It's not a problem you copying your favorite artist if you are not using them to improvr your art. Even so your touch will be imbued to your drawing anyway cuz you can copy a drawing but your drawing still will look different than the original.

Search as much of good reference as you want, see how your favorite artists draw and use these techniques like you like the way this artist do when doing eyes, etc.

It's a long journey to refine your own style

Using references to draw is something all the artists are used to be, whenever they are experts or not, just think about the very old artists in the past who used to sculpt looking at a model, there is a prettiy high probability your favourites artists use photos or other drawings as reference for theirs, but eveyone develops their own art style, maybe you will find yourself yours by keep drawing or changing palettes or brushs

There isn't really anything I do, my work is well, mine. I try to make sure the fundamentals aren't absent from my work. But, I will say your chosen subject matter, frequently Lemurs and the like are stylistically yours scruffy. Too few people draw lemurs.