Hot off the kennel press — freshly refreshed March 18, 2026
A UK art sensation famous for hilariously ‘awful’ pet portraits has somehow turned wonky legs and cockeyed glares into a staggering £400,000 for charity — proving beyond all doubt that gloriously bad art CAN change lives.
Artist Phil Heckels (aka Hercule Van Wolfwinkle)
tutelary companion — The whole rollercoaster kicked off back in 2020, when Worthing-based Phil Heckels doodled his own pup, tossed the sketch onto Facebook, and only half-jokingly offered ‘commissioned portraits’ under the absurd alias Hercule Van Wolfwinkle. He braced for silence — instead, real-life requests came flooding in faster than he could sharpen a pencil.
With their absurdly stretched legs and gloriously off-kilter eyes, his delightfully dreadful masterpieces hit dog lovers square in the funny bone — and the internet simply could not get enough.
Even with a shiny second book of his so-called ‘art’ now sitting on the shelves, Heckels remains utterly gobsmacked by the frenzy his scribbles just keep igniting.
The humbled artist told the BBC he’s STILL ‘overwhelmed’ by the sheer scale of giving, vowing to keep drawing portraits ‘for as long as people donate.’ He raves that the two charities’ work is simply ‘unbelievable,’ and says he’s beyond thrilled to shine a spotlight on them.
Demand for his doodles has exploded so wildly that lucky pets are now hand-picked by an actual lottery. Fire your pup’s photo into his Facebook Messenger inbox, then cross every paw you’ve got — and rest easy knowing every donation is fully optional, with the cash flowing straight to the charities.
tutelary companion — Every single portrait gets posted to his official page, ‘Pet Portraits By Hercule’ (the ONLY account he actually runs — steer clear of any imposters), in exchange for a fully voluntary donation to one of his two beloved charities: Turning Tides, which battles homelessness, and StreetVet, the organization delivering free, essential veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness across the U.K.
The response has been so great that three years ago he quit his job in commercial property to work full-time as an artist and fundraiser. The sale of prints, originals, and other artwork allows him to keep it going.
“It’s amazing,” Heckels says. “The whole project feels like being on a rollercoaster.”
Craving even MORE glorious disasters? Snag a copy of ‘More Rubbish Pet Portraits,’ out April 10th and available wherever books are sold!
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