How to make a paper jack-o'-lantern cutout
Paper Jack-o'-lantern Cutout: try all 8 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
An Origami Tutor jack-o'-lantern: fold a square in half, cut a round pumpkin, then snip triangle eyes, a nose and a toothy grin from the folds. Open it to see the whole face.
- You need
- Thin paper, a pencil, a ruler and scissors.
- Start
- Begin with a 12 cm square of orange paper, colored side up. Keep an edge at the top.
Your model is ready
Smooth both folds flat. Tape the jack-o'-lantern in a window so light shines through its face, or glue yellow paper behind it to make the face glow. The finished jack-o'-lantern, with its face showing.
Step-by-step diagrams
- 1
Fold the square in half
Bring the left edge to the right edge. Match the corners and press the vertical fold. Keep the folded edge on the left.
- 2
Cut the pumpkin outline
Begin on the folded edge at the top of the stem. Cut down the stem, out over the top of the first lobe, and round the big side lobe. Come back along the bottom, dip between the lobes, and end on the folded edge below. Keep the pumpkin beside the fold.
- 3
Fold through the eye
Fold the round side of the pumpkin over toward the centre fold, along an up-and-down line through the middle of where the eye goes.
- 4
Cut half an eye
Start on the new fold, a little above the middle. Cut down and away from the fold, then straight back to the fold. This half triangle opens into a whole eye.
- 5
Open the eye fold
Open the small fold again. A triangle eye looks out through the pumpkin.
- 6
Cut half a nose
Below the eye, cut a small half triangle from the centre fold.
- 7
Cut half a grin
Lower down, cut the grin from the centre fold: along the top lip with one tooth hanging down, up to the corner of the mouth, then back along the curved bottom lip to the fold.
- 8
Open the pumpkin
Open the centre fold carefully. Both eyes, the nose and the grin appear.
- ✓
Finish
Smooth both folds flat. Tape the jack-o'-lantern in a window so light shines through its face, or glue yellow paper behind it to make the face glow. The finished jack-o'-lantern, with its face showing.
Fold next
Fold-and-cut paper bat ↗
Fold one book crease, cut two ears and matching scalloped wings through both layers, then open a flat Halloween bat.
Fold-and-cut paper ghost ↗
A book fold and three cuts make a single white ghost with raised arms and a pointed sheet hem. Open it flat and draw a face.
Fold-and-cut paper pumpkin ↗
An Origami Tutor pumpkin: fold a square in half, cut one scalloped outline through both layers, then open a round pumpkin with three lobes and a stem.
Fold-and-cut paper witch's hat ↗
An Origami Tutor witch's hat: fold a square in half, cut one outline through both layers, then open a tall pointed hat with a wide brim.