Materials: a pair of scissors. A paperclip can also be used, but it is optional.
Step 1.
Take a square sheet of paper, lay it flat on the table, in a diamond position.
additional information
- If it is two-colored, place the colored table side.
- The corners of the square are: top, right, bottom, and left.
Step 2.
Make a valley fold, vertical, by bringing the right corner to the left corner.
Crease well, then unfold.
Step 3.
Make a valley fold, horizontal, by bringing the bottom corner to the top corner.
Crease well, then unfold.
additional information
- We have just marked the diagonals of the original square.
- On the sheet, you can feel that the diagonals are in a valley (the fold of the diagonals forms a trough)
- The intersection of the diagonals corresponds to the center of the sheet.
Step 4.
Make four valley folds to bring the four corners of the sheet to the center of the fold.
Score the folds well, and leave it folded.
additional information
- The fold becomes a double-thick square with the bottom edge horizontal.
- The corners of the double-thick square are, top left, top right, bottom right, and bottom left.
Step 5.
Turn the model over from right to left, and place it in a diamond position.
additional information
- The corners of the double-thick square are, top, right, bottom, and left.
- The front side is smooth.
- The four triangular flaps are facing the table.
Step 6.
We are going to make a fish base with this double-thick square.
Form a vertical valley fold, bringing from left to right, the left corner onto the right corner.
Crease well, then unfold.
Step 7.
Turn the model over from right to left.
additional information
- The four triangular flaps are on the ceiling side.
- The square is still in diamond position.
- The vertical diagonal is a mountain fold (it forms a bump).
Step 8.
Form a horizontal valley fold, bringing from bottom to top, the bottom corner onto the top corner.
Crease well, and let it stay folded.
additional information
- The fold consists of two large triangular flaps of the same area, double thickness that overlap.
- These two flaps are connected by a horizontal hinge edge at the bottom.
- The ceiling side and the table side faces are smooth.
Step 9.
Form an oblique valley fold by bringing the right edge of the front flap from right to left downwards, along the hinge edge.
Crease well, then unfold.
Step 10.
Form an oblique valley fold by bringing the left edge of the front flap from left to right downwards, along the hinge edge.
Crease well, then unfold.
Step 11.
Simultaneously bring the right and left edges of the front triangular flap from top to bottom towards the hinge edge, using the oblique valley folds starting from the bottom points.
The top peak turns into a point that is pinched, so as to bring it to a vertical position, as the two edges approach the hinge edge.
additional information
- When the right and left edges of the front flap are aligned with the hinge edge, the tip that has formed is pointing towards the ceiling.
- We have just made a rabbit ear fold.
Step 12.
Fold the rabbit ear to the left, against the fold.
Step 13.
Turn the model over from right to left.
Then repeat the actions described in steps 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Step 14.
Tilt the front flap from top to bottom around the horizontal axis of symmetry to open the fold.
additional information
- The small movable flaps of the fish base are on the table side.
- The fold is a diamond shape in a horizontal position.
- The front face consists of four single-layer triangular flaps that meet at the center of the fold.
Step 15.
Unfold the four single-layer triangular flaps.
additional information
- The central part of the fold is an extra-thick rhombus.
- It is surrounded by four single-layer triangular flaps.
Step 16.
Turn the model over from right to left, rotate it a quarter turn counterclockwise,
And tilt the two central movable flaps downward.
additional information
- The fold looks like two squares in a diamond position overlapping each other.
- We will first work on the upper square.
Step 17.
Fold down the upper edges along the vertical axis of symmetry.
additional information
- Our upper square has become a vertically positioned kite.
- It has: a right front movable flap,
- A right rear fixed flap,
- A left front movable flap,
- A fixed left rear flap.
- The upper part of the movable flaps is double thickness while the lower part is single thickness.
Step 18.
Starting from the left tip of the left movable flap, cut a notch along the horizontal line that marks the change in thickness.
additional information
- We now have two left front movable flaps:
- A single thickness lower side,
- And a double thickness upper side.
Step 19.
Fold the single-thickness movable flap inward in the model.
Step 20.
Form a oblique valley fold, bringing from bottom to top towards the right, the lower edge of the double-thickness movable flap, along the vertical axis of symmetry.
Well define the fold, then unfold.
Step 21.
Open the double-layer movable flap and form a rabbit ear on the top left corner at a 90° single layer.
Then fold this rabbit ear upwards.
additional information
- The double-layer rabbit ear extends beyond the fold on the left; it will become a leg.
Step 22.
Starting from the right tip of the right movable flap, cut a notch along the horizontal line that marks the change in thickness.
additional information
- We now have two right front movable flaps:
- A single layer on the lower side,
- And a double layer on the upper side.
