SLA 3D Printed Gummy Bear Statues with Pearlescent Candy Finish

Gallery

About Project

These cheerful bears may look ready for the candy aisle, but they are actually SLA 3D printed resin statues. The customer ordered the same rounded bear design in several sizes and three bold colors, turning one simple character into a coordinated display series with the visual appeal of oversized gummy candy.

The surface appearance comes from a carefully prepared SLA print followed by a pearlescent color coating and a satin-to-semi-gloss clear finish. Unlike mirror-like vacuum metallization, the reflections remain soft and spread across the curved body. The eyes, noses, eyebrows, and mouths were painted by hand. A consistent painting method kept the batch visually coordinated, while tiny differences in shape and placement preserve the character of handmade work.

Producing the bears through SLA made it practical to create matching statues in different sizes without developing separate molds for an early-stage display run. The finished pieces can serve as retail decorations, event props, brand mascots, art objects, or samples for a future collectible product line. Want to give your character the same polished candy-shell treatment? Send FacFox your 3D model, target sizes, colors, and quantity for a custom printing and finishing quote.

Challenge

The project required multiple bear statues in different sizes to share the same smooth, candy-inspired appearance. The rounded SLA prints needed careful surface preparation so support marks and layer traces would not remain visible beneath the reflective colored coating.

The green, yellow, and red finishes also had to remain bright and consistent, while the small hand-painted facial details needed to look clean and closely matched across the full batch.

Solution

• Step 1: The bear model was reviewed at each target size to confirm stable proportions, printable walls, support strategy, and consistent character shape.
• Step 2: The statues were produced by SLA resin 3D printing, then cleaned and fully post-cured.
• Step 3: Support contact points and visible print traces were sanded, filled where necessary, and prepared with primer to create an even painting surface.
• Step 4: Green, yellow, and red pearlescent color coatings were sprayed over the prepared statues to create the candy-inspired color depth.
• Step 5: After the main body colors were completed, the eyes, noses, eyebrows, mouths, and other dark facial details were carefully painted by hand. Small variations between the bears reflect the handcrafted process.
• Step 6: A satin-to-semi-gloss clear topcoat was applied to protect both the pearlescent paint and hand-painted facial details while producing soft, rounded highlights rather than a mirror finish.
• Step 7: The completed batch was inspected for coating uniformity, color consistency, clean facial details, surface defects, and visual consistency between sizes.