Origami – The BasicsA David Ross Origami walkthrough of some of the basic skills you’ll need for successful origami!

• The Valley Fold is the most basic fold in Origami, and probably the easiest. You simply fold along the dotted line in a diagram. This results in a valley shape.

• The markings for this are a series of dashes with an arrow point from a corner or the side of the paper to the spot you should fold to.

• This is the easiest fold you will do when making origami but is none the less important, one thing to always remember is too push down on the fold to secure it in place, a David Ross Origami top tip is to clasp the fold in between two nails and run them down the length.

• The opposite of the Valley Fold, the Mountain fold is another easy, but essential fold for any budding Origamist.

• It can be best described as a backwards Valley Fold, when complete the paper should resemble the peak of a mountain.

• Unlike the Valley Fold, where the marking is a series of dashes, the mountain fold features alternate dashes and dots.

• It’s used mostly to crease the paper in the early stages of most origami models and is an essential skill to have.

• This is the reverse fold and it seems to cause the most trouble to those just starting origami. It’s probably the most useful and one and the technique is absolutely essential to anyone hoping to fold something that isn’t a paper plane.

• It’s a difficult one but with enough practise becomes second nature, the important thing is making that first crease. Once you do that the paper will naturally help with the next fold.

• Get enough of these under your belt and it should become pretty easy.

• Much like the reverse outside fold this is another that confuses those new to paper folding. Again, the initial crease is essential to the fold. This fold is incredibly useful when it comes to most models that feature small details, the fold also comes in handy when folding with smaller paper as it gives the paper a strong, definitive shape.

• As you can see this is a fold that is made up of a valley fold before the crucial dip you must make to complete the fold

• With these four fold’s you’ll be able to make most origami models you see on the internet, good luck!