How to Make an Origami Monkey

From LoveToKnow Origami

Learning how to make an origami monkey is a lesson in patience and persistence, but the results are more than worth the effort. If you have ever viewed an online gallery of origami art, it may be hard to believe that every origami model is built using the same basic folding techniques.

Make an origami monkey using colorful patterned origami paper.

When following origami instructions, you will find that each set of diagrams will have lines and arrows denoting the individual folds. After some practice, the diagrams will make sense and you will be creating your own origami sculptures while singing the praises of the inventors of this wonderful art form. Origami is addictive; you will know you are hooked when you can't help yourself from folding every piece of square paper you come across.

Origami Basics

If you are not familiar with origami, it is important to understand the basic major folds involved in creating origami models before attempting an origami monkey. Once you have practiced these folds and gained a basic understanding of the process, you should be able to make some simple origami models like a wolf and the iconic origami crane. Working on a variety of simple designs like fish and doves will help you become adept at folding.

It is unusual for a beginner to fold a perfect model the first time. Once you have mastered some of the simple origami models, it's time to attempt your first monkey. Just don't give up in frustration when your monkey looks more like a bear. Remember that only practice makes perfect!

Origami Folds Glossary

The first step in learning how to make an origami monkey is to study origami diagram sets to gain an understanding of the folds and their relationship to each other, and how each individual fold is denoted in the diagrams. Gaining a thorough understanding of the lines and arrows which denote folds is essential.

Once you are ready, get started practicing all the folds with squares of thin practice paper. Once you have mastered your basic folds, graduate to using authentic origami paper available at stationery and crafts stores, or download and print your own from Konnichiwa.

The following are descriptions of some basic folds and how they are denoted in origami diagram sets – keep in mind that nearly all folds are combinations of the valley and mountain folds.

Valley fold means to fold the paper towards yourself and is denoted by a dashed line and a normal line-arrow.
Mountain fold means fold behind along the line away from yourself. This is represented by a dash-dot-dash line and hollow arrow. Some books represent it as a dash-dot-dot-dash line.
Unfolding an earlier step will be indicated by a double hollow arrow and the unfolding instruction is also used to indicate to pull out some paper
Fold and unfold, also known as creasing, means to gather a valley fold and unfold in one step. It is indicated by a dashed line and normal line-arrow (valley fold arrow) on one end in the direction you fold and a double hollow arrow (unfold arrow) on the other in the direction you unfold.
A pleat consists of a valley fold and a mountain fold which is indicated by a zigzag under the diagram which will show the order of the layers after pleating.
Rabbit ear fold is a combination of three valley folds and one mountain fold. In a rabbit ear fold, a corner of the paper is pinched in half to form a new point, which looks somewhat like a rabbit's ear.
To make the petal fold, first pre-fold both layers of paper along the valley and mountain folds. The petal fold lifts a point and brings it upwards so that the two edges of the point lie together.

Instructions for How To Make an Origami Monkey

There are several different designs for an origami monkey. Design styles range from macaques, baboons, monkey and chimpanzee masks and heads, mother and child monkeys, monkeys on all fours, and monkeys and apes walking upright. All are fascinating origami creations requiring different levels of paper folding skill. As a paper folder, you are striving to capture the spirit of a monkey with your origami creation. Monkey characteristics like a long curling tail, flat nose, large eyes, and extra long front arms can be used to great effect in an origami monkey design.

With so many design variations for making an origami monkey, it's fun to learn as many as you can. The following online resources provide diagram sets and easy-to-follow instructions for making your own barrel of origami monkeys:

Robin Glynn's diagram sets are clear and easy to follow for a full body monkey.
The origami monkey and the mountain video and full diagram set is fun for all ages.
Look through this fascinating gallery for some interesting monkey ideas and origami book resources.
Yet another monkey design in an easy to follow slide show.
YouTube has many different origami monkey video tutorials. This one is intended for novice paper folders.