Western Dragon V3 - 2011

Difficulty: ***** super-complex

Recommended starting size: 20 inches (50 cm)
Finished size: 5 1/2 inches tall (14 cm)
Expected time needed to fold: 7 hours

1. Colored side up. 2. Pinch in half and unfold. 3. Pinch and unfold.
Fold and unfold.

4. Pinch and unfold. 5. Fold and unfold. 6. Fold and unfold.

Shuki Kato - Western Dragon 1.

7. Kite-fold behind. 8. Fold and unfold. 9. Fold and unfold.

10. Fold and unfold. 11. Close up. 12. Fold and unfold the
small point into sixths.

13. Unfold. 14. Fold and unfold. 15. Fold and unfold.

16. Fold and unfold. 17. Fold and unfold. 18. Fold and unfold. Turn over.

Shuki Kato - Western Dragon 2.

 19. Fold and unfold. 20. Fold and unfold. 21. Rabbit-ear the corner.

22. Valley-fold the corner. 23. Turn over. 24. Rabbit-ear the corners
on existing creases.

25. Fold and unfold. 26. Fold and unfold into thirds, 27. Like this. Unfold everything.
crease through all layers.

28. Extend and reform 29. Fold and unfold. 30. Pleat along the center.
the previous creases.

Shuki Kato - Western Dragon 3.

 45°

31. Fold behind. Rotate 32. Sink both sides in on existing creases. 33. Fold one layer to the left.
clockwise 45°.

34. Fold and unfold the top layers 35. Zoom in. 36. Crease where shown
into sixths. Use the previous through the first two layers.
creases to help with alignment.

37. Crease where shown 38. Fold the flap to the left. 39. Add the same
through only one layer. creases on this side.

40. Fold the flap 41. Open-sink in and out on existing 42. Begin to squash-fold.
back to the right. creases. The creases do not need
to extend to the edge, but are drawn
that way in the next steps.

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 43. Petal-fold. Fold the 44. Fold to the right 45. Fold to the left.
excess paper to the right. noting the reference.

46. Unfold. 47. Open-sink in and out. 48. Sink (spread-sink and close
back up) the small corner.

49. Fold one layer to the left. 50. Fold and unfold. 51. Open-sink.

52. Squash-fold. 53. Petal-fold. 54. Open sink the edge in and
out and flatten completely.

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 55. Fold down. 56. Like this. Turn over. 57. Fold one layer to the right.

42-55

58. Repeat steps 59. Fold one layer 60. Spread-sink the edge. 61. Reverse-fold
42-55 on this side. to the left. the edges.

62. Fold two layers 63. Fold the assembly of 64. Fold the top edge down 65. Pull the top layer up while
to the right. layers to the left, the model so that it points straight out. squeezing the sides in extending
will not lie flat. Repeat behind. Repeat behind. a central mountain-fold.

66. Like this. 67. Fold the flap up while 68. In progress.
reverse-folding two edges

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 69. Open both sides. 70. Reverse-fold in and out.
These flaps will not lie flat
for some time to come.
73. Fold over as far as possible, 74. Fold back along
squashing a hidden edge. the center line.
71. Sink in and out on existing 72. Close the sides back up.
creases. The sinks must be
performed simultaneously and
form accordion-like folds at
the base.
75. Unfold. 76. Closed sink.
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 73-77

77. Fold to the center. 78. Repeat steps 79. Fold and unfold 80. Fold and unfold.
73-77 on the left. then zoom in.

81. Fold and unfold. 82. Reverse fold. 83. Swivel-fold to the left. 84. Bring one layer in front.

85. Squash-fold. 86. Fold up. 87. Squash-fold. 88. Petal-fold.

Zoom in again.

89. Fold down. 90. Sink inside. 91. Lift the edge and 92. Squash-fold.
fold over to the right.

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 87-91

93. Repeat steps 94. Squash-fold. 95. Petal-fold. 96. Unwrap the top layer.
87-91 on the left.

97. Squash-fold. 98. Reverse-fold both sides. 99. Fold up as 100. Unwrap the top layers.
far as possible.

101. Rabbit-ear 102. Sink the sides in 103. Mountain-fold the top layer 104. Turn over.
both corners. on existing creases. and valley-fold the second one.

105. Fold the small flap down. 106. Fold and unfold 107. Open-sink both sides. 108. Fold the remaining
the top edge. edges behind.

109. Narrow the legs 110. Fold the hidden layers down. 111. Swivel-fold the edges down. 112. Fold the edges back up.
and tail simultaneously.

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113. Sink the small edges 114. Fold and unfold. 115. Reverse-fold
(or just mountain-fold them).

114-117
114-117

116. Reverse-fold. 117. Reverse-fold. 118. Repeat steps 114-117

on the next 2 flaps.

120. Fold the wing up while swiveling the arm down.

90°

119. Fold in half and

rotate clockwise 90°. 121. Pull out the three narrow edges.

