You guys know I'm doing my until dawn crossover right?

Yeah, well I'm really struggling with the cover for it... DX

I used some reference photos for the facial features and some of the hair for characters featured on the cover...

And fan has made a really good point that this is technically art tracing... Aka stealing...

I really don't want to be that person that steals art and says it's their own... I already try to make the things I draw with them as different from the original as possible, but this naturally doesn't sit well with me :(

So I'm gonna stop with the reference photos... But that leaves me with problems...

You can see the stuff I've already drawn with them for the cover...  I want to use them because I really like them... But at the same time, I really don't because I don't want to be a Theif and if I don't the rest free hand, then they'll look really obvious...

So I'm asking you guys... Pick one of the options... Should I:

1. Use them anyway.

2. Scrap them and start over all over, but using freehand.

3. Have a cover contest for the cover.

I really am stuck on what I should do...

Help a fellow author out?