Animal Molds

75 silicone animal molds covering bears, birds, bunnies, cats, ducks, owls, whales, sea creatures, farm animals and woodland figures. Animals are the best-selling shape category in cast decor, and they are also the least forgiving - ears, beaks, tails and legs are all thin sections that a rigid mold would leave seamed and a soft cast will snap.

Why silicone suits animal shapes

An animal figure has undercuts almost by definition: a snout that flares, ears that overhang, legs that taper. A rigid two-part mold has to split somewhere, and that split lands on the animal as a seam you then have to sand off - usually right across the face. Silicone stretches over the undercut and peels back off the finished cast, so the surface comes out as designed.

Casting animals without breakage

Fill slowly so material reaches the extremities before it thickens, and tap the mold to shift air out of ears and paws. When you demold, peel the silicone down from the base of the piece rather than pulling the animal out by a limb or a head - that single habit prevents most breakages. For plaster, wait until the mold is cool to the touch; plaster warms as it sets and is still fragile while warm.

Painting cast animals

Plaster animals take dry brushing better than any other cast material - a light pass of a dry brush catches raised fur, feather and scale detail and leaves the recesses dark, which is what makes a cast figure look modelled rather than flat. Seal first if you want colour to stay on the surface.