Step 23.
Fold the single-layer movable flap inside the fold.
Step 24.
Make a valley fold at an angle, bringing the lower edge of the double-layer movable flap from bottom to top toward the left, along the vertical centerline.
Crease well, then unfold.
Step 25.
Open the double-layer movable flap and form a rabbit ear on the right 90° corner of single layer.
Then flip this rabbit ear upwards.
additional information
- The double-layer rabbit ear extends beyond the fold on the right; it will become a leg.
- In the middle of the fold you will find:
- Side by side separated by a vertical slit, two independent triple-layer movable flaps with the free tip oriented at 6 o'clock. They correspond to the movable flaps of the fish base.
- Just above, side by side separated by a vertical slit, two smaller double-thickness flaps in a diamond shape, slanted.
- Only the upper half of these diamonds is movable.
- The upper tip of the fold is quadruple thickness. The vertical slit goes through the top three layers.
Step 26.
Rotate the model halfway around and tilt the middle flaps currently at 12 o'clock toward 6 o'clock.
Then repeat all the manipulations described between steps 17 and 25.
additional information
- The fold is symmetrical
- If it hasn’t been done, place the small single-thickness middle flaps inside the turtle’s body so that they no longer get in the way.
Step 27.
Make a horizontal zigzag fold at the lower tip to form the tail.
additional information
- The first valley fold directs the turtle's tail toward 12 o'clock.
- The second valley fold repositions it toward 6 o'clock.
- The length of the tail has been reduced.
- The lower part consists of three layers:
- on the ceiling side, a triangular flap whose free tip is oriented at 6 o'clock.
- In the middle, a trapezoid in a horizontal position, whose small base is the hinge edge that connects it to the ceiling-side flap.
- On the table side, the rest of the model, whose lower edge corresponds to the large base of the middle trapezoid.
Step 28.
Starting from the tip, begin to fold down a few millimeters along the right oblique edge of the triangular tip.
Fold down a few millimeters along the right oblique edge of the middle trapezoid (which has lifted).
Step 29.
Starting from the tip's extremity, begin folding down by a few millimeters the left oblique edge of the triangular tip.
Fold down, by a few millimeters, the left oblique edge of the middle trapezoid (which has lifted).
additional information
- We have reduced the width of the base of the triangular flap to form the tail.
Step 30.
Make a horizontal zigzag fold on the top tip to begin forming the head.
additional information
- The first valley fold directs the top tip towards 6 o'clock.
- The second valley fold repositions it towards 12 o'clock.
- The length of the initial tip has been reduced.
- The upper part is made of three layers:
- on the ceiling side, a triangular flap whose free tip is pointed at 12 o'clock.
- In the middle, a trapezoid in a horizontal position, whose small base is the hinge edge that connects it to the flap on the ceiling side.
- On the table side, the rest of the model, whose top edge corresponds to the large base of the middle trapezoid.
Step 31.
Make a pivot fold by bringing from right to left the right slanted edge of the middle trapezoid along the large base of the trapezoid.
Fold to the left the right slanted edge of the triangular flap, which has lifted up.
Step 32.
Make a pivot fold by bringing from left to right the left slanted edge of the middle trapezoid along the large base of the trapezoid.
Fold to the right the left slanted edge of the triangular flap, which has lifted up.
additional information
- At this point, the original triangular flap resembles a kind of diamond.
Step 33.
At the tip of the top point, make a horizontal valley fold to round the head.
Step 34.
At the ends of the right and left top points, make a horizontal mountain fold to mark the feet.
additional information
- For the moment, our turtle is on its back!
Step 35.
If the movable middle triangular flaps are oriented towards 6 o'clock, flip them towards 12 o'clock to be able to work on the turtle's hind legs.
additional information
- For the moment, the hind legs are represented by two diamonds side by side, one on the right and the other on the left of the vertical slit that corresponds to the vertical axis of symmetry.
- only the lower half of these diamonds is movable.
Step 36.
Form a valley fold by bringing the right part of the right diamond towards the vertical axis.
additional information
- The fold starts near the top point of the diamond.
- The outer part of the leg is slightly raised towards the ceiling.
Step 37.
Form a valley fold by bringing the left part of the left diamond towards the vertical axis.
additional information
- The fold starts near the top point of the diamond.
- The outer part of the leg is slightly raised towards the ceiling.
Step 38.
Tilt the middle movable triangular flaps from top to bottom and slide their movable tips under the trapezoids so that they are no longer visible.
additional information
- They can also be crossed and held together with a paperclip. This solution has the advantage of giving volume to the shell.
Step 39.
Turn the model over from right to left to place the turtle on its feet.