Phil Heckels

Heckels was born in 1982 in Cambridgeshire. Since 1999 he has worked as an estate agent in Worthing, West Sussex.[1]

In 2020 Heckels, under the name of Hercule Van Wolfwinkle, began creating humorous portraits of pets. His first portrait was a doodle of his own dog. When he put the picture on Facebook he was soon inundated with requests for portraits of dogs, cats and other animals, including tortoises, lizards, parrots and horses, which he fulfilled in return for a donation to the Worthing homelessness charity Turning Tides.[2]

Heckels is a self-taught artist and has referred to his work as "rubbish doodles".[3] His distinctive style portrays animals with exaggerated features, elongated legs or ears and crooked eyes. The portraits are often accompanied by witty captions.[4] By January 2021 his work had raised £50,000 for Turning Tides.[4]

In November 2021, having raised £24,000 from his portraits, Heckels was the recipient of a Daily Point of Light award. Prime minister Boris Johnson wrote: "What started as a fun project with your son has now raised a significant sum for local charities. Your 'rubbish doodles' by Hercule Van Wolfwinkle have also lifted the spirits of the nation. I loved the picture of me with Dilyn and I am delighted that we were able to help raise funds for local charities."[3]

Heckels lives in the Worthing area with his wife and son.[1]