I'm not that long part of the furry community. That's why there are many areas that I'm not familiar with or have never heard of. Kobolds were a part of that. Well, kinda. Not until I looked deeper into the furry community, I learned about the "modern" Kobold, which was completely new to me.

Because I grew up with the picture of a mean, pranks playing house spirit. That, at least, was the idea of a Kobold in classic Europe. A classic example is the character Pumuckl from a television show. When I was little, this show was already a bit dated (I'm 37 years old btw.). It's basically about this little prankster living together with a carpenter. In the show Pumuckl repeatedly causes chaos in the carpenter's life, but without any real malicious intent. He's literally a rascal with magical powers. And yeah: This was my idea of a Kobold for over 30 years straight. Even other media like video games didn't paint a different picture on my mind. I guess Dungeons and Dragons had an considerable impact on changing the role on Kobolds in modern society.

I still don't know why I like these folks. But it's just the way it is. Just like why I like some animals for some weird reason I don't know. I haven't touched any sort of media with these reptile-like Kobolds. I guess it's because I do like anthro dragons, and they are kinda similar. I dunno.

Anyway, enough about that. Let's talk about the picture, shall we. During the early development process I didn't really know what I wanted. Clear for me was that my Charr (Guild Wars 2 race) Chick will receive an Kobold upgrade (or downgrade, a matter of perspective). Luckily, her two-legged Kobold physique with tails and claws was still very similar to her Charr self. This made it probably easy to remain some recognizable features of her former self (especially ears and horns). You, latechwa, did a fantastic job extracting these features and make them look natural on her Kobold self. Not out of place at all. You would even think that, if you never had seen a Kobold, this is their normal form. Same goes with Chick's clothing, which is a remarkable, stunning recreation of her normal look. You, latechwa, showed a keen eye for detail here.

One might think that there are already numerous other illustrations and experiences with this species behind it. However, nothing could be further from the truth. It must be emphasized that this is latechwa's first Kobold illustration. And it looks fantastic!

latechwa and I decided on a more dynamic (unique) pose, something a bit different then the inspiration material we looked at. Instead of simply standing around, we decided on a bit of a leaning pose on the tail. At this point of development we hadn't decided on a background yet. We quickly agreed on a winter theme. And yeah: The icy wasteland perfectly matches her white scales. The little grey pigments are a great addition by latechwa and make for a respectable imperfection.

Lastly, let's talk a bit about the minor details. Minor details, but ones that are important to me. First of all: The impact on the environment. Or, in other words: literally the footprint you leave behind in the landscape. This is such a small detail, but it makes such a difference. It's a evidence that the character is "really" there and not standing behind a greenscreen. latechwa added a couple of these "proofs": Footprints in the snow. Frozen breath in the air. A bit of thawed water on the tail and the paws. And snow on the claws. Again: I can not emphasize enough how much of an impact this makes. The picture, while not in motion, feels alive. In my opinion it's not less important than lighting and shading and the whole background. Which is also a good topic: All of these mentioned things, lighting, shading, background, and the colors used in the background, looks stunning. I'm a sucker when it comes to starry night skies. And mixed with the polar light, it's magical.

What I said to you on Discord, latechwa, was the truth: With your craft you can proudly name yourself a Kobold artist now. I hope that whenever you look at this picture, you will continue to feel the same happiness that I do.