Originally Posted by scowlkat
I guess it depends on the content and detail you are wanting. I recently did a quilt with a girl in it and couldn't have managed without Bonnie McCaffrey's book on portraits. As to the landscape part, I researched many methods by various quilters including Nancy Zeiman. I would say to try to sketch out your idea as a starting point and go from there.
I have a picture to go by. But, I always change everything I do up a bit for my own twist on things. I'll see if I can find McCafferey's book. thanks