'Rubbish' pet artist raises £400,000 for charity

A pet-portrait artist has raised more than £400,000 for charity with his self-confessed "rubbish" pictures.

Phil Heckels, from Worthing, West Sussex, began working under the alias Hercule Van Wolfwinkle in 2020.

Mr Heckels, who is about to have a second book published of his work, has won awards for his fundraising and even embarked on a 24-hour charity "drawathon" event.

He said the portraits in his new book were "even more rubbish than you could have ever expected".

It began in 2020 when Mr Heckels drew his own dog and put it on Facebook, offering paid-for commissions as a joke, but genuine requests flooded in.

The trademark wonky legs and crooked eyes have proved really popular with pet owners.

The artist said he was "overwhelmed" to have raised so much for charity.

He said: "The continued support will never cease to amaze me.

"I've always said I will keep drawing portraits for as long as people donate.

"I guess there is still a market for rubbish pet portraits."

All of the pet portraits are uploaded to Hercule Van Wolkwinkle's social media pages in return for a discretionary donation to one of his two chosen charities: Turning Tides, a homelessness charity, and StreetVet.

Mr Heckels said: "The work that the two charities do is unbelievable and I'm so pleased to raise awareness for them.

"The whole project feels like being on a rollercoaster and you rarely get to stop and enjoy the view.

"This is one of those moments."

His artwork is such a success that three years ago he gave up his job in commercial property and became a full-time artist and fundraiser.

Mr Heckels said: It's amazing. People all over the world are now interested in my work."

More Rubbish Pet Portraits is published on 10 April.

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