I just remembered a piece of my childhood, probably explains instinctively going to tracing. I used to draw sonic the same way. My parents yelled at me for it, saying it would damage the monitor, so I took my game covers, manuals, and comics out and taped them up against a window in the sun to trace.
Thinking about it now, I was able to make fan comics and share them with friends. It worked then, but I guess the biggest difference is that the excitement to pursue has been somewhat replaced by the dread of not pursuing it.









Sounds like a $2k vet bill in the near future