x 20cm
My paper: Copper Tissue-foil (special paper is not required)
Diagrams: download [PDF]
Learn how to make an origami Velociraptor
Designed by Jo Nakashima (19/Jul/2015)
Difficulty level: intermediate
This model and my origami T-Rex are very similar because I’ve created both dinosaurs from the same base. The velociraptor has longer tail/arms and smaller head.
I’m very satisfied with this model and I think it’s much better than the T-Rex: it holds the shape well and it can even stand on his feet without tail support, if you use a good paper. Another great feature is the head: you can make it flat or with a nice 3D shape!
If you like dinosaurs, check out my playlist on YouTube and try also the T-Rex and the Brachiosaurus.
In the video tutorial I’m using 20cm x 20cm Green Tissue-foil. This paper has a beautiful texture and holds the creases very well. However, special paper isn’t required and you can use even smaller sheets like 10cm x 10cm origami paper to fold this dinosaur.
Origami Velociraptor diagrams available to download. If you have any trouble, watch the video tutorial!
There is one step to make the head (9:14) where people sometimes find difficult to make. All you need to do is a reverse fold using the existing creases, but there are so many folds at the same time that it can be confusing for beginners. If you got stuck in this step, watch this video:
Learn how to make an origami T-Rex (Tyrannosaurus Rex)
Designed by Jo Nakashima (04/Jul/2015)
Difficulty level: low intermediate
I’ve created this origami T-Rex when I was actually designing my Velociraptor and ended up with wrong proportions. Both dinosaurs were made from the same base, just changing the proportion of the head and some details in the legs and tail.
If you like dinosaurs, check out my playlist on YouTube and try also the Velociraptor and the Brachiosaurus.
In the video tutorial I’m using 20cm x 20cm Green Tissue Foil. This paper has a beautiful texture and holds the creases very well. It’s not a complex origami and you can use small sheets too.
Standard origami paper works, but it’s not the most recommended. If you use this kind of paper, check the tips below to keep the shape (specially the last one).
This model doesn’t have any locks to keep it closed and a common problem is that the body tends to spread open. So, here are some tips to keep a better shape on your T-Rex:
Origami T-Rex diagrams available to download (PDF). If you have any trouble, watch the video tutorial!
In the video tutorial I decided to keep the flat head for this model, but it is also possible to make it 3D like I did in the velociraptor. The video below shows how to make it:
There is one step to make the head (9:03) where people sometimes find difficult to make. All you need to do is a reverse fold using the existing creases, but there are so many folds at the same time that it can be confusing for beginners. If you got stuck in this step, watch this video:
Today my YouTube channel has surpassed 700.000 subscribers! Thank you all!
Here is a brief history of my subscriber count:
27/Jul/2010 – 10k subscribers
19/Jun/2012 – 100k subscribers
21/Apr/2013 – 200k subscribers
03/Nov/2013 – 300K subscribers
30/Apr/2014 – 400K subscribers
02/Nov/2014 – 500K subscribers
23/Mar/2015 – 600k subscribers
29/Aug/2015 – 700k subscribers
I designed the origami Money Bunny from a rectangle with ratio of a dollar bill. If you like it, see also my Money Cat and Money Dog!
Designed by Jo Nakashima (11/2014)
Difficulty level: low intermediate
Recommended paper size: 20cm x 8.3cm or a dollar bill (or similar rectangle)
Diagrams: download [PDF]
On my channel there is another cute model folded from money, the Dollar Bill Hare by Barth Dunkan. In this video I also show how to cut the proper rectangle from a square sheet of paper, so use this method to prepare the paper for my Money Bunny too.
Designed by Jo Nakashima (25/Jan/2015)
Difficulty level: simple
Diagrams: download [PDF]
Designed by Jo Nakashima (6/August/2011)
Difficulty Level: simple
Time to fold it: 12 minutes
Diagrams: download [PDF]
How to make an origami Snake
Designed by Jo Nakashima (February/2010)
Difficulty level: simple
This origami snake was the first model I created, based on Yami Yamauchi’s doodlebug. It’s a modular origami and you can use as many sheets of paper as you want to make the body blocks. This is a very fun origami toy because the body is articulated between each block.
