Newbie looking for guidance for this Itoigawa Juniper

[Nickuk74]

Thank you, I've somehow missed that guy entirely. His channel looks like a goldmine. I'm generally having a lot of trouble finding good bonsai learning material. There are some of the obvious YouTubers, but it seems really dry out there considering how popular bonsai is

It's the best I have found for detailed instruction on making foliage pads.

 

[nuttiest]

Would have been better had you posted before doing the thinning. Cutting the outer growth would of aloud you to start developing pads closer to the trunk. I see you cut some branches closer to the trunk off which could have aloud for closer backbudding for the future development. Those pads being so far away from the trunk create to much negative space in my opinion. I can’t really give a lot of advice on what to do. But the tree has a trunk that would fit an informal upright style.

So you guys think of pad formation before branch selection on some junipers, or alternate back and forth?

 

[Nivel]

You can find some inspiration here too.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Kaeruen%E8%9B%99%E5%9C%92BonsaiStudio/search?query=etiqueta%20negra

This one is a nice example

 

[BrightsideB]

So you guys think of pad formation before branch selection on some junipers, or alternate back and forth?

They go hand in hand. Can’t start pruning without knowing where you want the pad formations to start at. It’s a good reason to prune. People graft all the time too. So in the end you can always start over or something new as long as the tree is alive and well. I’ve noticed as I get better I make less mistakes and my tree’s are starting to look better with less time.

 

[nuttiest]

They go hand in hand. Can’t start pruning without knowing where you want the pad formations to start at. It’s a good reason to prune. People graft all the time too. So in the end you can always start over or something new as long as the tree is alive and well. I’ve noticed as I get better I make less mistakes and my tree’s are starting to look better with less time.

Getting them to look better faster, while being less aggressive sounds like a plan!