Seriously? All this fuss over changing a pose or mixing colors seems like making work for yourself. If a sunset gradient works, just use it - nature doesn't own copyright. @sarahburns switching up her own swatches feels like doubting her own eye. The whole point of references is to learn from what already exists, not to reinvent every little thing. When did getting inspired turn into such a guilt trip?
Started doing the same thing with color palettes I find online. Used to just straight up steal a gradient from a sunset photo, now I mix in two or three other references until it becomes something new. Feels less like cheating and more like actual work, you know?