The waterbomb base is a traditional origami design that can be used as a starting point for many other origami creations—such as the traditional origami fish!
This easy base consists of only five steps and takes about 1 to 2 minutes to fold.
To fold this base, you will need a single square sheet of paper— origami paper works the best and will provide you with cleaner creases.
If you use a multi-color sheet, you will want to begin the fold with the white side facing up and the colored side facing down.
Step 1: Fold the paper in half vertically and crease
Start by folding the paper in half horizontally—bringing the top edge of the paper down to the bottom edge. Crease well.
Step 2: Unfold and flip the paper over
Unfold the paper, leaving behind a horizontal crease running down the center of the paper. Then flip the paper over.
Step 3: Fold the paper in half diagonally, then unfold
Fold the paper in half diagonally by pulling the bottom-right corner over to the top-left corner. Crease and unfold.
Step 4: Fold the paper in half diagonally in the opposite direction, then unfold
Fold the paper in half diagonally in the opposite direction by pulling the right corner over to the left. Crease and unfold.
Step 5: Fold sides into each other and flatten
Now for the tricky part. Grab the left and right edges of the paper and fold them inward and down to the center of the bottom edge.
Then fold the top edge down to meet the rest.
Flatten everything down well, and there you have it, the waterbomb base!
The Waterbomb Base: Continued Folding
Now that you’ve learned how to fold the waterbomb base let’s take the next step together and learn how to turn it into an origami masterpiece!
Below is our collection of origami guides that can be folded using this particular base.
You can click the images below to visit each step-by-step guide!
Origami Angelfish
You can turn your simple waterbomb base into this marvelous and clean-looking origami fish with four additional steps! Check out our fish guide here!
Closing Thoughts
Origami bases are a fun and easy way to memorize all your favorite folds.
If you would like to learn how to fold more origami bases, check out our beginner’s guide to origami base folds. Or, for some cool things to fold, check out our growing collection of origami designs here.
Happy folding!