How to make connected cranes: two-sheet variant
Connected Cranes: try all 53 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
Our two-sheet variant of connected cranes uses two separately folded squares and a glued wing-tip joint. Traditional renzuru uses one partly slit sheet; this Origami Tutor display pair uses two squares.
- You need
- Two equal squares of thin origami paper and a small amount of paper glue.
- Start
- For our two-sheet variant, start with two equal squares of thin paper, colored side up with a corner at the top. Have a little paper glue ready for the wing-tip joint.
- Tips
- Make both bird bases crisp before raising their necks.
- Let the glue set before opening the joined wings.
Your model is ready
Your two cranes stand side by side, joined at their wing tips, with both pairs of wings open.
Step-by-step diagrams
Steps 1–7
- 1
Crease a diagonal
Bring the top corner down to the bottom corner, press, and open.
- 2
Crease the other diagonal
Bring the left corner to the right corner, press, and open.
- 3
Turn over
Turn the paper over, keeping a corner pointing up.
- 4
Crease edge to edge
Fold the bottom-left edge up to the top-right edge, press, and open.
- 5
Crease the other way
Fold the bottom-right edge up to the top-left edge, press, and open.
- 6
Turn back
Turn the paper back over, keeping a corner pointing up.
- 7
Collapse into a square
Hold the bottom corner. Push the left and right corners in and down so the paper collapses along the creases into a small square, open end at the bottom.
Steps 8–14
- 8
Crease the left kite
Fold the lower left edge of the top flap to the center line, press, and open.
- 9
Crease the right kite
Fold the lower right edge of the top flap to the center line, press, and open.
- 10
Crease across the top
Fold the top down along the line joining the tops of the two kite creases, press, and open.
- 11
Petal fold
Lift the bottom corner of the top layer up along the crease across the top. The sides fold in along the kite creases and meet in the middle. Press flat.
- 12
Turn over
Turn the model over, keeping the open end at the bottom.
- 13
Crease the left kite
Fold the lower left edge of the top flap to the center line, press, and open.
- 14
Crease the right kite
Fold the lower right edge of the top flap to the center line, press, and open.
Steps 15–21
- 15
Crease across the top
Fold the top down along the line joining the tops of the two kite creases, press, and open.
- 16
Petal fold
Lift the bottom corner of the top layer up along the crease across the top. The sides fold in along the kite creases and meet in the middle. Press flat.
- 17
Turn over
Turn the model over, keeping the split points at the bottom.
- 18
Raise the neck
Inside reverse fold the left point: open the body's front and back layers a little from below, push the point up between them along the line, and press flat. The neck now comes out from between the front and back of the body, under the wings.
- 19
Raise the tail
Inside reverse fold the right point: open the body's front and back layers a little from below, push the point up between them along the line, and press flat. The tail now comes out from between the front and back of the body, under the wings.
- 20
Make the head
Inside reverse fold the tip of the neck: open the neck's layers a little at the tip, push the tip down and forward between them along the line, a short way below the point, and press flat.
- 21
Fold a wing down
Fold the front wing down along the line across the top of the body.
Steps 22–28
- 22
Turn over
Turn the crane over.
- 23
Fold the other wing down
Fold the second wing down the same way.
- 24
Turn back
Turn the crane back so the head faces left.
- 25
Crease a diagonal
Bring the top corner down to the bottom corner, press, and open.
- 26
Crease the other diagonal
Bring the left corner to the right corner, press, and open.
- 27
Turn over
Turn the paper over, keeping a corner pointing up.
- 28
Crease edge to edge
Fold the bottom-left edge up to the top-right edge, press, and open.
Steps 29–35
- 29
Crease the other way
Fold the bottom-right edge up to the top-left edge, press, and open.
- 30
Turn back
Turn the paper back over, keeping a corner pointing up.
- 31
Collapse into a square
Hold the bottom corner. Push the left and right corners in and down so the paper collapses along the creases into a small square, open end at the bottom.
- 32
Crease the left kite
Fold the lower left edge of the top flap to the center line, press, and open.
- 33
Crease the right kite
Fold the lower right edge of the top flap to the center line, press, and open.
- 34
Crease across the top
Fold the top down along the line joining the tops of the two kite creases, press, and open.
- 35
Petal fold
Lift the bottom corner of the top layer up along the crease across the top. The sides fold in along the kite creases and meet in the middle. Press flat.
Steps 36–42
- 36
Turn over
Turn the model over, keeping the open end at the bottom.
- 37
Crease the left kite
Fold the lower left edge of the top flap to the center line, press, and open.
- 38
Crease the right kite
Fold the lower right edge of the top flap to the center line, press, and open.
- 39
Crease across the top
Fold the top down along the line joining the tops of the two kite creases, press, and open.
- 40
Petal fold
Lift the bottom corner of the top layer up along the crease across the top. The sides fold in along the kite creases and meet in the middle. Press flat.
- 41
Turn over
Turn the model over, keeping the split points at the bottom.
- 42
Raise the neck
Inside reverse fold the left point: open the body's front and back layers a little from below, push the point up between them along the line, and press flat. The neck now comes out from between the front and back of the body, under the wings.
Steps 43–49
- 43
Raise the tail
Inside reverse fold the right point: open the body's front and back layers a little from below, push the point up between them along the line, and press flat. The tail now comes out from between the front and back of the body, under the wings.
- 44
Make the head
Inside reverse fold the tip of the neck: open the neck's layers a little at the tip, push the tip down and forward between them along the line, a short way below the point, and press flat.
- 45
Fold a wing down
Fold the front wing down along the line across the top of the body.
- 46
Turn over
Turn the crane over.
- 47
Fold the other wing down
Fold the second wing down the same way.
- 48
Turn back
Turn the crane back so the head faces left.
- 49
Turn the first crane inward
Turn the first crane inward so one wing points toward the second crane.
Steps 50–53
- 50
Overlap the wing tips
Turn the second crane inward, bringing its inner wing tip over the first tip.
- 51
Glue the touching wing tips
Put a small dab of paper glue between the overlapping tips. Press the two exposed skins together and let the glue set.
- 52
Release the joined wings
Keep the first body steady and open its wings. Release the second pair past flat so both bodies come to the same side of their wings. Keep the glued tips together.
- 53
Stand the joined pair
Turn the joined pair upright. Both bodies hang below their level wings, with their necks and tails raised.
- ✓
Finish
Your two cranes stand side by side, joined at their wing tips, with both pairs of wings open.
Fold next
Crane ↗
The crane begins with a square base. Two petal folds turn it into a bird base with separate points for the neck and tail; the broad flaps become the wings. Work through one side of the body before repeating the narrowing folds on the back.
Swan ↗
The traditional kite-base swan, with a pointed tail, a long neck and a small head.
Pig ↗
The traditional kindergarten pig, recorded in 1863. It stands on four pointed feet, with a raised tail and a short snout.
Japanese rabbit ↗
The cupboard-base Japanese rabbit recorded in 1935, with long ears and a small turned-up tail. Fold its broad head, narrow ears, body and reversed tail.