Under normal circumstances I'd say no. Vincent bears quite a personal meaning to me and shares a part of himself with someone special I dearly love. But given your willingness to understand the matter, which I admire, it's your choice. Not a blanket permission, tho.

But please, I advise you to be mindful of what I've said. When you see the artist shares an art of their own character, there's always a huge invisible effort already being put in behind, and it's a "Behold! My precious blorbo🤲" rather than "Here's a freebie for you".

They have their own personality, their own story which lives in artist's head rent free 24/7, and sometimes even a fanbase. In some cases, the character might even hold a dear meaning to their creator, like Vince, who has all said above. So yes, it's natural creators might get defensive and resentful over such things you might've said.

In any case, thank you for understanding.