Diagrams available to download for the modular version [PDF], but single sheet version is not available.
This is a modular origami and you can choose how many units you wanna use: the more units you make, the longer will be the snake. In the video I’m using 8 units (7.5cm x 7.5cm origami paper), but I recommend 10-12.
You can also make the snake from a single sheet of paper using a long rectangle. Unfortunately there is only an old video for this version, so the image quality and instructions aren’t very good. However, I think this shouldn’t be a problem if you understand how the normal version works.
In addition, another little variation is the earthworm: the body is the same, but both ends are just closed.
Designed by Jo Nakashima – January 31, 2015
Difficulty Level: simple
Diagrams: download [PDF]
Now you can display your models with my new origami stand! It can also be used as a simple box to store small things like jewelry.
Designed by Jo Nakashima
Design date: 05/Aug/2015
Difficulty level: simple
Make small holes strategically using a needle. Then use nylon fishing line to attach the models to the stand. This image shows how I did it to the Penguin, Dragon and Chinchilla:
Stand: 12.5cm x 12.5cm
Dragon: 20cm x 20cm
Chinchilla: 20cm x 20cm
Penguin: 14cm x 14cm
For the money cat/bunny/dog you can figure out how to make the holes easily. Here are my suggested paper sizes (for the same 12.5cm x 12.5cm base):
Money Cat: 15cm x 6.5cm
Money Dog: 20cm x 8.3 cm
Money Bunny: 20cm x 8.3 cm
You’ll get better results if you avoid bending the middle area and the unnecessary creases. You can do it easily using a pen to score the paper only where a crease is really needed. Make all the creases on a heavier paper first:
So, I decided to try Patreon.
Patreon is a platform where you can support content creators like me. It’s basically like paying me a tip as a thanks for my work – and get some rewards in return. You can choose the value and, of course, you can cancel anytime.
Some people might think that making origami tutorials is easy like just fold something in front of the camera and then upload it. But it’s not the case. It is actually time-consuming and demands a lot of work:
So any help is highly appreciated 🙂
Enter this page to see more details and support my work!
https://www.patreon.com/jonakashima
How to make an origami Dragon
Designed by Jo Nakashima – 20/feb/2015
Diagrams: Download [PDF]
My origami Dragons are some of my favorite creations. They are relatively easy to fold and I liked the result a lot. The base of these models is very simple: half bird base, half frog base.
In the tutorial I’m using 20cm x 20cm Red Tissue-Foil from Origami-shop. However, it doesn’t require special paper and you can use even the standard 15cm x 15cm origami paper or copy paper.
For best results I like using the wet-folding technique on papers like Elephant Hide, Lizard Hide and Biogami.
Diagrams: Download [PDF]
The Chibi Dragon is a simplified version of my standard dragon. It’s one of the intermediary versions I made before getting to the final version. The head is very simple and it doesn’t have horns. I also decided to keep the wings and legs unshaped.
In this picture you can see how this model evolved:
There are bookmark versions for both dragons! Check out the tutorials and diagrams for the Dragon Bookmark and the Chibi Dragon Bookmark!
You can find more cool origami dragons in this playlist below. There are new versions of this dragon, like the version 3 and complex Devil Dragon.
On my shared folder on Google Drive you can find all the origami PDF diagrams and printable patterns that I made. I’m going to include future new stuff in this folder too, but from now on I’ll also post on this website to make it easier to find.
Link: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3MU-uaEmg4SRzhjaXNRY213MjA
Here you can see some sample pictures using the printable patterns found on my folder:
Tutorials:
Mario: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6AzIYGkigM
Princess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPvA1x29qy4
Toad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRL6c04Rb8o
Question mark box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5pxWdJnnYg
Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgXwSdJNks8
Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aul0SzPVsls
