Triptych, part 1

Jasmine made a collage I just loved at our craft-a-palooza last December, and I have been wanting to try it myself. I have pondered and wondered what I should do. Finally this week, with the help of a friend (thanks, Alisa), I made a decision.
Today I will show you part 1 of the triptych (a three paneled artwork) that will hang above my mantle. I hope Jasmine doesn't mind that I am going to steal her collage for my craft.
So... I decided to have 3 collages with a branch crossing all three. I may put a bird on the branch of the last one. For the first panel, I used all black and white prints from magazines for the background. I used Modpodge to adhere them to a 12" x 12" flat canvas.

Next, I found a picture of a branch I liked. I was too lazy to go outside and take one myself, but that would have been cool!
I told my printer to print it on multiple pages (3 x 3). If that doesn't work for you, you can crop out sections of the picture one at a time and use the Paint program to make them the size you want.

Next I cut out the branch and laid it across the three canvasses. It didn't fit exactly, so I stretched some pieces and added some smaller branches here and there. (I decided to use a different branch, as you can see.)

Take a picture so you can remember how it goes after you create the stencil.

Now, create the stencil. I used my Xyron machine with a temporary adhesive. It was a little hard to see exactly where the clear laminate was on my canvas, but it worked ok. I also used masking tape.

I carefully dabbed on the paint and let it dry. I added a quick coat of Modpodge over the paint. I carefully removed the stencil and did some touch up. It isn't perfect, but I like it!

Stay tuned. Next week I will show the finished triptych.