The cup (aka the drinking cup) is a traditional classic and essential for anyone teaching origami. It shows how surprising and versatile a material paper is – make sure you have a jug of water on hand so you can all quench your thirst when you’ve made the model.

Diagrams are in the “simple models” section of the website, here

This model is also a starting point for designing your own variations. We’ve seen it turned into flowers, a basket and even creatures, like a cat, or batman. Get creative!

Cat – folded by David Raynor: