Artificer races...

[Tyger]

Grumpy dour dwarf in Mountain Plate who grumbles about the damned kids

-or-

skulking and muttering Whisper Gnome with the Dark template that is never where you thought he was....

Can't decide.

[FelixG]

Option 3: Warforged, always the best choice

If you are dead set on those two races go with the dwarf, they are less annoying than Gnomes

[sonofzeal]

If you are dead set on those two races go with the dwarf, they are less annoying than Gnomes

Whisper Gnome. So, basically, a Halfling statted oddly.

[LansXero]

Ork Qwikmek imho, unless you are set on those. Junkyard artificers arent so done-to-death in fantasy.

[Tyger]

Yes, I took a long look at the Warforged, as they seem mechanically pretty cool for the class, but they just don't fit the custom setting our DM is using, and while I could shoe-horn it it, it just wouldn't be right.

The two presented are the two that are appealing to me from an RP perspective - I am not overly concerned with optimizing the character - lets face it, he's an artificer, so he's going to be pretty optimized by default.

I hadn't thought of the orc or half-orc races... but they setting is pretty set with orcs as antagonists, and I think, just this once, I'll go with a stereotype rather than another "breaks the mold" character type.

[Escheton]

Go for the tricksy tinkerer. It will feel more fun.
Go for the grumpy crafter. It will feel more cool.

uhm...flip a coin?