As an ex-patriate Scot living in Spain, I was pleased to see a Spanish name in the list of finalists at Seeboden with well-known Spanish make-up artist, Priscila Dionis, being placed sixth in the World Face Painting Championship. 

Priscila, however, is no stranger to Seeboden and was a finalist in the bodypainting category in 2005 when she came fourth in the “music” round and seventh in the second round “comic”. 

Originally from the Canary Islands, she has lived and worked in Barcelona for the last 7 years where she is a make-up artist for Spanish TV, theatre productions and magazines.  She has worked for L’Oreal, Wella, Jorge Rubin and Bobby Brown amongst others and now runs her own make-up school offering courses in face and bodypainting and SFX in addition to fashion and beauty make-up.

Her first love, however, is bodypainting and in addition to Seeboden, she has participated in and gained awards at many different festivals around Europe including Cosmobelleza (Barcelona), IMATS (London) and the bodypainting festival of Gran Canaria. 

Says Priscila, “Seeboden, in particular, holds a great attraction for me.  The organisers make sure that every detail is taken care of and the participants are looked after in a way that isn´t seen in other festivals.

“I would recommend it to everyone for the sheer enjoyment of painting in the last weekend of July with some fantastic artists, getting to know them, sharing ideas and learning from the innovative creations of others.  This year I had the honour of meeting Nick and Brian Wolfe whom I feel are so talented in the art of face and bodypainting”.

Priscila´s entry for the face painting competition this year was a departure from the usual notion of facepainting.  She decided to transform the model´s face into a pair of jeans. 

“I realised that I was able to adapt the features of the face to the shape of a pair of trousers. Using real parts of the jeans combined with makeup, I created the effect of fabric on the skin with the back of the head and neck becoming the back of the jeans with pockets and stitches”.

It was an unusual concept which was well received by both the public and the judges who congratulated her on the originality of the idea.

She feels that the key to producing good work is to take your inspiration from what is around you, to give yourself a fundamental starting point on which to base your ideas – “trying to create something from nothing is very difficult.”

“The materials we use are also important to our success.  I would recomend Grimas products for their coverage and creaminess but I also use Kryolan and Make Up Forever, in particular the water-based range from Make Up Forever as it has a such a good variety of colours which give a finish of great intensity and high quality”.

The next bodypainting date in Priscila´s busy schedule is her participation in the face painting festival which will take place in Brussels in November.

For more information on Priscila Dionis or about her makeup or face and bodypainting courses in Barcelona, visit her web site at www.prisciladionis.es

Photography: Ane Yarza;
Face Painting: Priscila Dionis;
Model : Alvaro Desmadryl