For the Greater Good

Happy May to everyone!  It has been a beautiful day here, although it may snow tomorrow...

In today's post I want to explain one of the reasons I started the blog up.  Besides having a location for all my miniature work as well as my various tutorials, I wanted to bring attention to folks that are doing good for others.  I have found the people in our hobby as a very friendly group as a whole--they are very willing to share tips and tricks when new painters and share knowledge to promote the hobby as a whole.  I hope to continue that tradition!

I really like to do miniature exchanges as well, when I find the time.  It motivates me to talk with the recipient and come up with a tailored gift essentially.  Hopefully they enjoy the piece and perhaps even learn something as they get to hold it up close.  I have painted a number of miniatures and given them away to acquaintances on the forums.  While I really enjoy painting, I am not much of a gamer, so my models tend to just sit and gather dust.  I like the thought of my little metal/plastic/resin creatures and characters getting played with and fueling the imagination of someone, somewhere.  Perhaps a bit sappy, true, but I do like to hear back from people after they have received an unexpected surprise.

Some folks take it a step further, though.  They actively engage the painting community at large to aid a friend or a cause.  I will try and bring these sites and causes to the attention of anyone that visits my little corner of the web.

There are two sites now that I have grown to respect very much.  The first is Ian Newbold website at http://www.newboldworld.com/main.html.  It is a small website, but he has a great love for the hobby and he and his wife have a great heart for charitable work.  Usually, at least a couple of times a year, he will sponsor a competition, funding the prizes on his own and donating additional cash to charities in the name of the winners.  The Newbold Challenge as it is called was started in 2006 and has raised over 40,000 pounds for charities such as Children in Need and Children with Cancer.  You can read more of the Challenge here: http://www.newboldworld.com/Challenge/UMDream/index.html .  There is currently a Challenge underway and is open until May 31st, so swing by and submit a piece!

The second site is much more recently arrived on the miniature scene.  The original website is run by Michael Bartels and can be found at http://masterminis.blogspot.com/.  He has a love for the miniature hobby that is as strong as any I have seen.  He also has great heart and has big plans for helping others.  Last November, he launched a new company with some extraordinary painters and has created a new website Painting Buddha at http://www.paintingbuddha.com/.  It an unusual model; a significant portion of the profits from the sale of his items will be donated to charity!  You can read about the galactic president's big plan in a series of videos under the revolution tabs at the Masterminis website.  Check him out!

Finally, there is current a campaign going on for a long time friend of the miniature community named Kev Adams.  He is a sculptor and has long been known for his work with goblins and orcs.  Earlier this year, he was assaulted in his home and hurt quite seriously.  The miniature community has rallied around him and launch GoblinAid.  The facebook page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Goblinaid/582169528462833. At least 30 sculptors have created pieces in his honor and the last I read, the organizers were hoping to get something available for purchase by the end of May.  Several sites are donating a portion of the proceed from the sale of Kev's piece back to him to assist with medical bills.  Wargames foundry is already helping out and can be found here: http://wargamesfoundry.com/our-ranges/goblinaid/.

Go check these out!