This Man's Illustrations About Life With His Boyfriend Are Absolutely Adorable

Illustrator Simon Ip is glad to give representation to gay and interracial couples.

Comics about couples are all over the internet, but the illustrations tend to be pretty heteronormative: It’s rare to see a queer couple portrayed in such a cute, wholesome way.

Simon Ip, a digital artist who lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, is changing that, one adorable little illustration at a time.

The illustrator, who’s originally from Canada, draws inspiration from his life with his boyfriend, Patric. The two met in the summer of 2019 when he was visiting Stockholm, where Patric lived, for the weekend with friends.

“On the train ride back to Copenhagen, I told myself, ‘I need to see him again,’” Ip told HuffPost.

Illustrator Simon Ip and his boyfriend, Patric, in non-comic form.
Simon Ip
Illustrator Simon Ip and his boyfriend, Patric, in non-comic form.

The creative pair ― Ip draws, and Patric is a musician with the band Callus ― were doing a lot of back-and-forth from country to country, but the pandemic brought them closer together.

“In 2020, I spent six months in Stockholm living with Patric and working from home,” Ip said. “Finally, in January 2021, we moved to a wonderful apartment in Copenhagen with a wonderful seaside view.”

At the height of the pandemic, Ip spent his free time illustrating the happily idle hours the pair spent together.

The cute, early Disney-esque drawings show the couple traversing their city:

Simon Ip

And following in love with cute pups every 10 seconds on walks:

Simon Ip

And stealing each other’s food on the sly:

Simon Ip

Ip ended up calling the series “100 Days of Happiness.” Since beginning the project in March 2020, he’s received a ton of positive feedback from other LGBTQ+ people who are happy to see such sweet, wholesome representation.

“Going on Instagram, I know I had difficulty finding other LGBTQ artists that drew same-sex couples doing mundane things together and enjoying sweet moments shared together,” Ip said.

“I’d say the majority of LGBTQ depictions are overly sexualized,” he noted. “We don’t oversexualize all straight relationships, so I thought it was important to continue these illustrations to normalize same-sex couples.”

Ip is also happy to depict a gay couple that happens to be interracial.

“Denmark’s population is not as diverse as in Canada, and that’s made me realize the importance of showcasing my Chinese heritage and being openly gay,” he said.

A lot of Ip’s Instagram followers live in Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and the Philippines.

“I would have loved to see this type of representation growing up,” he said. “With the rise of social media, I’m happy I have the possibility to do so for someone else.”

Below, we highlight some of our favorite illustrations from Ip. Head to his Instagram or site for more.

Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip
Simon Ip

Before You Go

LOADINGERROR LOADING
Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE