Let's make it with origami! Ideas for simple 3D creations
Origami tends to be associated with flat designs, but you can actually make lots of three-dimensional pieces too.
In this article, we’ll introduce ideas for 3D origami projects.
From simple shapes like hearts, stars, and dice to small containers and toys you can play with, we’ve gathered a variety of ideas.
If you want to try making 3D origami or are looking for something a bit more challenging than flat designs, feel free to use this as a reference.
All of these ideas involve relatively simple steps, so give them a try without hesitation!
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Let's make it with origami! Ideas for simple 3D creations (31–40)
Playable! An origami box like a push pop
Here’s an idea for a Peekaboo Box that will soothe you instead of a push pop! You’ll use four sheets of origami paper to make it.
The parts you’ll make are two boxes for the exterior, a spring mechanism, and the face piece.
For the boxes, fold the sheet so the diagonal corners meet at the center, roll-fold once more, then fold in the remaining corners to form the box.
For the spring, connect strips of origami paper cut into halves to make it long, fold it in half, then accordion-fold.
For the face, fold the origami paper in thirds, cut 1 cm off the edge, and fold it into a U shape.
Connect the two boxes so there’s a slight gap between them, and attach the ends of the spring to the bottom of the lower box and the inside of the lid.
Finally, attach the face piece along the side of the lower box, and you’re done!
Cute 3D box penguinNEW!
Here’s an idea for making a 3D penguin from a single sheet of origami paper.
Fold the corners toward the center of a square, and treat those corners as the beak and hands as you continue.
First, crease the paper to create a 3×3 grid, then do a “zabuton fold.” Next, make a stepped fold on the top corner to form the beak, and use the left and right corners to form the hands.
Then mountain-fold along the vertical creases to create the head and body, and sharpen the two bottom corners to make the feet.
You’ll mainly be folding along the crease lines, so take care to make the creasing steps neatly.
Use black origami paper and cleverly make use of the white color on the back side as you work.
How to fold a jack-in-the-boxNEW!
We’ll use two boxes to make a drawer and put a spring with a pasted-on rabbit inside to create a jack-in-the-box.
For the spring, we’ll use accordion-folded origami.
To make the box, first fold the top and bottom corners of the origami to the center, then overlap the top and bottom and fold it into thirds to create crease lines.
Next, fold in the left and right sides to form the box shape.
The drawer part is basically made the same way, but if you use origami of the same size, it won’t fit, so first fold about 1 cm along two edges to reduce the size, then fold it.
Since we also want to add a handle, when folding in the right corner, fold it so that a flap sits on the top of the side as a handle.
This is a house-shaped version, so let’s also make a roof using a half sheet of origami.
A box shaped like candy
This is an adorable candy-shaped box that adds a little surprise to everyday life.
The idea involves a series of steps that create fine creases.
Using those creases, you’ll ultimately form a hexagon in the center with triangles on either side, finishing it in the shape of a candy.
Since the creases are crucial, please proceed carefully with each step.
If the creases are properly made, the shape will hold without needing tape or other fasteners.
Use polka-dot or striped origami paper for a fun, pop look.
Stylish star box
Fold the origami paper in half, then fold the right edge to align with the top and bottom edges to make a crease.
Fold the left corner to the center point of the crease, then fold it back along the crease.
Next, align the right bottom edge with the folded-back crease and fold, then fold the paper in half so the shapes overlap neatly.
Using scissors, cut off the excess along the lowest diagonal line to make a pentagon.
Open the paper and fold all the pentagon’s corners inward, then fold the newly formed corners in the same way.
Turn the paper over, make creases by folding along the straight lines that connect each corner, and use these creases to raise the sides and form a star shape.