Origami Page:
Bunny Heads

Mary Ellen Palmeri

Welcome to our monthly "Origami Page". Origami is folding paper and ending up with delightful figures and models, such as flowers, boxes and animals. This feature will showcase a different origami model in each monthly issue, with diagrams and photos to help readers learn how to fold them. Most models use one square of paper, some use a rectangle, and others use more than one piece of paper.

Photo by Mary Ellen Palmeri

There are many rabbit models in origami, but this bunny head is one of the easiest to make. If you'd like to see more origami rabbits you can view 22 different models at this site: www.giladorigami.com/origami-rabbits

This flat Bunny Head model is good for use on hand-made cards, especially for someone born in the Year of the Rabbit. (This comes from the Chinese Zodiac which has a 12 year cycle with an animal representing each of the 12 years; the last years of the Rabbit were 2011, 1999, and 1987. If you subtract 12 from 1987 you'll find the previous Rabbit year, and can keep calculating that way for earlier years.)

The Bunny Head can also be used as decorations for spring and Easter baskets.

Happy folding!

Click for printable PDF file.

Origami originated in ancient Asian cultures and has been adapted by contemporary artists worldwide to reflect their own cultures. Local artist Mary Ellen Palmeri has incorporated paper folding into many of her mixed media art paintings, and teaches origami classes locally and nationally. Some of her work can be seen in a Tucson Happenings feature here: Artist_Profile

Ms. Palmeri's original origami models have been published in books and magazines, she has been featured on broadcast media, and her mixed-media fine art works often include various original origami models. Origami LAFF (Lyric Arts Folding Fest) is a Tucson based club founded by Ms. Palmeri to provide a venue for sharing this art. The group meets monthly at a local library; for more details please contact the artist at info@lyric-arts.com