Grin and bear it: His ‘Joker,’ demon masks a hit amid virus scare

GOING VIRAL Rene Abelardo shows his macabre creations.—PHOTO BY RENE ABELARDO/CONTRIBUTOR

SAN PEDRO CITY—When the coronavirus crisis pulled the plug on almost all local film and TV productions, prosthetic makeup artist Rene Abelardo lost his usual source of income.

Fortunately, Abelardo’s special skills and unused raw materials came in handy as demand rose for a new line of products: protective masks.

Soon, he was making masks that go beyond the basic clinical look.

It was as if Halloween came early as Abelardo started producing “character face masks” with eye-catching designs depicting fierce werewolves or ghastly zombies. He also drew inspiration from the grinning demonic figures in Japanese Noh theater, as well as the iconic comic-book villain, The Joker.

“We just didn’t expect they would go viral that quick after [my daughter] posted pictures (of my creations) online. Our hands are now full after people started placing orders,” he told the Inquirer in an interview on Thursday.

Small workshop

Abelardo, who for the last three decades has dressed up actors and impersonators as wild gorillas or gory monsters, spent the Luzon lockdown by getting busy in the small workshop at his home in San Pedro City, Laguna province.

His 14-year-old son and some of his friends have also helped him make the special face masks, each handcrafted from a lightweight plastic material and colored mainly using an airbrush.

The finished products are being sold at P300 to P500 each. They are washable and made to fit an average adult’s face.

The artist is aware that he’s producing a quirky conversation piece, not a medical implement.

Since the character mask alone may not provide enough protection from the coronavirus, users are still advised to wear a regular mask underneath. They can still breathe with ease since Abelardo makes tiny holes for air in the mouth and nostril sections.

Abelardo does not recommend them for children.

‘Good vibes’

He said many of those who have placed orders for his masks were bikers or motorcyclists. “I think they are just after some good vibes,” Abelardo said.

But while his masks may be grinning, the reality faced by craftsmen like him is hardly something that can make Abelardo smile.

“The (Philippine entertainment) industry is good, but when it becomes a sinking ship, you’re on your own,” the 50-year-old artist said as he wondered how other show-biz production workers were coping after the pandemic took away their jobs.

“Up to now we don’t know where [the industry] is heading from here,” he said.

Even if some stalled projects are allowed to resume or new ones are green-lighted, the need for physical distancing would be a concern for makeup artists like him on the set, he added.