You have been helpful with your knowlege and information that I was successful in making a silicone mold. Gratias~ My question is the casting (the product from the mold - correct to call it a casting?). As the end result I want something that is somewhatlightweight but still give me the details of veins of the leaves, can be painted and given a hard clear coating and can be used indoors. This is not for outdoor use. I have made a leaf mold and would like it to be a centerpiece. I have thought of plaster but am not even sure if the paint would soak into the plaster. Also, I would like to use another form of casting but not sure what would give me the results I am looking for. I have looked at resins but they seem expensive and I'm thinking this would not be paintable. Any one work with resins? I have used beeswax as in a mold in past years but not anything this large so I'm not sure that wax is a suitable casting to use paint on its surface. I'm thinking paper mache would not give me a smooth look and not give me the details of the veins. Can anyone suggest something? TIA, Blaze