Golden Plates - Step 5

Step 5: In this step I have added the text to the pages and the image could be used as is but it is missing an important element. By looking at this image there doesn't appear to be any sealed portion. So in the next step I will "seal" a portion of the plates.

Golden Plates - Step 4

Step 4: In this step I created a basic 19 character alphabet for use in the inscriptions. LDS scholars suggest that the individual characters in the reformed Egyptian that was used on the plates was a very condensed language enabling the Nephites to record vast amounts of information in a relatively small area. With the characters that I created I attempted to simply create a source from which I could create lines of "text" as is depicted in the image below. On the left is the "alphabet" and on the right is text for one of the pages.

Golden Plates - Step 3

Step 3: In this step I added a dull golden color to the plates and added the rings that bind the plates together. The plates are usually depicted with the three connecting rings so I have stayed with that theme. In this step the plates are starting to take on a very familiar look. But they also need to have writing appear on the face of the plates that are visible so I will need to create a system for the reformed Egyptian that was used to record the Nephite history.

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.