How to Fold an Origami Heart

Origami is an intriguing paper-folding art form. Folding a heart shape is relatively simple, yet it holds great potential for meaningful use. You can create this heart as a gift for Valentine's Day, as a decorative item, a romantic keepsake, or to adorn any paper craft you make.

Start with a standard A4 sheet of paper. You may also use a 15 cm x 15 cm square piece of Origami paper. It's recommended to use thinner paper as thicker paper can be harder to fold and may not hold the crease well.

• If you're new to folding, avoid using very small pieces of paper as they can make the task more difficult and frustrating. For larger hearts, opt for a bigger sheet of paper.
• If you'd like to draw a design on your heart, divide the shape in half while drawing so that the design ends up in the center of the heart. You can also add decoration after you've folded the heart.

Flip the paper over to the white side. Next, fold the top-right corner down and align it with the left edge of the paper. Unfold and repeat the same fold for the remaining top corner; do not unfold this one.

• If you're using A4 paper instead of Origami paper (which has one white side), don't worry about flipping it to the white side.

Fold the remaining bottom section of the paper in half. Make sure the white side (or inner side) of the paper is not visible.

• Make crisp folds by pressing your fingernail along each crease. These crisp folds and creases will enhance the final look of your creation.

Unfold the top paper fold and flip the paper to the other side. You should now see two creases forming the diagonal lines of a square.

Create a horizontal fold. Fold the top part of the paper downward horizontally, aligning it so the crease runs through the intersection of the two diagonal lines. Then unfold it.

Flip the paper to the other side again. Hold the right and left edges (where the horizontal crease is) and pull them toward the center. As you pull the edges in, two additional creases will form. Keep pulling the edges until they meet at the center.

• You might need to fold multiple times to form a pyramid shape, especially if you're new to Origami. The final shape should have a triangle on top of a rectangle at the bottom.

Fold the bottom-left corner of the top triangle to meet the top point of the triangle. Fold only the top layer, not both layers of the paper. Repeat the same for the other side; you will now have a diamond shape.

Fold the edges towards the diamond's sides. Take the left edge of the paper (not part of the diamond from the previous step) and fold it towards the center so that it meets the side of the diamond. Repeat the same with the right edge.

Create a vertical fold. Fold the entire shape in half vertically, then unfold and flip the paper to the other side.

Fold the bottom corners upwards. Take both bottom corners and fold them up until they meet in the center of the paper. Ensure that the bottom edge aligns with the vertical crease running down the paper.

Fold the top wings down. Fold the large triangle-shaped wing at the top down as far as it will go, and you will notice a horizontal line formed. Now, you should have three separate wings at the top, two small ones and one large one. Fold the large wing down.

Insert the corners. Tuck the two corners you just folded up from the bottom edge of the paper into the slots of the recently folded triangular wings.

Fold the top points down. Fold the remaining two top wings at an angle downwards.

Continue tucking in the corners. Tuck the corners of the two smaller wings you just folded down into the slots of the larger wing.

Examine the heart you just folded. You now have your very own Origami heart.

• It’s best to start with a smaller piece of paper, as you might make an error in one step and end up having to fold and unfold multiple times.
• Carefully check the instructional images before folding to reduce unnecessary creases on the paper.
• Practice makes perfect. If you’re new to Origami, this might be tricky, and you may not succeed on your first try.
• You can place the heart inside an Origami box and gift it to someone.
• You can mark the "inside" and follow the instructions to conceal it.

• Be careful when cutting paper!

• A rectangular sheet of paper (Letter size 22cm x 28cm, A4 size, or a 15cm x 15cm Origami sheet)
• Drawing tools (Markers, Colored Chalk, Colored Pencils) (Optional)