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PsyrapMafia — TUTORIAL: how to draw raptors
Published: 2010-06-24 00:39:23 +0000 UTC; Views: 89424; Favourites: 2673; Downloads: 1142
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Description
i have had alot of people in the past either ask me how to draw raptors, or when will i make another tutorial. so here is a tutorial on raptors. grrrr. i hope its understandable and stuff.This will prolly be edited a few times, i plan to add a new section every now and then. i am open for critique from those who perhaps have had even more experience with dromaeosaurids.
i am always available for redlining.
EDIT LIST:
6/24/10
-added in the halluxes to avoid confusion
-edited a minor wing feather error pointed out by ixerin
Related content
Comments: 268
Very awesome, and very informative. I am guilty of the "Greyhound torso" syndrome. I will remedy that in all my future drawings.
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Where's the sternum? (It seems to go strait from neck to body, and if my assumption is would need significant musculature to hold up the head as well as more musculature particularly around the humerus to hold the prey and/or themselves up when either latched on to prey if they did eat things much larger then themselves or climbing a tree based on the "trees down" theory of the evolution of avian flight.) And wouldn't all of that relative proportion depend on the species?
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Yes, this guide was intended for those unfamiliar with true dromaeosaurids (verses their cinematic versions). It is not meant to be a professional resource.
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Touche.
Still, awesome tutorial.
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I agree with that last line. Another common misconception about these animals is that "raptor" is a species.
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EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEXXXXXXXXXXXEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!
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May I ask why? It is extremely obvious the animal could not pronate the hands, just like a person cannot bend the entire leg in order for the femur's base to touch the vertebrae.
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The people who study these bones their entire careers have determined that it simply would be anatomically impossible for their wrists to have been twisted backwards the way they are shown in Jurassic Park (short of it being broken.) It is not really a matter of belief in this case.
As for "ripping flesh" with their bare hands, that is certainly a belief-based theory, and not a very scientific one in 2013. In general, neither birds or reptiles today use their limbs for this purpose.
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Oh, man, this was 2 years ago, and I was quiet naive. I have since then looked into this, and I do see it now. This was too many years ago, I'm so sorry. When I first got a DA account, I was real immature, and I did a lot of things I regret, including my comment here.
This is a very resourceful image, and now looking back at this I don't see why I came back here to act so arrogant...it wasn't my place to do so.
If you don't mind, I think it would be a good idea if you'd delete my comments from here.
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Well, I know the feeling. I will look into how to delete comments if that is your wish.
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Thank you for your understanding. I'm not sure if you can hide the comments, delete them, or mark as spam. Which ever you can do would be nice. Again, thank you.
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The animal was not using it's forelimbs to rip flesh, just to grab prey, and biomechanical studies show that the lack of pronation doesn't impair it the least, even with wing feathers.
In fact, if anything the hands bended in the opposite direction, with the palms facing upwards, making carrying objects by pressing them against the chest easier.
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this is awesome, thank you, it helps
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Very good! Just a nitpick: In the "old skull syndrome" box, "dromaeosaurids" is misspelled "dromaeusaurids". Otherwise, this is one for the favorites!
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Wow real raptors look weird, so extremely birdish...
Nice reference though I sorta like drawing them without the little winglets but I call mines a custom dino, not a dromaesaur, good reference for build and if I ever wanna draw a real raptor.
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Wow, nice tutorial
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Pretty good tutorial. Not sure on the section talking about the skull, though. I'll have to do my own research on that one.
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"Studies of the skull have progressed a great deal over the decades. Ostrom reconstructed the partial, imperfectly preserved, skulls that he had as triangular, broad, and fairly similar to Allosaurus. Additional Deinonychus skull material and closely related species found with good three-dimensional preservation show that the palate was more vaulted than Ostrom thought, making the snout far narrower, while the jugals flared broadly, giving greater stereoscopic vision." -[link]
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Actually, scratch my comment. I misread something.
This is a great tutorial!
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I believe the realistic skull and tail design are actually better than the type of raptor I grew up with, but what ticks me off is the feathers. 
I'm still struggling to get the legs right, but I do very much prefer the realistic legs to the JP legs. Looks more like they're built for speed than acrobatics. A jumping raptor is scary yes, but one that can be on you like a torpedo is even scarier.
And isn't it still believed that raptors used their arms to latch on to larger prey? I just don't see that happening with those arms though.
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CHICKEN? ARE YOU SERIOUS? ARE CHICKENS THE ONLY BIRDS ALIVE? THERE ARE OVER 4 THOUSAND FREAKING BIRD SPECIES AND YOU JUST PICKED TO REFER TO JURASSIC PARK AND ITS TURKEY CHICKENS? SERIOUSLY?
