Golden Plates - Step 2

Step 2: In the next step I simply stacked the images to create the appearance of multiple plates. It's simply a matter of copying and pasting and putting them on top of each other. I also slightly varied some of the top plates to give it a more realistic feel. Right now they don't look too much like plates but they will get there. In next step I need to color them and add the linkage.

Golden Plates - Step 1

Step 1: To begin creating the plates I simply need to create a basic shape for a single plate. It is on this shape that the entire graphic is based. Taking extra time to make sure that the shape is going to work for the entire graphic is very important. To create this shape I simply start in Illustrator and create a rectangle with rounded edges. Since the plates were frequently transported, hidden and bumped as the natural course of life more than 2500 years ago I assume that the corners were rounded rather than machine squared. My basic image is created and then modified because my graphic is going to depict the plates as seen from an angle and slightly above. The images below show the first plate and then illustrate how it was modified to create the desired effect.

Plates

My blog is called The Sealed Portion which refers to the section of the golden plates that were sealed. This conjures up images of the plates and I want to add an image of the plates to my blog. The next image tutorial series that I will post will chronicle the steps that I use to making the plates.

Nephite Captain Glyph - Step 6

Step 6: In the final phase I added some dimension to the image and filled out certain parts. I tried to retain some of the look of a glyph because too much detail transforms it into a different kind of image. I am not opposed to creating a completely different image but I want it to at least have the drawing hearken back to the images that are associated with meso-American glyphs. I raised the edges of the image to give it more of a glyph feel as though it was etched in stone. With the image complete I can now add it to my blog design and begin work on the next element.

Nephite Captain Glyph - Step 5

Step 5: I completed the basic head design in step 4 so I can build the helmet for the Nephite Captain. Building armor is one of my favorite parts of the process because it is so fun and there are almost no limits to what can be created. The helmet design is of Roman influence. The basic design is of a Roman centurion helmet but has a few of my own features in it. With all of the main components complete I will now begin creating depth, various patterns and a number of other features that make the image interesting.

Nephite Captain Glyph - Step 4

Step 4: In step four I have begun to help the image start to take shape by adding just a little detail. I also added the rest of the Nephite Captain's hair. I am going to put a helmet on him eventually but I like to create the hair first in the event that I want to use him without a helmet in the future and because I never know exactly how much hair will show when I design the helmet.

For the Nephite Captain I created a hairstyle that is of Roman influence. This is a theme that I often use with the Nephite soldiers despite the fact that we have no idea what their hair styles looked like aside from images from glyphs and drawings from meso-America. When I create Lamanites I tend to adhere more closely to the dark hair and hair styles shown in the artwork that is available. But for the extinct Nephites I feel a little bit more free which is why I also like to add some nicely trimmed facial hair though I don't always add it. Adding these elements is quite simple using Adobe Illustrator because you have absolute control over the image. Anyone, and I mean anyone can create an image like this.

Nephite Captain Glyph - Step 3

Step 3: I am still working with the character in Adobe Illustrator and am able to add additional features. The eyes for my glyphs are done in a very simple way. The eyes of the glyphs are empty like the many of the actual glyphs that I have seen on meso-American architecture. This is perhaps the only area that I am true to the glyphs as I take artistic license with most of the rest of the design. At this stage I have also added an ear and an eyebrow.