modpodge help!

[karinalynn.livejournal.com]

i need some modpodge help! my best friend's birthday is next week and i bought a wood box at michael's and i'm going to paint it. she's in love with dashboard confessional, so i wanted to modpodge a picture of him onto the box and put lyrics all over it. i was going to print the picture from internet. can i modpodge right onto the wood or should i paint it and varnish it first? will the printed picture cause a problem with the modpodge? would it be better if i found a picture in a magazine?

thanks in advance!!!

♥karina