Once I had my dimensions I needed to construct a base to model my clay on. Because my design was so oddly shaped and thin, I decided not to pack my clay onto a physical form but instead used a a base to help me shape it. I created a base in solidworks with curved edges to help guide the curves of my piece and 3d printed it in an Ultimaker 3. Duct tape was used to give the base a smooth bottom and to keep the clay from sticking.