I've Decided To Take Place In #inktober This Year! I Don't Know If I'll Get Through All Of The Prompts,

team slumber parties

Me, drawing Sonic fanart in 2024? It's more likely than you'd think! I used to draw quite a lot of Sonic fanart back in the day... way back in the day! I have recently been hit with a resurgence of Shadow love. A character whose main themes are grief, loss and redemption? Of course I love him!

I thought this little interaction was fun enough to immortalize! I hope that you enjoyed this week's installment of 'Slices of Gremlin'! I am going to continue updating every Tuesday, and if you would like to support the comic and get early access, you can sign up to be a member of the 'Little Creature Club' on Ko-Fi!

This is an art that was made before I jumped on Tumblr but I thought I'd post it here for Valentine's day! 💖 Happy Valentine's day to my friends!

Thanks for reading Slices of Gremlin this year! Do you have any resolutions for the new year? Do you aim to be a "new you"? I hope you enjoyed episode #28 of Slices of Gremlin! If you did, please subscribe to the comic on Webtoon. You can also see episodes of the comic a week before everyone else does if you join my Ko-Fi! Membership is only $3 a month to join "The Little Creature Club"! This week I am very pleased to announce a new member of the club, ToothpasteDragon! 🎉🎉🎉

I wanted to announce my upcoming original comic series, Wellwishers, and the two main characters of it -- Vincent and Witherspoon! 😼 The comic itself isn't ready yet, but I have steadily been working on it behind the scenes -- in fact, I've been working on this project for ten years! I don't want to share too many details yet, lest I wander into spoiler territory, but I wanted to begin to share some fun sneak peeks and to introduce the main characters. Vincent and Witherspoon become unlikely best friends and have adventures in their strange, magic-filled world!

I'll be posting updates on the progress of the comic as they come in my Discord server, Gremlin's Secret Forest (follow the link in the Linktree in my bio to join)! It is a fun, wholesome community geared towards Christian creatives and fans of my comics.

I just made a new sticker design -- the orange milkshake snake! 🐍🍦🍊 This is the newest addition in a series of rascally little animals and their sweet treats. Since a lot of these designs haven't been on Tumblr yet, I decided to compile a few of them together here! If you're interested in buying any of these little guys as stickers, check out my store JazzLeeIllustrates on Etsy! Which one is your favorite?

A very experimental comic for this week! 👀 What do you guys think? I'm considering using this rough style again in the future sometimes. It's faster, so it might allow me to put more comics out! This was episode 39 of my webcomic, Slices of Gremlin -- if you like the comic, be sure to give it a follow on Webtoon! You can also support this comic (and more future comics!) by following the link in my bio to support with one of my special Ko-Fi membership tiers.

Using motifs to create thematic depth.

Motifs are one of the most powerful tools a writer has for weaving deeper meaning into a story.

What Is a Motif?

A motif is a repeated element in your story that highlights a theme. While similar to symbols, motifs are more dynamic and can evolve as your characters and story progress.

Symbol: A single red rose representing love. Motif: Flowers appearing throughout the story to represent different aspects of relationships—love, decay, growth, and loss.

Why Use Motifs?

They deepen your story’s meaning. Motifs give your readers something to latch onto, creating a sense of unity.

They enhance immersion. Repeated elements help ground readers in your world.

Tips for Crafting Effective Motifs

1. Choose a Motif That Fits Your Story’s Themes

Ask yourself: What’s the central idea of my story? Your motif should subtly reinforce that idea.

Theme: Resilience in the face of hardship. Motif: Cracked glass—a recurring image of something that’s damaged but still functional, reflecting the characters’ inner strength.

2. Use Motifs to Reflect Character Growth

A well-designed motif can evolve alongside your characters, reflecting their arcs.

In the beginning, a character always wears a watch to represent their obsession with time and control. By the end, they stop wearing the watch, symbolizing their acceptance of life’s unpredictability.

3. Keep It Subtle (But Consistent)

A motif shouldn’t feel like a flashing neon sign. It should quietly enhance the story without overpowering it.

If your motif is rain, don’t make every scene a thunderstorm. Use it sparingly—maybe it rains during moments of emotional turmoil or reflection, creating a subconscious link for the reader.

4. Use Recurrence to Build Meaning

The more your motif appears, the more it will resonate with readers. The key is repetition with variation.

In a story about family bonds, food could serve as a motif.

Early on: A tense family dinner where no one speaks. Later: A shared meal where characters open up and reconnect.

5. Connect Motifs to Emotion

Motifs are most effective when they evoke a visceral reaction in the reader.

Motif: A recurring song. First appearance: A father sings it to his child. Later: The same child hums it as an adult, remembering their father’s love. Final scene: The song plays during the child’s wedding, tying past and present together.

Examples of Motifs in Action

Motif: Mirrors

Theme: Self-perception vs. reality. A character avoids mirrors at first, unable to face their reflection. They slowly start using mirrors to confront their flaws. The final moment shows them standing confidently before a mirror, accepting themselves.

Motif: Keys

Theme: Freedom and control. A character collects keys, searching for one that unlocks their past. They find an old, rusted key, which leads them to uncover family secrets. The motif shifts to symbolize freedom when they lock a door behind them, leaving their past behind.

Motif: Birds

Theme: Longing for freedom. Early scenes show a bird trapped in a cage, reflecting the protagonist’s feelings. Later, the bird is released, symbolizing a turning point in the character’s journey.

Motif: The Ocean

Theme: Emotional depth and uncertainty. Calm waters reflect peace in the protagonist’s life. Stormy seas mirror moments of inner conflict.

Practical Exercise

1. Identify your story’s central theme.

2. Brainstorm objects, actions, or images that resonate with that theme.

3. Introduce the motif subtly early on.

4. Repeat it with variation, tying it to key emotional moments.

5. Bring it full circle by the end, letting the motif reinforce the resolution.