I have been asked a few times whether it's ok to copy someone's style of drawing just to practice.  I must admit that I've done my share of copying when I was in high school, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it as long as you move on from just imitation to developing your own creative style.  The way I see it is that when you're copying, you are trying to understand how the artist is thinking when he/she draws, and through that you learn more about what it is you are drawing and that's when you can start creating your own style.  I had mentioned before that back in school, I got to the point where I could pretty much mimic Naoko Takeuchi's style and draw my own original Sailormoon fan art in it, but over time I found that it was lacking because it really wasn't 'me' coming through in the work… which lead me to explore and look into what was to become my current 'style.'  Of course it didn't just come to me overnight, and it was informed by more than just Sailormoon – rather a culmination of all the artists I admired and analysed what it was that I really liked most about their art and what I want to express through mine.

The subject came to mind recently and I was also kindly asked by if he could reference my style.  I'm flattered to say the least since I'm still constantly looking at improving my art and my style is still evolving.  He's taken some elements of how I draw faces and integrated that into his OC  Very close to how I would draw ;D

Basically, when you draw or create any works of art in any medium, it should be an expression of yourself and how you feel about the subject.  The more you can feel for the subject and the more you can express that, the greater the piece will become.

Happy arting, peoples!