Project dogwaffle is actually a really good program, and its very cheap (And theres a free version, which is almost as good). I use it for a lot of my textures now.

Speaking of textures, the secret for good ones isn't necessarily fancy art knowledge, its the amount of time invested. The secret is always detail, so I would:
1) make him glossier, like a snakeskin
2)add stripes and stuff-this will make your model
3)maybe some scars/bruises(this may be kinda hard, don't worry about it too much)
4) if you feel up to it, painting your own bump map is usually well worth it (IMO);

Also, relative to the background, you raptor seem very sharp, very bright, and very big. Just keep that in mind

-All in all, though, its your image. Do what you want