I’ve said several times before that dragons are some of my favourite things I’ve ever seen folded out of paper which is why I’m excited to bring you this selection of the best origami dragons of 2018!

These were the best dragon models I saw uploaded to the Internet during 2018 and you can vote for your favourite from now until Wednesday February 27, 2019.

Let’s get started!

1) Ancient Dragon, Designd by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Francisco José González Alcázar

This has always been one of my favourite models and this is easily one of the most impressive renditions I’ve seen. I absolutely love the pose here and how ferocious it looks.

Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 1995-2003

2) Western Dragon, Designed by Wonseon Seo and Folded by Terry Nicolas

This model isn’t super complex but it looks great, is super expressive and has a lot of charm.

Instructions not available

3) Ryujin 3.5, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Lê Huỳnh Đức

This model blows my mind every time I see it. It’s folded from a single 156cm x 156cm square of paper and I can’t imagine how long it must take to fold all those scales. It’s expertly folded and looks amazing here, especially the head.

Diagrams available in World of Super Complex Origami

4) Luster Dragon, Designed by Lee In Seop

Here we have another amazing dragon design that’s folded incredibly well. The details and shapes on the head are fantastic and I love how the front legs look ready to grab something. This took 14 hours to fold from a single square of paper!

Diagrams available in the 23rd Tanteidan Convention book

5) Wyvern, Designed and Folded by Hiroaki Kobayashi

This is an absolutely fantastic new design from Hiroaki Kobayashi. It’s folded from one square of paper and looks amazing, especially the head. I also really love the choice of paper used here. It’s a really beautiful looking pattern and colour and perfect for some kind of sky dragon.

Instructions not available

6) Chinese Dragon, Designed by MiKiller and Folded by Alex Mironenko

Here’s another incredible looking eastern dragon design. It’s kind of similar to the Ryujin but is certainly unique with a completely different head and other details. It’s folded absolutely beautifully here and you can really see all the excellent little details.

This is a modular model that uses 2 squares for the head, 8 for the body, 1 for the tail and 4 for the legs.

Instructions not available

7) Eastern Dragon, Designed by Jun Maekawa and Folded by Andrea Borsa

Another somewhat simpler design but nonetheless fantastic looking. Expertly folded and I love how it kind of feels playful.

Diagrams available in Genuine Origami: 43 Mathematically-Based Models, From Simple to Complex

8) Spiky Dragon, Designed and Folded by Gregor Müller

A fantastic and kind of cute design from Gregor Müller. I love how it’s posed and almost feels like a pet looking for a treat or something.

Instructions not available

9) Chinese Dragon, Designed by MiKiller and Folded by Arnolds Kuciks

Here’s another amazing take on MiKiller’s Chinese dragon. The paint job on the paper here looks incredible and the whole thing has a metal statue feel which I absolutely love.

Instructions not available. Note: I can’t seem to find instructions for this model anywhere but I’ve seen several people now fold it. If anyone know where the instructions are please let me know.

10) Western Dragon V3, Designed by Shuki Kato and Folded by Francisco José González Alcázar

An absolutely beautiful take on this model that looks super life-like and fantastic, especially the way it’s posed here.

Video instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.’s YouTube channel

11) Dragon, Designed by Zhangyifan and Folded by Terry Nicolas

This is Terry Nicolas’ excellent interpretation of this fantastic design. It’s a bit modified with what looks light a slightly more complex head and overall the shaping feels very organic making the model feel quite life-like.

Diagrams available in Chinese New Year 2017

12) Dragon, Designed by Lam Nhat Phat and Folded by Lê Huỳnh Đức

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this dragon design before and I really like it. It has a very different shape and feel from other designs I’ve seen, probably because of that really thick neck. It’s a beautiful design and it’s beautifully folded.

Instructions not available

13) Elder Dragon, Designed by Tsuruta Yoshimasa and Folded by Pan Hang

This dragon really does feel like an older, weightier dragon. It’s beautifully folded and the paper used here is absolutely gorgeous!

Diagrams available in JOAS issue 28

14) Dragon, Designed and Folded by Sebastien Limet

Here’s something very unique and awesome looking. This whole thing is folded from a single A size sheet of paper using a special crumpling technique! I really love how the dragon looks wrapped around that box.

Instructions not available

Which one of these models do you think was the best origami dragon of 2018? Vote below!

Voting will be open for 2 weeks until Wednesday February 27, 2019. Feel free to vote for your own model and to encourage everyone you know to vote for it as well!

Voting is now closed