How to make a lucky cat papercraft cutout
Lucky Cat Papercraft (Cutout): try all 5 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
An Origami Tutor lucky cat for Lunar New Year: fold a square in half, cut a coin and a bell window and one outline through both layers, then open a seated cat with both paws raised.
- You need
- Thin paper, a pencil, a ruler and scissors.
- Start
- Begin with a 12 cm square of red or white paper, colored side up. Keep an edge at the top.
Your model is ready
Smooth the centre fold flat. Draw two eyes, a nose and whiskers with a dark pen, and color the coin gold if you like. Stand the cat up against a card, or tape it in a window. The finished lucky cat, with a paw raised on each side of its head.
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 coin window
Cut a tall half oval out from the folded edge and back to it, low on the cat's chest. This opens into the coin.
- 3
Cut the bell window
Cut a small half circle out from the folded edge, just above the coin, for the bell on the collar.
- 4
Cut the cat outline
Begin on the folded edge at the top of the head. Cut out to the first ear, up round its point and down the other side, round the cheek and down the neck. Cut out and up round the raised paw and down its outer side, then round the body to the folded edge at the bottom. Keep the cat beside the fold.
- 5
Open the cat
Open the centre fold carefully. The two halves meet down the middle of the cat.
- ✓
Finish
Smooth the centre fold flat. Draw two eyes, a nose and whiskers with a dark pen, and color the coin gold if you like. Stand the cat up against a card, or tape it in a window. The finished lucky cat, with a paw raised on each side of its head.
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Chinese window flower (chuanghua) ↗
An Origami Tutor window flower: fold a red square twice, make four cuts through four layers, then open a round flower with eight scalloped petals.
Fu blessing diamond cutout ↗
An Origami Tutor red diamond for Lunar New Year: cut the blessing character 福 through its centre one stroke at a time, by folding on each stroke and snipping half of it from the fold, then fold the diamond into a quarter triangle, cut a bead near each point and a round bite from each edge, then open it.
Fold-and-cut red lantern with tassel ↗
An Origami Tutor Lunar New Year lantern: fold a red square in half, cut a window and one outline through both layers, then open a flat lantern with two caps and a tassel.