Friday, July 20, 2018

NOVA Open Charitable Foundation - 2018 Raffle

Hey Everyone!  Today I invited Sean from BrushforHire to talk a bit about the NOVA Open Charity Raffel happening this year at NOVA Open.  Each year the raffle sees a plethora of talented artists donating time, models, and skill in order to help raise money for different charities.  It is also a great chance to win beautiful painted models and armies and the best part is you can purchase entries and win even if you are not attending NOVA in person so be sure to give it a look and buy a few chances to win!  Let's see what Sean had to say.




NOVA Open is right around the corner, and one of the amazing offerings from NOVA is the Charity Raffle. Every year artists from around the world come together to and donate untold hours in time spent painting impressive works of art. This includes an impressive variety of pieces, from beautiful single display pieces, ready to find a home in your display case, to beautiful armies, waiting to wreak havoc across the table, to the enormous Forgeworld Warlord Titan, that took two months to paint.

While we as painters, may not have the skillsets to do what these charities do, we are able to put our skills to use for good, to help them. Along with painting, a number of the painters donated the pieces they painted also.

Last year they raised over $50k for charity, and this year they are looking to raise over $60k.  At just a little over two weeks in, they are already pacing to crush their goal!

The money raised will be going to various charities that include: Doctors without Borders, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and Fisher House Foundation. These are immensely important foundations that work to save and change lives every day, all over the world.

The pieces are raffled off, by purchasing chances for them. Everyone has the same chance to win. Love a piece and have to have it? Then purchase multiple chances for it! Would be happy with any of them, then spread the love across the board. Either way, be sure to help raise some money for charity and donate, with a chance to get something you will cherish forever.

While the armies have unlimited chances to be purchased, the single miniatures are limited to 500 chances. So do not miss your chance to bring one of them home.

On September 2nd, at 12 noon, the raffle sales will end. The drawings to announce the winners will then take place at NOVA Open. You do not have to be present to win, and they will ship all over the world.

This is a chance to get a work of art done by artists who are some of the best in the world. Some are high-end commission painters, while others do not do commission work, and this would be one of the only ways to get a piece from them.

Personally, I painted Nathaniel Garro from Forgeworld. This was a piece I enjoyed painting because of his armor being all metallic colors. I enjoyed the challenge of giving the metals depth and character. I wanted to accentuate the display base that came with the miniature, so I made a plinth out of buckeye burl wood. All the character from the wood came wood itself, and only a clear coat was applied. He is able to come off his display base so that he can be used with your 30K army. With chances for this piece being only $2, do not miss out! Nathaniel Garro.


The big piece, for this year, is the Warlord Titan from Forgeworld. Painted by the talented John Stiening. The size of this war machine dwarfs the dreadnought. The unpainted model is almost $1500, online. Considering the two months that it took to paint, this is a once in a lifetime chance to get a piece that will blow away anyone who sees it. Whether it is in a display case, or on the table, it will be sure to impress. Chances are $5 each, with unlimited chances of being sold. Warlord Titan.


Another one to check out is the Trollblood army, “Beards, Booze, and Beatings.” A collaboration project by Benjamin Carver, James Craig, Matt DiPietro, Agatha Dobosz, Guillaume Juneau, Dallas Kemp, Sam Lenz, Aaron Lovejoy, Devonian Maher, Justin McCoy, Will Richardson, Chris Suhre. Trollbloods being my favorite Hordes army, I had to give a nod to this one. Chances are unlimited, and only $2 each. Get your beatings here: Trollblood army.


Those are just a few of the offerings this year. Please be sure to check them all out here. While there is a chance to win an amazing work of art, the main goal is to raise money for charity, which will be used to help people all over the world. NOVA starts and ends with charity, while bringing people together to make more than friendships, it is family. Even if you cannot make it to NOVA Open, you can still be part of it, through the raffle. A tremendous amount of effort goes into this every year, from the minis to the painting, to the organization of it all. All donated for a worthy cause, and let’s all make our mark as a gaming community, who is known for a massive record-setting amount of giving.

               -Sean “Brushforhire” McAfee


Thanks Sean!  Be sure to check it all out to enter for a few chances to win one of these lovely painted raffles and until next week, Happy Hobbying!

Chuck Moore