Tezcatlipoca and the Smoking Mirror – Night, Omens, and Obsidian Reflection
This page has a darker, heavier presence than the previous celestial scenes. Tezcatlipoca stands beneath a large moon, dressed in black feathers, gold ornaments, skull details, and geometric patterns. In his raised hand he holds a round mirror, and smoke curls from it like a message from another world. The whole artwork feels mysterious rather than gentle.
In Anime Gods and Mythic Relics Coloring Book, this is one of the pages where the artifact sets the atmosphere immediately. The Smoking Mirror is not just a decorative object. It feels like a portal, a warning, and a divine tool for seeing what ordinary eyes cannot see.
Who Is Tezcatlipoca?
Tezcatlipoca is an important deity from Aztec mythology, often associated with night, fate, sorcery, conflict, rulership, and hidden knowledge. His name is commonly connected with the idea of a “smoking mirror,” a reference to obsidian mirrors used in ritual and divination.
He is not a simple benevolent figure. Tezcatlipoca can feel unsettling because he is linked with power, transformation, rivalry, and the unseen forces that shape human life. That makes him a strong subject for a mythic relics coloring page. The artwork does not need a battle pose to feel intense. The mirror and his still expression are enough.
What stands out to me is how controlled he looks. The smoke moves. The feathers spread outward. The moon glows behind him. But Tezcatlipoca himself is calm, as if he already knows what the mirror is revealing.
The Smoking Mirror
The round object in his hand is the main relic of the page. It has a skull at the top, a patterned golden frame, and a dark reflective center. Smoke rises across its surface and into the surrounding air, making the mirror feel active rather than static.
I would treat the mirror as the focal point after the face. It should be dark, glossy, and slightly dangerous. Obsidian is not plain black; it can hold deep gray, blue-black, brown-black, and small sharp highlights. If you leave a thin white or pale gray reflection on the surface, the mirror will look polished instead of flat.
The smoke is just as important as the mirror itself. It connects the relic to the background and makes it feel supernatural. Soft gray, warm beige, or pale moonlit blue would all work, depending on the mood you want.
What Makes This Artwork Different
This page is full of dense ornamental detail. The feather headdress takes up a large part of the upper left side. The jewelry includes circular earrings, tassels, beads, skull medallions, and gold plates. The clothing has repeated geometric borders that can be very satisfying to color if you enjoy careful pattern work.
The face paint gives the character a strong identity. It should not be ignored or softened too much. The dark shapes across the face create a ritual feeling and help separate this page from more standard fantasy portraits.
There is also a powerful contrast between the natural and the ceremonial. Feathers, smoke, skin, and moonlight feel organic. Gold, obsidian, skulls, and pattern bands feel formal and symbolic. A good coloring plan should let both sides exist together.
A Palette for Obsidian and Moonlight
This page suits a deep, earthy palette with controlled metallic accents. I would avoid making it too colorful. The mood comes from darkness, gold, smoke, and moonlight.
- Blue-black, charcoal, or deep green-black for the feathers
- Bronze, antique gold, and ocher for jewelry and borders
- Obsidian black with cool gray highlights for the mirror
- Warm brown, copper, or tan for the skin
- Ivory, bone, and beige for skull details and tassels
- Soft cream, pale gray, and muted yellow for the moon
- Gray, taupe, and smoky blue for the curling smoke
- Small turquoise or dark teal accents in the ornaments
One warning: do not make every dark area the same black. The feathers, mirror, hair, face paint, and cloak all need slightly different dark tones. If they are all filled with one marker or pencil, the page may lose its depth.
Coloring the Feathers
The headdress is dramatic, but it can become visually heavy if colored as one solid mass. I would choose a very dark base, then add subtle variation to individual feathers. Some can lean blue-black, others green-black or warm charcoal. A few gold or tan markings near the feather tips can echo the reference image and connect the headdress to the jewelry.
If using colored pencils, short strokes following the feather direction will work well. If using markers, add colored pencil over the top for texture. The feathers should feel layered and slightly rough, not like a flat black wall.
Gold, Bronze, and Pattern Details
The gold ornamentation is everywhere, so it needs hierarchy. The mirror frame, headpiece, earrings, and central chest ornament can carry the strongest metallic effect. The smaller borders on the clothing can be more muted.
For an aged-gold look, use three colors: a pale yellow highlight, a warm ocher middle tone, and a brown shadow. This page does not need shiny bright yellow everywhere. Antique gold or bronze will fit the darker atmosphere better.
The geometric patterns are worth slowing down for. They give the page its ancient ceremonial feeling. You can color some pattern bands in gold and leave others dark teal, black, or muted brown so the design does not become too busy.
The Skulls and Bone Details
The skulls are strong visual symbols, but they should not overpower the mirror. I would color them in bone tones rather than pure white: ivory, beige, light gray, and a little brown in the eye sockets. This keeps them grounded in the palette.
The skull at the top of the mirror can be slightly brighter than the skulls on the chest and belt because it belongs to the main relic. The lower skull ornament can be a little darker so it supports the costume without becoming the main focal point.
Smoke, Moon, and Background
The moon behind Tezcatlipoca is large, but it should feel distant. Soft cream, gray, and pale yellow will work better than bright white. Add gentle shading around the edges to make it round, but keep the center light enough to create contrast behind the dark feathers.
The smoke is a beautiful place to use soft blending. Let it curl around the mirror and across the figure without making it too dark. If the smoke becomes heavy, it may hide the hand and relic. Pale gray with a hint of warm beige or blue-gray is enough.
The background can stay muted: charcoal, dark stone gray, or smoky brown. This is not a page that needs a bright sky. The atmosphere should feel nocturnal and ritual-like.
Final Note
Tezcatlipoca’s page is one of the most atmospheric designs in the book. The Smoking Mirror, skull ornaments, black feathers, moon, and curling smoke all create a strong sense of mystery. For coloring, I would focus on depth rather than brightness: varied blacks, aged gold, bone tones, and a mirror that feels truly reflective. If the smoke stays soft and the obsidian stays sharp, this page can become a powerful dark centerpiece in your anime mythology coloring book collection.
Step into the world of mythology..
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