From Emma Craib's Origami for Beginner's at http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/5466/ori_swan1.html.
Step 1. Start with a medium-sized white or pastel sheet of paper.
Step 2. With white side up, valley-fold paper diagonally. This is sometimes called a diaper-fold.
Step 3. Open up and place fold so it runs up and down the paper. Valley-fold both edges to middle. This is called a kite base.
Step 4. Turn paper over and valley-fold edges to middle.
Step 5. Valley-fold so that beak nearly reaches tail.
Step 6. Mountain-fold head forward and crease.
Step 7. Fold swan in half lengthwise then pull neck forward.
Step 8. Separate bottom edges so swan can swim on its own.
Step 9. (Optional) Repeat steps 1-8 with smaller pieces of paper to make a set of baby swans swimming behind mama.
