Step 1.
Take a square sheet, lay it flat on the table, in a diamond position.
additional information
- If it is two-colored, place the colored side face down on the table.
- The corners of the square are; top, right, bottom, and left.
Step 2.
Make a valley fold, vertical, by bringing the right corner over to the left corner.
Crease well, then unfold.
Step 3.
Make a valley fold, horizontal, by bringing the bottom corner up to the top corner.
Crease well, then unfold.
additional information
- You have just marked the diagonals of the original square.
- On the sheet, you can feel that the diagonals are valley folds (the diagonal crease forms a trough).
- The intersection of the diagonals corresponds to the center of the sheet.
Step 4.
Form four valley folds to bring the four corners of the sheet to the center of the fold.
Firmly crease the folds, and leave folded.
additional information
- The folding becomes a double-thickness square with the bottom edge horizontal.
- The corners of the double-thickness square are, top left, top right, bottom right, and bottom left.
Step 5.
Turn the fold from right to left, and place it in a diamond position.
additional information
- The corners of the double-thickness square are top, right, bottom, and left.
- The front side is smooth.
- The four triangular flaps are on the table side.
Step 6.
We are going to make a fish base with this double-thickness square.
Form a vertical valley fold, bringing the left corner to the right corner.
Crease the fold well, then unfold.
Step 7.
Turn the right sheet 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.
Make a horizontal valley fold by bringing the bottom corner up to the top corner.
Crease the fold well, and leave it folded.
additional information
- The folding consists of two large triangular flaps of the same surface, double thickness, which overlap.
- These two flaps are connected by a horizontal hinge edge at the bottom.
Step 9.
Make a diagonal valley fold by bringing the front flap's right edge from right to left down along the hinge edge.
Crease the fold well, then unfold.
Step 10.
Form an oblique valley fold by bringing the left edge of the front flap from left to right downward, along the hinge edge.
Sharply crease the fold, then unfold.
Step 11.
Simultaneously bring the right and left edges of the front triangular flap from top to bottom toward the hinge edge, using the oblique valley folds starting from the bottom points.
The top peak transforms into a point that is pinched, so as to bring it vertically as the two edges approach the hinge edge.
additional information
- When the two edges are aligned on the hinge edge, the point that has formed is oriented toward the ceiling.
- We have just made a rabbit ear fold.
Step 12.
Fold the rabbit ear to the left, against the folding.
Step 13.
Turn the fold from right to left.
Then repeat the manipulations described in steps 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Step 14.
Flip 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 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 a layered diamond.
- It is surrounded by four single-layer triangular flaps.
Step 16.
Turn the folding from right to left, rotate it a quarter turn counterclockwise, and fold the two central movable flaps downward.
additional information
- The folding looks like two squares in a diamond position overlapping each other.
- We will first work on the top square.
Step 17.
Fold down the top edges along the vertical axis of symmetry.
additional information
- Our top square has become a vertically positioned kite.
- It has: a right front movable flap,
- a right back fixed flap,
- a left front movable flap,
- a left back fixed 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 front left movable flaps:
- a single thickness on the lower side,
- and a double thickness on the upper side.
Step 19.
Tilt the single-thickness movable flap inside the fold.
Step 20.
Form an oblique valley fold by bringing the lower edge of the double-thickness movable flap from bottom to top toward the right, along the vertical symmetry axis. Mark the fold well, then unfold.
Step 21.
Open the double-thickness movable flap and form a rabbit ear on the 90° single-thickness left corner. Then tilt this rabbit ear upward.
additional information
- The double-thick rabbit ear protrudes from 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-thick lower side,
- and a double-thick upper side.
Step 23.
Fold the single-thick movable flap inside the fold.
Step 24.
Make an oblique valley fold by bringing the lower edge of the double-thick movable flap from bottom to top to the left, along the vertical axis of symmetry.
Crease well, then unfold.
Step 25.
Open the double-thickness movable flap and form a rabbit ear on the right corner with a single 90° thickness. Then tilt this rabbit ear upward.
additional information
- The double-thickness rabbit ear protrudes from the folding on the right; it will become a leg.
- In the middle of the fold we find:
- Side by side, separated by a vertical slit, two independent triple-thickness movable flaps whose free tip is 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, oblique.
- Only the upper half of these diamonds is movable.
- The top tip of the fold is quadruple thickness. The vertical slit passes through the three layers at the top.
Step 26.
Rotate the folding half a turn and tilt the middle flaps currently at 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock.
Then reproduce all the manipulations described between steps 17 and 25.
additional information
- The folding is symmetrical
- If this hasn’t been done, tuck the simple-thickness middle flaps into the turtle’s belly so they no longer get in our way.
Step 27.
Make a horizontal zigzag fold on 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 with its free tip pointed 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 flap on the ceiling side.
- On the table side, the rest of the folding whose lower edge corresponds to the large base of the middle trapezoid.
Step 28.
Starting from the tip's end, begin to fold down a few millimeters of the right slanted edge of the triangular tip.
Fold down, by a few millimeters, the right slanted edge of the middle trapezoid (which has lifted).
Step 29.
Starting from the tip's end, begin to fold down a few millimeters of the left slanted edge of the triangular tip.
Fold down, by a few millimeters, the left slanted edge of the middle trapezoid (which has lifted).
additional information
- We 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 turtle's tail 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 up of three layers:
- On the ceiling side, a triangular flap whose free tip is pointing at 12 o'clock.
- In the middle, a trapezoid in 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 folding, whose upper edge corresponds to the large base of the middle trapezoid.
Step 31.
Form a swivel fold by bringing from right to left, the right oblique edge of the middle trapezoid, along the long base of the trapezoid.
Fold to the left, the right oblique edge of the triangular flap, which has lifted.
Step 32.
Form a swivel fold by bringing from left to right, the left oblique edge of the middle trapezoid, along the long base of the trapezoid.
Fold to the right, the left oblique edge of the triangular flap, which has lifted.
additional information
- Now, the initial triangular flap looks like a kind of diamond.
Step 33.
At the tip of the upper point, form a horizontal valley fold to round the head.
Step 34.
At the tips of the upper right and left points, form a horizontal mountain fold to mark the feet.
additional information
- For the moment, our turtle is on its back!
Step 35.
If the middle movable triangular flaps are oriented towards 6 o'clock, tilt 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 toward the vertical axis the right part of the right diamond.
additional information
- The fold starts near the tip of the diamond.
- The outer part of the leg is slightly lifted toward the ceiling.
Step 37.
Form a valley fold by bringing the left part of the left diamond toward the vertical axis.
additional information
- The fold starts near the top point of the diamond.
- The outer part of the flap is slightly raised toward the ceiling.
Step 38.
Tilt the middle movable triangular flaps from top to bottom and slide their movable tip under the trapezoids so that they are no longer visible.
Step 39.
Turn the folding from right to left to place the turtle on its feet.