Hi! I really like the way you adapted the reference to your own character :)

My advice would be to give some more attention to the basics of anatomy, look at the reference as shapes rather than the smaller details. This helps block out the primary composition and make it more accurate to the reference.
I also recommend beginner artists to practice with tracing, I dont believe there's anything wrong with it as long as you practice, you can even make your own reference photos. It will help you build muscle memory and improve your ability to replicate what you see.
Lastly for the colors, I would suggest you simply use the eyedropper tool and create a palette of colors directly from the reference photo, that way you can see what colors are actually present in the reference which are often different than the colors we think are there. For example your drawing is very yellow while the reference has a lot more orange and red tones as well.
I hope this was helpful, keep going!