Midnight Masquerade

Midnight Masquerade’s 100th Mask Contest

midnightmasquerade — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:25:24 +0000

Midnight Masquerade has a total of 93 masks to date. As my online mask shop nears its 100th mask, I would like to celebrate this occasion by giving fellow mask-lovers the chance to win the one hundredth mask, EXCLUSIVELY DESIGNED FOR FREE!
Help spread the word!

Deadline of entries for the 100th Mask Contest is extended to June 17, 2011 (9:00 PM, GMT +8). Winners will be announced on June 18.

NOTE: You have to be a member of Midnight Masquerade’s Facebook fanpage first before you can join the contest.

Midnight Masquerade is BACK IN BUSINESS!

midnightmasquerade — Wed, 04 May 2011 03:18:22 +0000

That’s right! The shop is officially open so keep those orders coming.

Midnight Masquerade will be back on April 29

midnightmasquerade — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:53:37 +0000

NOTE: Orders that have made it to the cut-off yesterday, March 24, shall be finished and delivered within next week.

Midnight Masquerade Order Cut-Off for MARCH & APRIL 2011

midnightmasquerade — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:38:42 +0000

A couple of important announcements should you miss checking the News & Updates section:

The Mask-Maker is going on a vacation so the store will be closed on APRIL 1-28. Midnight Masquerade will be accepting orders until March 24 (Thursday), 12 midnight (GMT +8) ONLY. The store will resume accepting orders on April 29.

More importantly, Midnight Masquerade has a total of 85 masks to date. As a way to give back to those who share my passion about masks, I’ll be giving away the 100th mask for FREE! Watch out for the contest mechanics to be posted within the week.

Entrepreneur Magazine Feature: Behind the Mask

midnightmasquerade — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:49:12 +0000

Midnight Masquerade was featured on Entrepreneur Magazine‘s October 2010 issue. Click on the photos above to view the scans.

Behind the Mask
Finding credibility online was one challenge this mask maker had to overcome. Here’s how she did it.
By Rocel Ann G. Junio

Thanks to cable TV, Katrina Pallon knew at a young age what she wanted to do. Her fascination with masks traces back to a special aired over the National Geographic Channel, featuring the Carnival of Venice, an annual event in Italy held two weeks before the Lenten Season.

Then a high school student, she was amazed by the colors, shapes, and intricate details of Venetian masks originally worn by locales to hide differences in social classes. A few years later, she found herself completing her degree in fine arts at the University of the Philippines with a thesis on Bacolod’s MassKara Festival.

Pallon, now in her early 20s, channels her love for these enchanting coverings into a business venture called Midnight Masquerade, which started in 2008. Her first order came through a referral to Ariel Villasanta, half of the television comic duo Ariel and Maverick.

“Upon completing four mask orders for [him], I decided to post them on my Multiply.com account, which served as my temporary online portfolio. A couple of weeks later, a second order came, which I also documented and posted on Multiply. After that, orders started to trickle in. That’s when I decided to convert my account into an online mask shop. Midnight Masquerade was born,” she says.

SELLING ART VIA MULTIPLY
Old newspapers and directories, acrylic paint, plaster of Paris, fabric, gems and ribbons, and loads of creativity and imagination make up Pallon’s masks. She learned the basics of creating masks from a a paper-mache class in school, and then modified the steps to match her creative process.

“The first step is to choose a mold that fits the client’s facial structure. From there, the paper-mache is made, sun-dried, and cut to the desired shape. A hardening agent is applied on the mask and left to dry. Lastly, the paint job is done and adornments are added,” she explains.

Pallon says she creates all sorts of masks – from half and full masks to gattos, or masks shaped like a cat’s face. Her designs are a blend of Asian and European art with hints of art styles from the Victorian and Baroque periods. She makes sure though that no two masks are alike: “I may derive inspiration from a previous work of mine, but it’s important that each mask is unique to every client,” says Pallon.

By far, she considers her Multiply account as her main business outlet, “as it is where I get most, if not all, of my local clients.”

Pallon often receives messages from people who are interested in her work through Multiply’s comments page and private-messages feature. To confirm an order, a local client is required to pay half of the mask’s price as down payment, and the remaining balance is given upon delivery of the mask. “Foreign clients, on the other hand, are required to pay the full amount including the shipping fee before I start working on their orders,” she says. Pallon imposed these policies after falling victim to people who ordered masks and halfway through a project turned incommunicado.

Nevertheless, she still meets with clients at key areas of the metropolis whenever necessary. “I do meet clients to discuss designs of custom-made masks,” says Pallon.

Pallon says Midnight Masquerade’s gross monthly income ranges from P20,000 to P30,000, and increases significantly by the end of the school year (February to April) when most proms and graduation balls are held, and during the holiday season (December).

“I guess the biggest challenge for Midnight Masquerade was finding a niche market and getting a regular number of orders per month. To prove my credibility, I offer my online visitors a comprehensive documentation of masks I’ve made for previous clients,” says Pallon, referring to blog entries complete with photos and description of her works.

Doing business in a fast-growing online marketplace does not bother this young artist. “Midnight Masquerade’s edge over other Multiply businesses is its products – artistic and elegantly custom-designed masks that are made from quality materials. Offering a unique product has helped my business thrive as I cater to a very specific market,” says Pallon.

