Deinonychus antirrhopus by Durbed

Drawing based on the old classic reconstruction which depicted him jumping and ready to attack.

Probably my favourite dromaeosaur.

william023 Featured By Owner Jan 30, 2017

This is magnificent and scary.

Kermanchah Featured By Owner Apr 27, 2015

That pretty much looks like an archaeopteryx no ? (except it didn't have killing claws)

Marty993 Featured By Owner Jul 19, 2015 Hobbyist

Just reading Robert Bakker and he says Deinonychus and Archaeopteryx were so close that they could almost be considered a flying and flightless version of the same animal.

Your work is amazing, man!

Kermanchah Featured By Owner Aug 20, 2015

Damn.... i was crazy about dinosaurs as a kid, but I didn't look for informations since then. I guess that things move pretty fast with that kind of animals, when yo see all the mistakes that was done in the past.

JD-man Featured By Owner Feb 26, 2012

I've noticed that a lot of your dromaeosaurs have different colored backsides. Any particular reason why (It's been speculated that Troodon had okapi-like coloration) or is it just that it looks cool?

Durbed Featured By Owner Feb 27, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

No particular reason, I think it looks good and very bird-ish.

Never heard that about Troodon. Source?

JD-man Featured By Owner Feb 27, 2012

"I think it looks good and very bird-ish."

Ditto.

"Never heard that about Troodon. Source?"

Quoting Gardom & Milner ( [link] ): "Bold countershading is the disguise used by the mainly nocturnal okapi browsing in areas of dense undergrowth. The dark back, and its striped and light rump and upper/lower legs, serve to break up the body shape when seen from a distance, providing protection against predators like leopards that hunt by sight. Perhaps the fast moving hunter Troodon had similar colouring in order to conceal itself."

Durbed Featured By Owner Feb 27, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Oh, makes sense. Since I don´t have deinonychosaurs with striped patterns this sounds like an interesting concept to draw...

JD-man Featured By Owner Feb 27, 2012

I look forward to it. At the very least, it'll be better than the okapi-colored Troodon in Gardom & Milner's book. Don't get me wrong, though, as I love said book (See my 1st post for a review: [link] ). It's just that said Troodon was based on Russel's sculpture ( [link] ).

Durbed Featured By Owner Feb 28, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Agh, the devil-Troodon. Still haunts my nightmares.

Sketchy-raptor Featured By Owner Jan 18, 2012 Student General Artist

Reminds me a little of the AMNH mount

Durbed Featured By Owner Jan 18, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

I see the ressemblance, but its actually based on this classic mount: [link]

Skull-Island-Master Featured By Owner Sep 10, 2011

Now thats an awsome Deinonychus, he looks indeed very scary !!

Durbed Featured By Owner Sep 11, 2011 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Thanks!

Oaglor Featured By Owner Sep 7, 2011 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

That thing looks scarier than most scaly "raptors".

william023 Featured By Owner Jan 30, 2017

I think, sadly, the mass public likes that strange blend of scales and high-activity levels, is so weird, it will forever be more popular. I personally adore this weird snake-eagle/griffony monster from reality, and prefer it over fictional, JP raptors.

Durbed Featured By Owner Sep 8, 2011 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Thanks. Its meant to be very eagle-like, and eagles or other modern raptors can be very scary!

Oaglor Featured By Owner Sep 8, 2011 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

Especially since Golden Eagles can chase off grizzly bears and be trained to hunt wolves. It is not what is covering a creature's skin that matters, its what it can do.

Durbed Featured By Owner Sep 9, 2011 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Indeed. I wish this kind of dromaeosaurs someday replace the 90´s scaly ones from JP in the pop culture.

Oaglor Featured By Owner Sep 9, 2011 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

Though we should give credit to the fact that JP pretty much killed off the whole "dinosaurs were slow, sluggish dim wits that went extinct due to their inferiority of mammals" idea that was common back in the day. It will probably take decades to top that.

Durbed Featured By Owner Sep 9, 2011 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Fair enough. I think the concept was already around some time before JP but yes, it helped to change he mainstream view of dinosaurs, and as monster like and innacurate as the theropods were in the movie it also emphasized quite a bit the dinosaur-bird relationship. However, after 20 years and a decade since we know how this animals integument really were like, I think is time to move on .

(Hopefully incoming documentaries like Planet Dinosaur featuring some amazing feahered deinonychosaurs will help as well!)