His name is Darius, and he creates little rat masterpieces with his little rat feet.
Recently, he and his paintings caught the attention of Tumblr and Twitter users who thought he was both adorable and talented.
His owner and art teacher is a student of animation and digital arts herself in Askim, Norway. Amalie Markota Andersen said his posts have gone viral several times on social media.
https://mystic-ami.tumblr.com/post/169863054587/darius-painted-his-first-art-piece-today
According to Anderson on her Tumblr page, Darius created his first watercolor in January, 2018.
Insider reported she dipped his paws in non-toxic watercolors and let him walk back and forth across the paper. She estimated each of his creations took about ten minutes to finish.
She posted images of Darius and his paintings on Tumblr, but she didn’t anticipate how popular they would be. “Darius going viral was very exciting, I was so happy people liked him,” Andersen said. “It is what he deserved!”
She actually sold several of them and used the money to buy Darius a halter for when she took him outside.
Darius was adopted in 2017 and described as timid but a cuddler. Anderson never knew his real age but assumed he was mature, possibly a senior citizen.
Earlier this year, Darius passed. Though sad, Anderson was grateful for the years they did have together.
Now, her focus is on her new furry friends, male rats named Gucci and Mango.
Seems as if Mango will soon be following in Darius’ talented footsteps.