Because Nerds love ATCs too

This is a scheduled post. That's because on the day I'm typing this out, the little beauty above has only just gone into the post. The recipient hasn't seen it yet. But he should have by the time you're reading this.

You see, I made this for the sweetest Nerd in all the world (thx Scritti), and mixed media guru, Mark Gould. What he can't do with a brush and a pot of crackle paint, ain't worth knowing. And when I call him a nerd, it's affectionate. Go see Nerd Fitness if you disagree.  Nerds rule. I'm a nerd.

I'm a horror nerd first and foremost. There's not much in the genre I don't know about. But I do love a superhero, a comic book, graphic novels, sci-fi, my Playstation (how many times can a guy watch Tomb Raider's Laura Croft die at his own inept hands?) and so on.

And Mark, as anyone who knows him or reads his blog, will know, confesses to having a nerdy streak. So when it came to swapping ATCs with him, I thought I'd go for the superhero vibe. Red and blue - well you know who's colours they are. And a green torso, with the word Smash. Seriously, do I need to explain any further? It's as subtle as a brick to the head.

The ATC is made from MDF by Calico Crafts. The base was inked up in blue colours and stamped in black with a Seth Apter texture stamp. Then I coated it in Triple Thick gloss (an idea I learnt from Mark). I added the Smash Label, added another layer of Triple Thick and squished the torso into it before it set. Same for the top frame. The torso was clay, painted green, and varnished. I stamped black archival ink onto white tissue paper and glued this over it. The frame I covered in texture gel by Reeves (love this stuff) and painted in acrylic red. And that's all it took.

Hope he likes.