Turquoise Blossom

midnightmasquerade — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:58:52 +0000

Feminine, intricate, and elegant, this charming addition to Midnight Masquerade’s collection of half masks was such a joy to design. The Turquoise Blossom Mask was especially made for Ms. Kaitlin Depukat of Mt. Olive, Alabama for their prom last April. Decked with flowers, rhinestones, and fine bead work, this mask is truly an ornate turquoise beauty to behold.
With silver as an accent color, the mask was designed to perfectly fit its owner’s beaded gown. Flowers in full bloom were painted against a background in a deeper shade of turquoise. Adding to the rich ornamentation were teardrop-shaped rhinestones and smaller Swarovski ones which blended well with the thick silver paint highlights.
Below are two different angles of the mask – one side showing the elaborately arranged artificial flowers that adorn it, the other showing more of the painted designs rendered with thick strokes of paint and infused with rhinestones.
A large blossom was attached at the left side of the mask. This is then surrounded with smaller paper roses in varying shades of turquoise and blue. Meanwhile, the clusters of bead work were placed just beneath the flowers.
These gleaming bunched up intricacies finish off the design, peering through cascades of turquoise blooms. Lastly, this mask is meant to be tied in place with the black satin ribbon attached to it.

FOR CUSTOM-MADE MASK ORDERS AND/OR INQUIRIES:
Drop me a note or email me at katrinapallon@yahoo.com.

Gray Baroque

midnightmasquerade — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:44:18 +0000

With a color scheme of white, silver, gray, and black, this custom-made mask for Mr. John Joson was really fun to design. The specification was pretty simple – that he wanted a mask with the aforementioned colors and that he wanted something similar to the Black and Silver Mask I made for one of my previous clients. And because I am implementing a store policy that no two masks will be alike and that all masks would be unique for its owner, I designed something entirely new while drawing inspiration from one of my previous mask creations just as he requested.
Much like the Black and Silver Mask, I decided to divide the mask into two parts. The left side was painted gray while the right was painted black. Using silver as an accent color, I placed a harlequin pattern on the center of the mask, dividing the two parts. This was also to somehow merge the two distinct colors, thus, making the design cohesive.
Two sets of patterns were used on this mask. Painted in black, the right side was adorned with stylized flowers, leaves, and tendrils rendered in silver paint. White Swarovski rhinestones were incorporated into the design that is seemingly stemming from and surrounding the right eye hole.
Meanwhile, the left side, which was painted in gray, was infused with white rococo patterns and highlighted with silver. Round and oval-shaped rhinestones were then incorporated into the painted patterns. A black ribbon with which to tie the mask in place was the last touch, thus, finishing off this ornate mask design.

FOR CUSTOM-MADE MASK ORDERS AND/OR INQUIRIES:
Drop me a note or email me at katrinapallon@yahoo.com.

Hestia

midnightmasquerade — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:09:52 +0000

Hestia is the first orange-colored mask in Midnight Masquerade’s collection, especially made for Ms. Christine Caballero. While I took the liberty in deciding the color scheme for the mask as well as the rest of the embellishments, its shape was requested by the client. The inspiration for which kind of resembled a flame, hence, the mask’s design.

Named after the Greek goddess of sacred fires, the mask is painted in a fiery shade of orange but not too intense so as to complement her gown. It was then covered with intricate curly cues and art nouveau-ish details rendered in thick gold paint.

Two shades of orange rhinestones beset the mask, adding to the already elaborate paint job. Gold paint was also used to highlight the eye holes which were then lined and further adorned with white Swarovski rhinestones.

A sparkling jewel was placed at the very center of the top of the mask. To finish off the design, a black satin ribbon was attached with which to tie it in place.

FOR CUSTOM-MADE MASK ORDERS AND/OR INQUIRIES:
Drop me a note or email me at katrinapallon@yahoo.com.

Snowdrop Maiden

midnightmasquerade — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:10:04 +0000

Custom-made for Ms. Myey Flores, the Snowdrop Maiden mask is a simple yet elegant addition to Midnight Masquerade’s collection. The mask is painted pristine white as requested by the client, with silver as an accent color.
Having always wanted to design a mask with such a color scheme, I decided to give this mask an extra “oomph” since I deemed that painting minimal silver patterns on a solid white background would be dull. Thus, stylized leaves and flowers were painted using thick white paint for added texture. Painted over these were the silver details adorned with off-white sequin roses and Swarovski rhinestones.
Clusters of faux pearls embellish the left side of the mask as can be seen in the photos below. To be consistent with the color scheme, a silver ribbon with which to tie it in place was the final touch to this gleaming white beauty.

FOR CUSTOM-MADE MASK ORDERS AND/OR INQUIRIES:
Drop me a note or email me at katrinapallon@yahoo.com.

Red Admiral

midnightmasquerade — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:48:28 +0000

The Red Admiral is yet another lovely addition to Midnight Masquerade’s growing collection of scarlet colored masks. This mask especially designed for Ms. Alyssa Musni takes its name after a large butterfly specie said to be one of the last butterflies to be seen before winter sets in, often feeding on the pale fire of ivy flowers on sunny days in northern Europe.
Aptly named after the aforementioned butterfly identified by its striking dark brown, red, and black wing pattern, this mask was designed to perfectly suit the owner’s crimson ensemble for her prom. Various shades of red were used for this mask’s color scheme with silver as an accent color.
Deep crimson was used as base color. Butterflies in various shades of red were painted on almost 3/4 of the mask, their wings lined with thick silver paint. The largest of which was adorned with red rhinestones in different shapes and sizes.
Stemming from the painted rabble of butterflies are roses and smaller blossoms rendered in impasto for texture.
A large rose adorns the left side of the mask with two (2) silver chains dangling underneath it. Black lace and tulle were shaped to form a small fan attached on top of the rose, thus, adding a bit of Victorian touch. A satin ribbon with which to tie it in place finishes off this mask design fit for a fleeting beauty that is sure to stand out in a sea of masked faces.

FOR CUSTOM-MADE ORDERS AND/OR INQUIRIES:
Drop me a note or email me at katrinapallon@yahoo.com.