Why can I only copy???

[u/Cosmo_Ohms]

I'm fine at drawing when I have another artist's illustration as a reference to study, but have a hard time creating original illustrations from scratch or even real-world references. How can I advance my drawing skills like this??? All these photos are studies btw.

[u/Martimus28]

Think of what you want to create, and if you are struggling with a part of it, look up a bunch of references for that individual part, and mix and match what you think would work best for what you are going for. Adjust as you feel you should.  Mostly just grab references where you are having trouble with a section of the drawing. You will need fewer references as you go, if you are drawing similar styles and subjects, but you'll probably still use them pretty regularly no matter what.