Creating Scales for an Origami Koi

• 1). Fold the paper into squares, then unfold and lay flat to form a grid. The paper should be face down if it has a colored or decorative side.
  
  
• 2). Fold the first row down using a valley fold, and then fold the first column on the left also with a valley fold.
  
  
• 3). In the overlapping portion that is formed in the upper left, envision the square is divided into a smaller grid of nine squares. It may help to mark two dots in pencil along the top to separate the square into three columns and two marks along the left side to create the rows.
  
  
• 4). Imagine that a line is connecting the left dot on the top with the top dot on the left. You may wish to draw a faint line in pencil to connect the two.
  
  
• 5). Valley fold in the corner on the resulting line.
  
  
• 6). Unfold the corner fold and the left column. Fold at the second column and make another corner valley fold.
  
  
• 7). Repeat step 6 until all of the columns have had the corner folded.
  
  
• 8). Unfold the paper completely, and fold two rows down. Fold the first column in and create a valley fold in the corner.
  
  
• 9). Repeat making corner folds in this manner until all of the rows and columns have folds. Open the paper and lie flat. The center squares will all have folds in each corner, creating octagons in each square.
  
  
• 10
  
  Valley fold the top row down again. Press the first square in. Then, use your fingernail or a blunt object to push the center back out, to create a bridge. The resulting fold will be in the shape of an upside down letter A.
  
  
• 11
  
  Press flat so that the first column overlaps the second one. It should fold to where the small triangle ends. The crease line will bisect the triangle.
  
  
• 12
  
  Repeat steps 10 and 11 with all of the columns, then flip the paper over so that the back is facing up.
  
  
• 13
  
  Carefully open the folded first row and flatten. The small triangles should remain folded.
  
  
• 14
  
  Fold back to the second row and repeat steps 11 through 13.
  
  
• 15
  
  Repeat with each row until all rows are completed.