This chameleon is cast epoxy resin, about 15 cm long and 4 to 5 cm high. Not a palm-sized trinket. It sits on a shelf like a small ornament, with a curled tail, a crest along the back, and enough weight that it does not feel like a toy.
I did not sculpt it. The shape comes from a purchased silicone mold. The colour is mica powder brushed into the mold before the resin went in, so the gold, copper, and pink(the pink you see is from colour I put into the resin)the gold/copper sits in the surface rather than being mixed through the whole pour. The eyes got a second pass with a brush and a different colour so the pupil and iris read clearly against the metallic body.
What you need
- A chameleon (or similar) silicone mold, large enough for a piece around 15 cm
- Epoxy resin and hardener, mixed to the maker’s ratio
- Mica powder in the colours you want (I used warm metallics: gold, copper) -resin dye red
- A soft brush for the powder, and a finer brush for the eyes
- Mixing cups, stir sticks, gloves, and a level surface
- Optional: a bit of acrylic or resin-safe paint for the eye detail
How to cast it
1. Clean the mold and set it on a level tray. Dust and fingerprints show up in a glossy cast.
2. Brush mica into the mold, working it into the crest, the feet, the tail spiral, and the eye sockets. Heavier powder in the recesses gives deeper colour. Lighter dust on the high points keeps the metallic shift. You do not need to coat every millimetre; bare spots still take on colour from resin that picks up loose powder as you pour.
3. Mix the epoxy exactly to the stated ratio. Stir slowly, scraping the sides and bottom, until the mix is even and most of the streaks are gone. A fast stir traps bubbles. Mix in any resin colour you choose, you will only see hints of it where the mica is thinner.
4. Pour in a thin stream, starting at the lowest part of the mold and letting the resin rise. Tap the mold gently, or run a toothpick along the toes and the crest, to release trapped air. For a piece this size, a single pour is usually enough if your resin’s working time allows it.
5. Cover it so dust cannot settle, and leave it to cure for the full time on the bottle. Do not demold early. A 15 cm cast holds heat as it cures, so keep it out of a hot windowsill.
6. Once it is fully hard, flex the silicone and ease the chameleon out. Trim any thin flash along the belly or the toes with a sharp blade.
7. Touch up the eyes. A small brush and a contrasting colour — I used a different mica tone, worked into the eye — makes the red pupil and the pale iris stand out from the gold body. Let that dry or cure before you handle it much.
8. If the surface is a little dull where you sanded a seam, a thin clear coat of the same epoxy brings the gloss back. Skip that if you like the cast finish as it is.
A few things that matter on a piece this size
Mica brushed into the mold gives a stronger colour shift than mica stirred into the cup, and you use less powder. The tradeoff is that the back of the cast, the side that was open, will be paler. On this chameleon that face is the belly, so it does not show when he is sitting.
Work with a window open or a fan pulling air away from you, and wear gloves. Epoxy is a skin sensitizer. Do not pour it near food, and do not sand the cured piece without a mask.
If your mold is two-part, clamp it before you pour and expect a seam to clean up. A one-piece mold like the one I used is simpler, as long as the undercuts (toes, tail curl, crest) are flexible enough to release.
The finished chameleon is a shelf piece: about the length of a hand, high enough that the eye sits well above the surface he rests on. The curled tail and the splayed front foot are what make the size read as a decoration rather than a charm.
