The Final entry for this years IP-Pageant!!

The theme was Style Of Legends!! Perfect theme for Spooky Season!!

Please listen to this video while you read or look at the art for a spooky ambience!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzb.....annel=BirdKind

The number one thing that popped in my head was A Day Of The Dead Skeleton! I'm obsessed with Dia De Los Muertos. I have decorated skulls decorating my room year round!

But I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone and do something I've never really thought about. While I was looking for ideas a bit out of my box of thought I remembered an Episode of Victor and Valentino, a cartoon on Cartoon Network about two Mexican brothers who battle and deal with the supernatural in every episode. One in particular had a Mexican Legendary creature in it that caught my interest.

The Lechuza!! Technically translates to Owl along with Tecolote. But Lechuza is more associated with The Owl Witch!!
There are many stories from people who have claimed to seen and or interacted or more often ran away from a real life Owl Witch!!

Technically Lechuza's are mostly Woman who are dressed in black or dark colors, so I did my best to design a fashionable men's style for Orion. And thankfully adjourned in feathers is a key element to a Lechuza as well so definitely got that covered with the feathered necklace and belt charms and in the hat and embroidery on his pants.
I tried to design his boots to look Bird like with the scaley pattern and clawed tips, and added red leather texture for a nice boot effect and creepy feel.
I drew in a lot of red emroidery and the red ribbon on the hat to replace the burning red eyes of the Lechuza. And gave him a more Burlap sort of woven knit type of shirt to give a more retro vibe of a Mexican villager from the olden days, adding some aging to his existence as an Owl Witch!! He also added an owl's face with make up to fit the Owl them and to compliment him widening his eyes for the effect too.
And of course a spooky dead tree background for a Lechuza to perch upon and terrify victims from!!

They are said to be Giant Bird Woman who like taking little babies and young children away from their homes and eating them!! They also like to prey on Drunk Men late at night!!
Legend has it that The Lechuza is a vengeful spirit who was either murdered unjustly and came back as a terrifying Half Owl or Bird to prey upon certain villages for revenge!!
Some are angered mothers who's children died and they can't move on, and some are just woman who wanted power and magic and made pacts with the Devil in exchange for their souls!!

They are shape shifters and conjurors of dark demonic magic!! With witnesses saying they have seen giant birds flying through the air at night and with BIG RED EYES!!

They often mimic crying babies to lure unsuspecting victims to their death!! Or even more ominous, they whistle at you from a distance to try and lure you out and grab you!!

Unfortunately this legend has given a bad rep to owls in Mexico and other southern areas with suspicious or scared people capturing and killing and more cruelly Burning owls on their properties!! And that's just ridiculous and ignorant!! But there are smart people out there that know better and just enjoy a good scary story.

Owls have been known as bad omens now because of The Lechuza, for it is said if an owl can be heard around you it is a prediction of someone close to you or you yourself are about to come to an end with a tragic Death!!

The only way to make them go away or protect your home is with salt or cursing them out with fury!! So be careful when walking at night and keep an eye on the skies and trees!! And whatever you do, don't follow the crying baby or the whistling!! Alone at least.....Muahahahahaha!!!

Happy Halloween!!!