It’s the thought that counts, and even the lousiest thing could mean a lot if there’s a meaningful purpose behind it. Just like these funny pet portraits. One might think that the artist behind these crappy drawings was terribly bad. But the truth is, the man who drew these isn’t actually an artist. He’s a 38-year-old dad from Worthing, England who has never drawn in his life. Not until he found a good cause to do so.
Phil Heckels, the artist who drew these pet portraits, has been a devoted supporter of Turning Tides. This local charity provides help and support to the local homeless community. As a supporter, Heckels believes that everyone deserves a home. As a way of saying ‘thank you’ to some donors, he decided to draw a couple of animal doodles and posted them on Facebook. For someone who wasn’t really into arts, his drawings came out looking a bit ‘rubbish’ and Heckels knows it. But, surprisingly, people were impressed with his drawings and even asked him to draw their pets.
Man Draws Funny Pet Portraits To Raise Funds For A Local Charity
Heckels can’t believe that people actually think his doodles are good. But the overwhelming response proves that many people see more to these lousy drawings than meets the eye. At first, he took up a few requests and fulfilled them for free. But then, the number of requests kept on piling up. And before he knew it, his Facebook inbox was already full with more than 2,000 requests. The number is indeed more than he could handle as he could only make 3 – 5 drawings per day. So, he had to post a message to explain that he can’t possibly respond to every request.
However, a brilliant idea suddenly came to mind. If he could make funny portraits and help the charity at the same time then that would be brilliant. So instead of offering his artistic talent for free, he decided to work on commissions to raise funds for the charity. He created a Facebook page and a fundraising campaign on justgiving.com where people can place their order and send photos of their pets. All proceeds will be donated to Turning Tides charity.
“We, at Turning Tides, are absolutely thrilled by the amazing talent, energy, and enthusiasm Phil (aka Hercule Van Wolfwinkle) has poured into his Pet Portraits. Phil and all his avid supporters have not only raised a staggering £10,000+ in just a month, in support of our charity; he has also increased awareness of the rising numbers of homeless men and women in our community,” Ruth Poyner, Head of Fundraising and Communications at Turning Tides, said.
You can visit the Pet Portraits By Hercule on Facebook to place your order or to simply browse Heckels’ entire collection of pet portraits.