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 122. Carefully release the top 123. Pull the top layer down, you will need 124. Close back up, incorporating two
layer and bring it to the right. to release some paper at the neck. reverse-folds at the base of the wing.

125. Sink in on existing creases. 126. Sink in on existing creases. 127A. The creases 127B. ...to this.
This is a litte more complicated, go from this...
so check out the next step for details.

128. Fold the farthest edge of the wing down. 129. Bring some paper in front. 130. Swivel-fold up.

131. Fold the top layer down. 132. Pull out a trapped edge (unsink). 133. Fold inside.

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 134. Mountain-fold and unfold 135. Mountain-fold the lower edge of 136. Closed-sink the bottom
along angle bisectors. the wing and reverse-fold the edge above. edge and reverse-fold the
other one into the new pocket.

120-138

114-118

137. Tuck the top layers 138. Repeat steps 114-118 on the arms. 139. Repeat steps 120-138 behind.
into the new pockets.

x12

140. Zoom in on the head. 141. Perform a ton of

connected reverse-folds.

142. Sink the second layer 143. Fold and unfold. 144. Open-sink. 145. Spread-sink.
on the side and pull out
some paper below.

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 146. Fold 2 layers up. 147. Open-sink. 148. Fold and unfold. 149. Open up.

150. Begin to collapse. 151. Fold up, this is 152. Collapse back down. 153. Fold 2 more layers up.
actually a straight line.

x6
142-155
142-145

154. Fepeat steps 142- 155. Fold all the layers back down. 156. Repeat steps 157. Now perform a
145 on the next layer. 142-155 behind. series of connected
outside reverse-folds.

158. Pleat the top layer only. 160. Fold and unfold.

159. Unfold.

161. Open-sink. 162. Begin to spread-sink the edge. 163. Push the sides in on existing
creases and swing the long flap up.

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164. Fold down and incorporate a pleat. 165. Fold and unfold. 166. Open-sink. 167. Fold the sunken layers down.

158-164

168. Repeat steps 158- 169. Fold a couple layers 170. Carefully invert the 171. Fold the point to the right.
164 on the next edge. up and open the pocket. pocket and bring it to the side.

172. Close back up. 173. Fold the first 174. Reverse-fold the next 175. Fold two layers (including
point to the right. point to the right as you the small one) down.
fold some layers down.

158-176
90°

176. Reverse-fold the next 177. Like this. Repeat 178. Fold half of 179. Squash-fold evenly.
point into the last one. steps 158-176 behind. the layers up behind. Rotate clockwise 90°.

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 180. Pull the edges out 181. Fold behind (this 182. Unsink one layer. 183. Pull the top point
while you fold down. point is unused). up as far as possible.

184. Fold one layer to the right. 185. Fold two points up . 186. Bring one layer 187. Fold and unfold like
in front (unsink). you did in steps 158-159.

188. Open-sink the top edge. 189. Open-sink the next edge. 190. Begin to spread 191. Untrap and fold
-sink the edge. one edge to the left.

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 192. Release some 193. Push the sides in and 194. Close back up. 195. Fold the first point down.
paper from the left. swing the long flap to the right.

185-195

196. Fold the long 197. Repeat steps 198. Open the center pocket. 199. Invert the
flap to the left. 185-195 on this side. pocket and fold up.

200. In progress. Pull 201. Swivel the edge as you 202. Pull out a hidden edge. 203. Swivel the edge as
a loose edge out and swing the large flap to the left. you squash the large flap.
flatten it to the right.

204. Squash-fold. 205. Swivel inside. 206. Swivel and 207. Reverse-fold the
close back up. point out to the side.

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 204-207

208. Repeat steps 204 209. Fold up. 210. Fold the corners in. 211. Fold to the sides while
-207 on the right. incorporating a tiny reverse-fold
on the first layer (skip the reverse
-fold if the figure is too small).

212. Fold the top point 213. Fold behind. 214. Swivel behind. 215. Fold behind to
down in between the eyes. lock the last fold.

90°

216. Fold the model back in half 217. Reverse-fold 218. Add some final details. 219. Like this.
and rotate counterclockwise 90°. the jaw down.

220. Crimp the hips down. 221. Fold the edges inside.

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 222. Fold the edge of the 223. Shape the wing with gentle
wing inward and zoom in. valley and mountain-folds.

222-224

224. Reverse-fold the claw on the wing,

fold it down, and shape the wings further. 225. Repeat steps 222-
224 on the other wing

226. Like this. Now focus 227. Squeeze the arms in

on the arms and legs. and crimp (or pleat) the legs.

Shuki Kato - Western Dragon 18.

 228. Crimp the arms and spread out the 229. Outside reverse-fold each
claws. Repeat similarly on the legs. claw (only two are shown).

230. Like this. 231. Crimp the neck and tail.

232. Add a couple rabbit-ears for 233. Model complete.

spikes and shape the model to taste.

Shuki Kato - Western Dragon 19.