Bonsai Stick Figures with special guest Rick Martin

[M. Frary]

avoid a fight or just run away

Not very good at either.
So I go directly to the second rule.

 

[ColinFraser]

Quoting myself from another new person thread that went south:

Around here, the useful information often comes with "personality" - snark, sarcasm, but rarely outright malice. It's just how things are in the nut house. If you have information and attitude, it's still useful information. If you have questions and attitude . . . good luck.

"It's all just a little bit of history repeating . . ."
. . . Also, this:

 

[music~maker]

Late to the party on this one ...

Really great post @Smoke. I read the first page, and thought, "wow, what a great way of explaining that concept", and then read five more pages of silly drama. I guess some things never change around here. I've paid money to receive advice like this - too bad the freebie wasn't appreciated, especially for trees that had been posted here specifically asking for advice.

Keep doing what you do - this was great.

 

[defra]

Never seen this thread before but realy helpfull
I might go to a nursery today lets see if i can put this into practice !
Thnx @Smoke

@M.Frary how did the returning to sports go ?

 

[M. Frary]

Never seen this thread before but realy helpfull
I might go to a nursery today lets see if i can put this into practice !
Thnx @Smoke

@M.Frary how did the returning to sports go ?

Just training myself at the moment.
I'm down to 280 lbs. from 352 since January.
About 60 to go.

 

[defra]

Just training myself at the moment.
I'm down to 280 lbs. from 352 since January.
About 60 to go.

Nice keep it up !

 

[sorce]

@hometeamrocker this one?

Sorce

 

[Paulpash]

Did you notice that in @Smoke 's drawings of the higher quality trees the branch angles were all very similar & created asymmetrical yet rhythmic patterns?

The poorer stick drawings had a variety of angles which meant that the eye was thrown out of the design.

Before this post I' knew' that certain branch placements looked attractive just because I've seen thousands of trees & what 'looked good'. Now I know why - the geometry of aesthetics - so thank you.

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

@hometeamrocker this one?

Sorce

No, it was specifically about maples... Thanks doh.

 

[Bonsai901]

@Smoke this may be the greatest teaching aid I have had thus far in bonsai.
Tagging this for later

 

[Forsoothe!]

Art lessons for the unintiated! Thanks, -I needed that...

 

[amcoffeegirl]

This is the first time I saw this post. Thank you. I will go draw some stick figures.

 

[WesB]

Well, did he go and wire and trim his junipers up proper and post updates or not? I want to see if applying the lines and triangle stencils to them helped.

It’s very difficult to get young or small material much past just looking cute. Which IMO Martin’s junipers were very cute little trees.

 

[Smoke]

Well, did he go and wire and trim his junipers up proper and post updates or not? I want to see if applying the lines and triangle stencils to them helped.

It’s very difficult to get young or small material much past just looking cute. Which IMO Martin’s junipers were very cute little trees.

 

[WesB]

View attachment 226898

Those are not young trees Al.. and I’m already familiar with your collection going back into the 1990’s

 

[Smoke]

Those are not young trees Al.. and I’m already familiar with your collection going back into the 1990’s

All of those trees are less than six years old. I know when they were planted in the field. Take the one in the middle. It looked like this in 2017 when I purchased it from Ed Clark, when it was taken out of the field after 5 years of growth from cuttings.

 

[Smoke]

The actual age of the material has nothing to do with it. Its the image you turn the young material into. About four hours.

 

[WesB]

Comparing 5+ year field grown bonsai material to little nursery store starters.. apples and oranges and has nothing to do with the question. We already know you have trees. My question isn’t a challenge to you so chill.

The question is do we get to see if the changes to Rick’s trees made an improvement?? Where’s Rick!

 

[Smoke]

Comparing 5+ year field grown bonsai material to little nursery store starters.. apples and oranges and has nothing to do with the question. We already know you have trees. My question isn’t a challenge to you so chill.

The question is do we get to see if the changes to Rick’s trees made an improvement?? Where’s Rick!

How about you post up some trees and I'll make some tracings of your stuff. Maybe we can see if your up to the challenge. How about that for a chill big mouth!!!

 

[WesB]

How about you post up some trees and I'll make some tracings of your stuff. Maybe we can see if your up to the challenge. How about that for a chill big mouth!!!

Stop trying to change the subject first of all. I said it is difficult to make a tree out of young and small trees. In this case rooted cuttings. Not one time did I disagree with your lesson and I still don’t. I already did my up-and-comings decades ago. The line thing I do in my head, first thing I do is check the bones and see what there is. I want to see Rick apply the lines to his little junipers and admire the improvements.

Calling me a big mouth is totally uncalled for, totally. I don’t even know what you’re mad at. Wow. I gave complement to your trees, not that it has anything to do with the question I asked at all which wasn’t even addressed to you in the first place or about your trees. You’re mad because I think making good trees out of small stuff is difficult? Hey guess what, I think Bonsai as a whole is super duper difficult.

Biting peoples heads off for asking a question is very unprofessional. You seriously do need to chill out. I left this formun and all the others about 10 years ago and now already I’m so so sorry I ever came back. I didn’t attack you in anyway so take that ego out for a breather and have a reality check.