"I am super passionate about nature, adventure and history. Many of the drawings I create capture all of these elements in one. When I draw pictures of abandoned buildings I don’t just draw them because they look interesting. I draw them also because they each have a story to tell."

Colored pencil artist, Brandi Dieter, uses a combination of color and attention to detail to create realistic looking drawings. Brandi currently resides in Colorado where much of her inspiration for her drawings originates. She hopes to use her drawings to emphasize forgotten places in the world.


​Tell us about yourself and your background.
I was born and raised in Southern Colorado and have been around the area almost my entire life. Being constantly in the mountains as a child influenced my love for nature and exploring, which in turn has greatly impacted my art. My life was filled with art growing up. My mom was always drawing when I was a child. I remember going out to her makeshift studio ​and looking at her beautiful pet portrait drawings in awe wishing that someday I could draw like her. At a young age, I started working with colored pencils that my mom used for her drawings. I quickly outgrew my kiddie Crayola colored pencils and decided that my mom’s Prismacolor colored pencils were much easier to work with since they allowed me to blend. As a child, I was constantly drawing. I drew everything that inspired me from aspen trees to a series of furnished rooms on a sheet of paper. Today, I still find myself drawing things that inspire me from aspects of nature to historical buildings.

"I am a colored pencil artist. My artwork is created using techniques that are presented in a realistic style.
​I mostly use colors that are represented in the natural world including grays, browns, greens and occasionally yellows or reds depending on the subject I am drawing."

Tell us about your work.
I am a colored pencil artist. My artwork is created using techniques that are presented in a realistic style. I mostly use colors that are represented in the natural world including grays, browns, greens and occasionally yellows or reds depending on the subject I am drawing. With every piece I draw I want to emanate interest and emotion. Besides drawing, I also enjoy creating more hands-on crafts such as macrame and weaving. I also enjoy creating pottery on both the potter’s wheel and using slabs, however, limitations to a potters wheel and a kiln keep me from fully pursing this direction. My artwork is unique because I use colored pencils to create my pieces and draw subjects that not many people would think to draw.
I will also occasionally fuse other mediums into my drawings such as ink or markers to make them feel more unique. I feel like colored pencil artists are few and far between. When I tell people I draw with colored pencils, they are usually surprised by my preference.

​"Sometimes I will just drive around in search of interesting places and stumble upon something that intrigues my interest. Other times I will do some research on places that I would like to see and visit them in person."

How do you select the places you draw?
My initial process starts with exploration and taking pictures. I love seeking adventure so anytime I can get out and discover new places it rejuvenates me and activates my creative juices. Sometimes I will just drive around in search of interesting places and stumble upon something that intrigues my interest. Other times I will do some research on places that I would like to see and visit them in person. Photography is my outlet to capture any captivating sights that I may see. This in turn often ignites my desire to draw and recreate what I observed. I use the images I capture as references for my artwork to create realistic images and incorporate as much detail as possible. When I am drawing or creating other forms of art, I feel happy and serene. All the worries and tribulations of life ceases while time passes by quickly. Every hour I spend creating feels like only a few minutes.

"My source of inspiration typically stems from observing the world around me. I am generally inspired by beautiful landscapes, interesting architecture and travelling to places I have never seen before."
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What inspires you?
My source of inspiration typically stems from observing the world around me. I am generally inspired by beautiful landscapes, interesting architecture and traveling to places I have never seen before.

What draws you to working with colored pencils?
My preferred medium is colored pencils even though I do work with a variety of different mediums. With colored pencils I can create rich colors and add a lot of depth to my drawings by building and blending colors in order to create realistic looking images. Sometimes if I want to achieve a richer color I will use markers as a base layer and then go back over those areas with colored pencils.

"One particular theme that I have explored is my Abandoned Colorado series which has been featured in this article. This series originated from a college drawing course that has since expanded to a concept that I am passionate about."

What are your proudest moments so far in creating art?
As a young artist, I have yet to have my artwork presented in a gallery or a museum, however, I believe that every piece that I complete is an achievement. I put a lot of labor-intensive hours into each piece I draw so when I complete a drawing I feel a great sense of accomplishment. I believe that some of my newest pieces such as "Last Standing" and "Nichols Mine Shaft" are some of my most notable pieces in my abandoned series thus far. The bricks, perspective and amount of detail that I included in "Nichols Mine Shaft" were challenging but well worth the hours I spent working on it.

What themes have defined your creative work thus far?
One particular theme that I have explored is my Abandoned Colorado series which has been featured in this article. This series originated from a college drawing course that has since expanded to a concept that I am passionate about. With a avid fascination for ghost towns and abandoned buildings, I decided that doing a series of drawings for my semester long project on this subject would be fun but challenging for me. Little did I know that this series of drawings would extend past my college years.

"In the near future I hope to start experimenting with oil paints. This is a medium I have never really explored but have always wanted to learn."

What reward do you get from drawing these places?
I am super passionate about nature, adventure and history. Many of the drawings I create capture all of these elements in one. When I draw pictures of abandoned buildings I don’t just draw them because they look interesting. I draw them also because they each have a story to tell.

What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on adding to my abandoned series. I have a few pictures I took last year that I have been itching to draw. One particular image is of an old school house near Buena Vista, Colorado. I have been fascinated by this particular building since I was a little girl.

What can we look forward to in the near future?
In the near future I hope to start experimenting with oil paints. This is a medium I have never really explored but have always wanted to learn. During Christmas last year, I traveled to the coastline of Northern California with my family and was inspired by the magnificence of the ocean. I hope to do an ocean series in oil paints based on my inspiration.
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​"I believe that art allows artists and viewers to step into a world of imagination, fantasy or idealism that nothing else can quite achieve."

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Tell us about Colorado.
Being in Colorado has greatly impacted my artwork. I spend a great deal of time outdoors whether it be hiking, camping or driving around on dirt roads in the backcountry. Virtually every time I have the opportunity to spend outdoors, I find something new that inspires me. Colorado has many fascinating places to visit from abandoned ghost towns to breathtaking scenery. I do feel quite privileged to live in a place that constantly encourages me to be creative.

What does art mean to the world?
I believe that art is an important form of expression in our world today. The greatest aspect of art is that just one piece of artwork can be interrupted in so many different ways. One person’s interpretation may be completely different than another person’s view. It can also completely vary from the artist’s intention for creating the piece. I believe that art allows artists and viewers to step into a world of imagination, fantasy or idealism that nothing else can quite achieve.

What do you us to feel in your art?
I want my artwork to show viewers that beauty can still be found in a world that is crumbling apart. I want to bring beauty back to these places that have long been deserted and bring out the story that these places have been longing to tell.


www.brandidieter.com   |  www.instagram.com/designbybrandi 
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