Chocolate Mold Easter Bunnies Using Sculptamold

We are so excited that AMACO (American Art Clay Company) contacted us about using some of their product. They provide supplies for pottery, education, and crafts. We knew exactly what we wanted to make after taking a peek at their website. Last year we won a papier mache rabbit from Anne at Get Your Martha On (Her website is no longer available but our tutorial gives all her great tips!) She made the most fabulous papier mache rabbits. We absolutely loved and were inspired by the rabbit given to us- and of course it made us curious of how you go about making them. Anne gives a fantastic tutorial on her blog explaining how to make papier mache rabbits from chocolate molds.  It is quite a process and definitely worth following her tutorial for a perfect turn out. 

  Instead of  using papier mache in the chocolate molds, AMACO recommended and sent us a package of Sculptamold. It is a dry, white, non-toxic modeling material that produces objects that are very lightweight, strong and durable. Sculptamold combines the best features of clay, plaster, and papier mache, it does not shrink, and is durable for dioramas, 3-D sculptures, model railroad scenery and stage scenery.

Very cool stuff! I know Sculptamold would come in very handy with all the art projects our kids make for school. We are very impressed with this product- from the durability to the set time, we highly recommend it!

We have been making rabbits using the Sculptamold for several days now, and it is quite a process with the setting, drying, and finishing time.  They are so fun to make and we absolutely love how our "chocolate" painted bunnies turned out.  They look so real, that I have had to hold back my kids from nibbling on them! :)

The best part is...they are durable!

We love, love these bunnies with a silver antiqued finish.

For the rabbit above, we painted and added clear glitter. (Pretty much like some of Anne's rabbits.)

We started by ordering chocolate bunny molds from the Custom Chocolate Shop. 

 Fantastic prices and quite a selection. We ordered carrots and egg molds too...we couldn't resist!

To fill molds using AMACO's Sculptamold, you mix equal parts Sculptamold and water.  Mix for several minutes, partially fill the mold. Tap firmly or vibrate to make sure all detail cavities are filled.  Fill  the mold completely and tap firmly again to remove air bubbles.  Use a moistened knife to smooth the exposed Sculptamold as it sets.  After 30 to 45 minutes or when firm, gently remove object from mold and place on drying rack.  Smooth or fill any defects.  Allow time for cast piece to dry, making sure air circulated over and around entire piece.  Curing time is several days.  To reduce drying or curing time, you can place objects in an oven for several hours at 200 degrees.

This is where we will highly encourage to follow you to Anne's tutorial for perfect papier mache rabbits....because we failed to thoroughly read the directions.  I guess you were suppose to attach the rabbits before letting all the papier mache set. We thought that you attached after! :)

Since we didn't do this, we had to improvise. We definitely were not going to waste all the set rabbits.  To stick them together we made up a small amount of Sculptamold and stuck the halves together.  We filled the cracks with Plaster Patch or spackling....probably incorrect...but it worked and it sands nicely and it also fills in any imperfections. :)  I'm sure with the right mix you could do the same thing with the Sculptamold.

After the patching plaster was fully dry, we carved away the excess, and sanded the rabbit down.

A drywall sanding block worked great and was easy to handle. 

We painted the chocolate bunnies the perfect shade of  chocolate brown with craft paint. We sure do know the perfect color of chocolate alright...we curse all those Cadbury eggs available right now!

To give them a chocolate waxy look, we rubbed on furniture wax.  They look so real in person with the wax!

The silver rabbits got a coat of metallic silver spray paint.

I love this paint and the shiny finish.  Definitely the easy way to paint!

To antique them, we wiped on black glaze to soften the shine.

We added an organza cream bow to dress them up.

For the pastel rabbit, we painted it with craft paint and glazed with light, light, brown to pull out the cracks and crevices.  Then using glue, we added clear cheap glitter.  The painting was the easy part. Using Sculptamold and chocolate molds was definitely a learning experience and very fun.  You all should try it!

If you also want to try Sculptamold, you can find it at Amaco's website. 

 They have a wonderful website with many ideas for teachers, artists, and more!