I just did a landscape-style quilt and I used photos from the internet - just searched 'marine life of the Florida Gulf Coast' or something similar. I printed the photos in color, using high contrast and trying to size to correct proportions for the quilt, then I used tracing paper and a light box to pencil in the outline and the important parts of the photo where there would be color changes (birds had orange feet, black legs, white feathery bodies in partly shadow, beaks, etc etc). I marked the tracing with the different fabrics I would have to use use for the critter, then traced the tracing again - one color on each sheet - so that I could cut out the pieces. If I was feeling confident, I used the gluey-backed wonder-under or whatever it's called for that last part, other wise just regular tracing paper so I could use it again and again if I screwed up, so I wouldn't waste the wonder-under.
Of course I had to audition lots of its of different bits of fabric for the fish parts and the grayish feathers...kept losing the bid feet and legs and fish-eyes...but other than feeling like I had fallen into the fabric scrap bag of the Jolly Green Giant it was great fun.
Enjoy! Sounds like you have a great project started!