Juniper help

[robin99]

Hi there,
I'm super new to the whole bonsai thing but have really enjoyed learning about it. I got a juniper from a nursery the other day and as it had so much foliage it was hard to tell how the trunk looked. Anyways i brought it home and started cleaning it up and discovered close to the base the tree spits into a Y and part could be a nice cascade eventually but as both branches are similar size im not sure what to do or how to proceed with determining what style i want it to be as i don't want to cut too big of a branch and deprive the tree. I have also wired some if the branches but still needs A LOT of work as i'm learning as i'm going really. I've left the tree for now to grow some more and then i can reassess the foliage. I'm also unsure how to form pads of foliage as i don't know if i should cut back the long shoots of new growth or do i bend it around to create a pad? I'll attach some photo below but the tree for sure needs some help shaping. Any help is appreciated!

Thanks

 

[Shibui]

Welcome to bonsai. Be prepared for many more agonizing decisions as you move forward in bonsai.

You have made the right call to let the tree rest for a while now. Junipers are a species that sometimes resents excessive reduction so give it a few months to rest and recover.
Junipers can also react badly to bending when they are in active growth as yours will be now. The cambium will be active and the bark can separate from the wood causing dead branches if they are bent too much now. Wiring and bending is safer in fall or winter when the bark is better attached.
BTW, be prepared for some flak from the bonsai police for the crossed wires. Some of them forget they were once beginners and still learning. Search for wiring tutorials or find someone who can show you how to plan and apply wiring effectively. Wires should look good as well as be effective. A bonsai only needs wire if you are actually moving the branches. It is not just there to make it bonsai.

As for styling you have lots of options. Most of the different options will produce good bonsai so it is often not a case of which is best but which do you want.
Beware the cascade! Looks simple and great to look at but achieving a good result is difficult. You are welcome to try cascade but I would advise upright styles for the first few tries at least.

It is always hard to properly assess a tree's structure from a couple of 2D photos. There may be things I can't see because of the nature of photos that mean my styling advice is way out so please consider anything here possibilities only.
I think the more upright branch has more character - better bends and better taper - than the cascading one.
It may also be possible to use both branches or parts of both in a final design though I can't see anything worth considering from this angle.
If you decide to pursue the cascade option I would be trying to get more bends and twists into that cascade branch but not now - see above warning on spring bending.