Literati style Apex help

[Trimaptim]

I have this japanese black pine I've been doing little by little with. I like the subtle bends of the trunk and the height, but I can't seem to make up my mind on the Apex. Any suggestions to make this tree a better visual story? I'm thinking jin the top of the cut off and maybe one of the top branches, but not sure...sorry btw for the bad quality pic.

 

[JudyB]

Literati is HARD. At least to do it well. All I can suggest is that you study images of good ones. None will match your plant completely (that's the beauty of literati, they are always one of a kind) but it can help you see what works well and what does not. There is a really great book by Zhao Qingquan called Literati Style Penjing. Best book on the subject I've ever found.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I have a JBP that also inspires stupid ideas about it.




The saving grace is the realization that I'd most likely fuck it up and be told that literatis are hard to accomplish and I did something all wrong anyway.

 

[Trimaptim]

This is what I ended up doing with it after thinking about it today. The branch will be jin up top as well as tapering down from the top cut. Branch 3 will become new Apex since it's formed new shoots going upward. Branch 2 will a nice dense side and branch 1 will be the base at the bend.

 

[Trimaptim]

Literati is HARD. At least to do it well. All I can suggest is that you study images of good ones. None will match your plant completely (that's the beauty of literati, they are always one of a kind) but it can help you see what works well and what does not. There is a really great book by Zhao Qingquan called Literati Style Penjing. Best book on the subject I've ever found.

Thank you for the reply. I thought about it all day and the past week basically. Hopefully my poor drawing in the new pic shows what I'm going for with the new look. Tell me what you think.

 

[JoeR]

To be honest, there's not really any foliage to move around for an apex, its a young tree. It will take some time to really be a literati. I would allow one of the branches to escape to thicken the trunk and develop the bark. Maybe even a grow box

 

[JoeR]

also the two top branches mirror eachother with an S shaped bend, i would wire the top one differently

 

[Trimaptim]

also the two top branches mirror eachother with an S shaped bend, i would wire the top one differently

Are you referring to the new pic I just posted a few minutes ago in the comments?

 

[Vance Wood]

Don't feel bad about doing the Apex, the pros have trouble with them. Some times a proper apex can be accoumplished by taking a long branch and bending it so that one of it's side branches can be made to shape the apex.

 

[Johnathan]

For me after the bend the tree looks too compressed to be considered a literati. I'd recommend either opening it up with a less bend, or I think you have to elongate the apex. Make one of the branches at the top into a new leader, which will give you more taper, and then the other aspect is just time for it to elongate further

 

[JudyB]

Thank you for the reply. I thought about it all day and the past week basically. Hopefully my poor drawing in the new pic shows what I'm going for with the new look. Tell me what you think.

I prefer it in it’s taller form TBH. I also think that it would be fine to move the left branch from the first pic up as the apex. Nothing wrong with all branching on one side of the tree.

 

[Adair M]

I’m going to give you some different advice.

DON’T Try to make this into a literati. At least not for the near time frame. It’s just not old enough.

You see, literati trees are meant to depict not just “mature” trees, but “elderly” trees. Trees that have experienced storms, floods, draughts, winds, heat, cold, etc. They have old bark, old scars that have healed, scars that haven’t healed, evidence they have outlived their peers...

You have a young, unblemished tree. No kinks in the trunk, just a stub up in the apex. It just doesn’t have any character. Yet.

So...

My advice is to style this as a tall slant style tree. Try to develop nice branching, in the appropriate places. Give the tree time to grow, mature, experience life a bit.

Then, maybe 20 years from now, it will be ready to restyle as a literati!

I’m doing the same thing with a JWP. I “see” it’s future as a pretty nice literati, but my tree is only about 20 years old, and the bark is still the smooth grey bark that young JWP have. For niw, I’m developing it as a slant while I’m waiting for mature bark:

 

[Trimaptim]

I’m going to give you some different advice.

DON’T Try to make this into a literati. At least not for the near time frame. It’s just not old enough.

You see, literati trees are meant to depict not just “mature” trees, but “elderly” trees. Trees that have experienced storms, floods, draughts, winds, heat, cold, etc. They have old bark, old scars that have healed, scars that haven’t healed, evidence they have outlived their peers...

You have a young, unblemished tree. No kinks in the trunk, just a stub up in the apex. It just doesn’t have any character. Yet.

So...

My advice is to style this as a tall slant style tree. Try to develop nice branching, in the appropriate places. Give the tree time to grow, mature, experience life a bit.

Then, maybe 20 years from now, it will be ready to restyle as a literati!

I’m doing the same thing with a JWP. I “see” it’s future as a pretty nice literati, but my tree is only about 20 years old, and the bark is still the smooth grey bark that young JWP have. For niw, I’m developing it as a slant while I’m waiting for mature bark:

View attachment 313102

I think you are right. I'm also looking years down the road with this one since it is a very young tree. That's why I'm trying to get a sense for it's best chances now to set it up for a future literati style. I know it doesn't have what it needs now. Just trying to lay the needed ground work. I might set it up to be an informal upright for the time being. I just love seeing what the options are now so I can know I explored all my options once it's set in a style.