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Project: Kate editor, free and open-source advanced text editor for programmers: kate-editor.org/
Character: Kate the woodpecker, mascot of Kate editor
Description:
Kate the woodpecker is the mascot of Kate Editor, a free and open-source advanced text editor for programmers. Kate’s maintainer Christoph Cullmann contacted me for a mascot after my Konqi design went official by KDE, and this was her initial design. I was going to give her treatments like Konqi, but never find a proper way. Some day I will make her more suitable as a mascot for Kate editor.
Why a woodpecker?
In discussion with Christoph I said I was going to draw a humming bird, but the mascot turned out to look more like a woodpecker. And the sound a woodpecker knocks trees reminded me of keyboard clicks.
Why a girl?
Kate is female because of her name. I thought about other names like Klicky and Katherine, but I would rather save them for other future KDE projects to pick up as their names.
Design elements: