Kellen Hickey, a 26-year-old who lives in Hudson, Wisconsin, has gift giving down to a fine art.
He drew himself and his girlfriend Lindsay Brinkman, 24, in 10 different animation styles and gave the illustrations to her on Christmas.
Hickey told HuffPost that he got the idea a few months ago when he decided to draw the couple as “Futurama” and “Adventure Time” characters and Brinkman absolutely loved them.
Her enthusiasm inspired him to draw the two of them in the style of all the cartoons they had bonded over since they began dating in high school.
“I am fortunate enough to have the ability to create something that can represent us and our enjoyment of each one of those shows relatively faithfully,” Hickey told HuffPost.
“But I have to admit, the “Dragon Ball Z-style drawing was kind of for me.”
Hickey says that Brinkman’s response to the gift on Christmas was “everything I could’ve hoped for.”
“As soon as she finished [looking through the drawings she] jump-hugged me and was sure to remind me of how much she loves me for the next hour or so.”
Proud of his work, Hickey posted the drawings on his Instagram account earlier this week, where they’ve since gotten a lot of attention online.
The couple has framed nine of the photos and have them hanging in their living room. Hickey says Brinkman’s favorite is the “Bob’s Burgers” illustration. The “Dragon Ball Z”-version of the couple is sitting in a frame on Hickey’s work desk.
“I’m not sure I could ever properly express how much she inspires me,” Hickey told HuffPost.
“None of this would have happened if it weren’t for her, her support and the love between us,” he said.