'Rubbish' pet artist illustrates children's film

Cinnamon's Big Adventure is to premiere on YouTube on Sunday

A pet-portrait artist who draws self-proclaimed "rubbish" pictures has illustrated a new children's short film.

Phil Heckels, from Worthing, West Sussex, who began working under the alias Hercule Van Wolfwinkle in 2020, has raised more than £450,000 for charity.

He has illustrated Cinnamon's Big Adventure, the true story about an escaped capybara in Shropshire, which debuts on YouTube on Sunday.

Mr Heckels said: "My pictures are bad enough when they're not doing anything, but to see them moving around is a whole other thing."

He told BBC Radio Sussex: "The list of things happening to me that would have been weird five years ago but now seem normal seems to be growing by the day.

"This is another pinch-me moment. It's all very surreal."

The escaped capybara sparked an extensive seven-day rodent-hunt near her home at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Shropshire, in September 2024.

Her story led to internet memes, a song, merchandise and even a book, illustrated by Mr Heckels.

He said: "I was surprised to be asked to illustrate the book. But now seeing it brought to life and animated is something else.

"I can't wait for everybody to see it and hopefully it will raise a few smiles."

Phil Heckels, otherwise known as Hercule Van Wolfwinkle, has been creating his pet portraits since 2020

Mr Heckels will be attending a premiere screening at the zoo on Sunday.

He added: "It was a great project to be involved in as I spend most of my days drawing people's pets.

"Being able to draw a capybara and other weird and wonderful animals was a bit of a change for me."

It all began in 2020 when he drew his own dog and shared it on Facebook, offering paid-for commissions as a joke. But genuine requests flooded in.

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

Hercule van Wolfwinkle's pet portraits have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity

All 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, who had his second book of his artwork published in April, has won awards for his fundraising and even embarked on a 24-hour charity "drawathon" event.

Cinnamon's Big Adventure is to be played in cinemas nationwide before selected films later this year.

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