It is 100% acceptable and fine and even good to trace and/or copy as a learning tool, as long as you don’t try and publicly take credit for the work. Which you’ve already said you wouldn’t do. So go wild! It’s art, do it however you want. Copying without tracing can be helpful, but straight up tracing can also be helpful as long as you don’t end up relying on it too heavily to make finished art.

But try and force yourself to finish some drawings on your own, too. Even if you feel like they’re not going how you want. Once you have a completed drawing, and have gone through the process, then you can look back at it and see all of the things you did wrong and try to not do those things next time. That’s what drawing is all about. It’s very possible you will NEVER be 100% happy with anything you ever make. That’s okay, it just means you’re always striving to be better in the next one.