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Origami Pencil Decoration

A slim paper pencil with a folded point and contrasting tip. Follow the moving paper, read every illustrated step or print the one-page guide.

Preparation + 10 numbered steps

Materials

1.5 × 6-inch rectangle · 1.5 × 6 inches

One 1.5 × 6-inch strip (3.81 × 15.24 cm) of thin two-color paper. Cut a 6-inch square into four equal strips before starting if needed; only one strip is used. Ruler and pencil for preparation. No glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Origami Pencil Decoration: a slim paper pencil with a folded point and contrasting tip
A slim paper pencil with a folded point and contrasting tip

Follow along

Preparation

The interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.

Camera only; does not change the fold.
Help · controls & diagram

Play or drag the progress slider to watch a fold from 0% to 100%. Use the view buttons or drag the diagram to look from another angle.

Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange identifies the moving layers and hinge.

With the diagram focused: Space plays or pauses, ←/→ change steps, and Home resets.

Every step, at a glance

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange identifies the moving layers and hinge.

  1. 0. Prepare the narrow strip
  2. 1. Crease the lengthwise center
  3. 2. Reopen the strip
  4. 3. Fold the first tip corner
  5. 4. Turn the strip over
  6. 5. Fold the contrasting tip band
  7. 6. Turn back to the plain side
  8. 7. Narrow the pencil body
  9. 8. Sharpen the left side
  10. 9. Sharpen the right side
  11. 10. Show the finished pencil
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the narrow strip

    PREPARATION · Linked complete construction reference

    Prepare the narrow strip

    Place the 6-inch length vertically, with the pencil-body color underneath.

    Layers: One prepared rectangle, one quarter of a 6-inch square.

    Check: The strip is 1.5 inches wide and 6 inches long.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease the lengthwise center

    STEP 1 · Linked complete construction reference

    Crease the lengthwise center

    Bring the right long edge to the left long edge. Press the fold.

    Layers: Move the whole right half.

    Check: The long edges coincide.

    Explore this step ↑
  3. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldReopen the strip

    STEP 2 · Linked complete construction reference

    Reopen the strip

    Open the fold completely.

    Layers: Return the same half to the table.

    Check: A straight crease runs down the middle.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the first tip corner

    STEP 3 · Linked complete construction reference

    Fold the first tip corner

    Fold the top left corner down and right so the short top edge of the left half lies on the center crease.

    Layers: Move the small upper left triangle only.

    Check: The left corner reaches the center, 3/4 inch below the top.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn the strip over

    STEP 4 · Linked complete construction reference

    Turn the strip over

    Turn the whole strip from side to side.

    Layers: Keep the small triangle closed underneath.

    Check: The clipped corner is now on the upper right.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the contrasting tip band

    STEP 5 · Linked complete construction reference

    Fold the contrasting tip band

    Fold the upper left corner diagonally across to the right edge, landing 1.5 inches below the original top. Press the whole diagonal fold.

    Layers: Carry every layer above the diagonal, including the earlier corner fold.

    Check: A small pointed top sits above a contrasting diagonal band.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn back to the plain side

    STEP 6 · Linked complete construction reference

    Turn back to the plain side

    Turn the strip over again.

    Layers: Carry all folded layers.

    Check: The pointed top is centered over the left half of the strip.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldNarrow the pencil body

    STEP 7 · Linked complete construction reference

    Narrow the pencil body

    Fold the right side across to the left on the long center crease.

    Layers: Carry the entire right half, including its tip layers.

    Check: The pencil body is 3/4 inch wide.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldSharpen the left side

    STEP 8 · Linked complete construction reference

    Sharpen the left side

    Fold the upper left sloping edge inward to the center of the narrow pencil. Begin the new crease at the tip and bisect the angle between that sloping edge and the vertical center.

    Layers: Carry all the layers in the small left tip packet. Leave the lower body still.

    Check: The left side of the point is narrower.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldSharpen the right side

    STEP 9 · Linked complete construction reference

    Sharpen the right side

    Fold the right sloping edge to the same narrow center line, matching the left side.

    Layers: Carry all the layers in the right tip packet.

    Check: The two folded edges meet at a sharp paper point.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldShow the finished pencil

    STEP 10 · Linked complete construction reference

    Show the finished pencil

    Turn the complete model over and press it flat. Use it as a classroom, notebook or card decoration.

    Layers: Turn every layer together.

    Check: The long body and contrasting pointed tip resemble a pencil. This paper decoration cannot write.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Origami Instructions, Origami Instructions: Origami Pencil Decoration (web tutorial).

Construction reference ↗

The linked publisher documents this construction; it does not identify its original designer. This guide does not claim traditional authorship or a license to reuse the reference photographs or prose. The instructions, diagrams and animation here are independently authored. No reference media is reproduced.

Adaptation: Begins with the source’s quarter-square strip already prepared. The two initial corner folds create the contrasting point; the last pair bisects the sloping tip edges toward the body center. This is a flat decoration without graphite, not a working writing instrument.

Original instructions and diagrams, made with AI assistance. About & reuse

Accuracy notes

Real-paper follow-along and paper weight have not been tested. Diagrams illustrate the sequence, not paper thickness, contact, collisions or exact layer visibility. Continuous rigid hinges preserve the original material coordinates, including hidden layers. Display openings and measured shaping landmarks are specified in the instructions. Zero-thickness teaching diagrams do not simulate paper thickness or certify physical foldability. Physical folding and stability have not been tested.