I am making a jungle themed cake for sept 8 in which i will be sculpting animal figures for the first time from fondant. How soon can I begin making them and how should they be stored until I use them? Also, what is the best medium to use fondant or gumpaste? Thank you for any replies in advance.

I use crappy Wilton fondant with some tylose powder added in. You can make them as far in advance as you need to. Just store them in a box so the air can circulate. Make sure it's not airtight.

I make my figures about a week in advance and I store them in a safe, dry place in just an open box. I use a mix of gumpaste and fondant. I have found that just fondant doesn't dry as firm or fast.

I like to make my figures a week in advance. If it's short notice I can make them 4 days ahead & they're usually dry enough. For certain figures, I will make my bodies/arms/legs one day & let that dry over night then I add the head the next day. I find this helps support the weight of the head better than putting it on while the body is still soft. I like to use the Wilton fondant also for making figures. It's not as soft as Satin Ice. I always use fondant mixed with either gum paste or tylose powder to make figures. It dries faster this way. To dry them, I store them in either an open box or on a cake dummy .

Thank you for all of the replies. They have been very helpful!!