New Caledonian crows fashion sticks into harpoons and use them to snag tasty grubs out of holes and rotting wood. I wanted to draw a dinosaur using tools the same way, and I figured if any dinosaur was clever enough to figure it out, it would be a troodontid. So here is Jinfengopteryx elegans, a small troodontid from China that lived around 122 million years ago. This was my first serious foray into paleo art and though I admit I took some liberties with the flora, I tried to be as accurate as I could with the dinosaur. 
helped me out a lot with the anatomy (many thanks!)
helped me out a lot with the anatomy (many thanks!)
That’s a pretty interesting idea, seems realistic to think some of the smarter Dino’s using tools just like the smart modern day birds
Absolutely amazing!!! Your drawing is practically perfect. My only small gripe is the speculation involved. As an aspiring paleontologist, I feel I must stress that while Trodontids are the most intelligent non-avian dinosaur, they barely have an intelligence level on par with the least intelligent avian dinosaurs (birds). This means that highly sophisticated behaviors seen only in the most intelligent avian dinosaurs (crows) is highly improbable to be seen non-avian dinosaurs. Sorry, if science is a total buzzkill. Your drawing is still fantastic nevertheless.
Yep, you're right! It's probably pretty unlikely that any dinosaurs used tools like this, troodontid or otherwise! It is still fun to imagine, though. While I tried my best to make it look at least physically accurate, I am not suggesting that this behavior is any way indicative of real life. I genuinely just did this because it was fun and not because I was trying to prove anything.
Thank you for saying something! I am happy to hear from people who are passionate about dinosaurs!
Thank you for saying something! I am happy to hear from people who are passionate about dinosaurs!
Thanks for the reply. I know with so many gaps in the fossil record, it can be so fun speculating to fill in the gaps. When interning at Harvard's Paleoecology lab in June, I myself was guiltyof it XD . You're a great artist, much better than the penciled sketches I do and I hope you stick with it.
I just watched a video on New Caledonian crows. I wonder if dromaeosaurids might have done that, too!
Fist i thought it was ludicrous for this creature to be using a tool but then i thought about how some birds today do this so this is not a big jump of logic at all.
Anyways the picture itself looks fantastic and it also makes you think. Well done.
Anyways the picture itself looks fantastic and it also makes you think. Well done.
actually, there is some supposed reported and eye-witnessed evidence that some alligators( or crocs, I dunno) use sticks to lure herons and somesuch to eat them during nest building season.
Like it 
I love the composition, the way you feels like you're looking in through the canopy... The ferns, foliage and mushrooms are as gorgeous as the dinosaur itself, which is very beautiful indeed! Great work, well done!
This is amazing. I absolutely love everything about it- The concept, the background, and above all the colours. I love how you made them bright and colourful and yet at the same time quiet and unobtrusive. And best of all, it's believably fluffy and yet still sleek and graceful. Adding it to my favourites now.
Ha this is a first...Jinfengopteryx elegans is actually a species of troodontid I have not heard before! Gonna do some googling ^_^
Awe and love! I especially like what you did with the out of focus extreme foreground vegetation - it gives it a great sense of depth of field that just using background bokeh can't match.
Well, this is simply a masterpiece! The detailed painting and composition is complemented by the sense of movement and convincing detail. I like the way you had the Jinfengopterix (or as I call him, the "Dinobird") open his wings as he brandishes the stick; it adds interest and a sense of balance and weight to the Dinobird's form. Overall, this is simply splendid. Congrats on a terrific picture!
The Early Cretaceous bird/dinosaur gets the grub.
I like your take on this fellow's plumage. The slight hint of Blue Jay-esque secondaries make his markings "pop".
I like your take on this fellow's plumage. The slight hint of Blue Jay-esque secondaries make his markings "pop".
nicely done 
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