This year, for me, is about going after opportunities that have been on my list for a long time and not waiting for the right time. One of these goals has been submitting to the Royal Academy (RA) Summer Exhibition - an annual exhibition showcasing various artwork in London. With any goal, I like to ask myself 'why'. The reason for this specific goal is pretty simple: I want to share stories through my artwork and connect with more people through my version of storytelling, so I need my artwork to exist outside my Instagram and be more accessible.

My last visit to the RA Summer Exhibition forced me to reflect on why I hadn't taken the chance at submitting my artwork as those hundreds (maybe more) artists. As I went alone, despite the noise within the gallery, I used the silence in my mind to arrange thoughts and quickly gather that I had been waiting to create the 'perfect' piece before taking any chances with my artwork at an exhibition level. This consciousness and my desire to bring attention to South Asian women brought me to my A-level exam piece. 

As you have rightly guessed, I entered this piece for this year's RA Summer Exhibition... but not exactly in this form. Early this year, I adapted this drawing because there had always been a part of me that wondered: 'What would this drawing look like with more detail?'. As someone who bases most of her decisions on intuition, I followed my willingness to revamp my A-level piece. This process (finally) brings me to five tips that helped me rework a drawing amid the fear of ruining it.

Spend time looking at the drawing

I know this can sound a little unusual, but looking at the artwork long enough can help you understand what you enjoy about your art piece and what is missing. I came across the concept of 'slow looking' a few years ago, and it is essentially the idea that getting to know an artwork requires spending time with it. Similar to me, you might catch yourself initially thinking about the most random things - from dinner to realising that you need to paint your nails - but be patient and with time, you will find yourself staring at a particular detail in your art piece, and this will unleash a group of thoughts about the work in front of you.

Have a journal at hand

This tip may be a little biased by my love for journals, but I recommend having a journal with you when slow looking at your drawing. Your journal can be an incredible tool for scribbling down your thoughts, capturing your thought process and generating space in your mind for more creative ideas. 

Having dotted down your ideas, take some time to read over your notes and be specific about which parts of your drawing you plan to rework.

Make incremental changes and step away 

Using your list of improvements as a guide, make incremental changes to your art piece, and every so often, step away from it and stare. At this point, you may wonder, 'How many times do I have to stare at my artwork? '. Yet this step is crucial in continuously understanding whether your changes reflect your vision for the piece. It will also help you see if the drawing is balanced and whether it needs further detail in different areas to bring the drawing together. 

Recognise your strengths

This tip is not specific to artists; recognising your strengths can help connecting with your audience better. In my case, I am aware that I am better at illustrating facial features than clothing. This awareness helped with the decision to incorporate negative space (the area around and between a subject); this allows facial features in the drawing to stand out more prominently. 

Gather some feedback

In the midst of revamping the drawing, I reached a point where I needed a couple of days away from the drawing. However, the deadline for the submission and the pressure of only having the weekends to work on the piece (as I am not a full-time artist) forced me to enter a space of tunnelled vision. At this point, it is worth asking for opinions from your close circle and knowing which feedback you will take on board without feeling overwhelmed - hence, gather some feedback.

In my situation, I asked my sister and Amma. They helped me recognise my strengths in capturing jewellery and the need to connect the detailed portions of the drawing with line art to bring this portrait together.

A bonus tip: If you had made notes on the first version of your artwork, read through them to understand why you created the drawing in that way in the first place. This tip is valuable to recognise the journey you have been on with this piece and deepen your connection with it - this will fuel your energy to create. 

In my case, I looked through my A-level sketchbook, which documented how my inspiration for the original piece came from the role of bhavas 'facial expressions' in storytelling with dance. Since then, through this blog and my interest in dancing, I have come to know the influence of the British colonial rule on Bharathanatyam and the dancers 'devadasis' (you can read my blog post 'The Untold History of Bharathanatyam' - if you are interested!). Through navigating my journey with this drawing, I could generate a title for it. I call this piece 'Devadasi under Colonial Fear'.

These steps to reworking an old drawing made me realise that I have grown extensively as an artist - since completing my art A-level (nearly six years ago!). I say this proudly because I can see how my colour pencil technique now involves a deeper layer of colours. This awareness puts me in a position where regardless of the submission outcome, I am so proud of myself for trying.