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Thank you, someone agrees with me on the freaking arms. They look like a cross of a dove and therizinosaur. I agree with everything but that. It looks impossible.
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Then again, there's little evidence to suggest that Velociraptor itself did any pack-hunting or were actually deadly to creatures bigger than itself (the Protoceratops incident happened with both animals dead, after all).
Dinosaurs weren't real to satisfy human tastes, after all, and a bird of prey/roadrunner like Velociraptor isn't bad either.
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Well, nothing was "turned" into anything technically. We are simply getting closer and closer to finding out what they really looked like, as technology progresses. In fact in some species, we have even been able to find out what color their feathers primarily where.
As far as latching onto anything, the speculation is that smaller raptors climbed trees with them, and were used for grasping small prey. The manner in which they grasped, eventually evolved into wing flapping.
As far as flamboyance, it really just depends on the artist's preference. These reconstructions may be more to your liking, while still being anatomically correct: [link] [link] [link] [link]
All in all, the fact of the matter is that raptors where just animals, not monsters. And like animals of today, their appearance is not based on what we prefer to see, but rather what works best for their environment, even if it doesn't live up to the hype :]
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Probably, velociraptorids could grasp quite well...and dangerously. While I disagree with some of your claims, the drawings are quite well done.
I would LOVE to have an actual skeleton to examine. I believe some scientists make claims which the animal anatomy does not support, and I've seen too many scientifically done restorations that are just impossible, done by guys and gals whose motto is MEASURE, and get it RIGHT! I will name no names right now.
I do not criticize restorations that I don't like the looks of, but the skeletal elements support it. Some paleoartists like smooth restorations...no frills, spiney stuff, or throat wattles, unless absolutely proven to exist. I cannot argue the point, even though I think most dinos were decorated with scales and quills and feathers and wattles and pouches up the yin-yang.
I think your third "X"d out example on the feet might actually be correct to restore under some views.
What kept the femur from going back further than vertical? A bone process or Gregory S. Paul? Animals can sometimes get into positions the bones say is impossible. See Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week and search out camel necks to see what I mean. It's a cool site, if you haven't seen it yet. Is cool, even if you have!
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this is very helpful, thank you!
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Thank god for you, know i see why my raptors suck!
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Was clearing out my room today and found a small piece of this tutorial floating around behind my desk. It is now sitting in pride of place up on the wall under the window. I have found this tutorial very useful...
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I like my raptors feathered and unfeathered.
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This is an outstanding tut, love it! 
As many others, I grew up with the JP-style and all those old dino-books with incorrect anatomy, so I'll never let go of favoring the old style 
But nevertheless I'll fav this and have it as a ref if I ever have to draw "correct" raptors. Many thanks!
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I'm sorry. Has a bird ever charged at you? If NOT, check out THESE and tell me, is a charging lizard or gecko scarier? (Actually lizards would immediately run away because they're just so scareddd) Or.. a charging magpie or eagle?
youtu.be/YGGTcYfrEZU
youtu.be/OA8jQDGsv8s
But, aren't eagles and magpies smaller than raptors, but still, scarier? I think you're VERY wrong, here.
The answer is obvious. And it's not chickens. It's BIRDS OF PREY. RAPTORS.
By the way, chickens are equally as scary. youtu.be/DuS7ynMw5x8
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Lord, I am so happy to see this
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And I'm going to use most of the wrong bits to design my male Dinomads!
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Very helpful and informative. Thank you! c:
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Thank you for this; I'm just starting to draw raptors and this will be a big help! I'm also glad an artist like yourself knows so much about raptor anatomy; it's widely misinterpreted/ incorrect. Raptors are incredible and interesting creatures; thanks for the tutorial!
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I needed this.
THanks for the detail!!
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There isn't necessarily anything wrong doing it the anotomically wrong way, if you're just doing it for the fun of it (A game, fun art, whatever). If you're going for a more realistic look then yeah.
I hear people get into heated conversations over the right-way vs the JP-way, but truth be told I have never seen Jurassic Park, nor read any of the books or played the spin-off games so all I ever knew were the feathered monstrosities :-<
*ahem* Any chance for a print? I'd like a larger copy to look at when the power is out or when I'm out camping
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It has now been submitted as a print, however be aware that this tutorial might be updated in the future with additional information.
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Great! When I get the chance I'll pick it up
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so hard doing it right when you did it so wrong, in the Jurassic Parky way
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This. Helpful very much. I've been doing it wrong this whole time D,:
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