Make no mistake: Hercule Van Wolfwinkle is not an artist. In fact, the United Kingdom father-of-two has never claimed to have any artistic talent whatsoever, but that hasn’t stopped him from raising nearly $2,000 for charity simply by putting pen to paper.
It all started when Hercule was making thank you notes with his 6 year old. He started doodling a picture of the family dog, uploading it to Facebook as a joke.
Hercule laughingly told his friends that for just £299 (roughly $382) he’d draw their pets too. Before he knew it, enough people had requested his “rubbish” drawings that he was inspired to use the pictures to raise money for Turning Tides, a charity that helps provide food and shelter for the homeless in Hercule’s community.
Hercule set up a JustGiving page and a Facebook page called Portraits By Hercule. While the delightfully derpy drawings are free, he does ask that any requestors make a donation to benefit the charity. So far he’s received almost 100 donations ranging from £2-£50, bringing the grand total to £1,555!
1. “I was having fun drawing the pictures, people seemed to enjoy laughing at them, and if we could make a bit of money for a brilliant cause in the process–great!” said Hercule.
2. Any donation amount is accepted and appreciated, but £14 allows Turning Tides to give someone a hot shower and breakfast.
3. “It would be great to think that each of my scribbles is providing someone with the basic need of a shower and a fully belly.”
4. Hercule keeps jokes about his “artistry” tongue-in-cheek, but the donations are 100% real.
5. Hercule jokingly describes his pictures as, “extremely realistic.”
6. About 1,600 people have already liked his Facebook page.
7. He asks that people only ask for one pet at a time because he’s not great at drawing groups.
8. The pics may not be flattering, but they sure are funny!
9. Hercule says he’ll draw any kind of animal, but he’s mostly getting cats and dogs.
10. And the occasional reptile!
11. The wonky eyes are our favorite part.
12. The artist says he’ll keep going as long as the requests keep coming in.
13. He’s quick to remind us that this project is “something I’m doing for a bit of fun to raise money for charity,” not a job.
14. You can request a drawing of your own pet via his Facebook page.
What an ingenious way to make people smile while helping a great cause! We love that Hercule saw a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and grabbed it with both hands. Off to request our portrait!
Share these funny drawings to raise awareness for this fun charitable project.
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