I'm an absolute beginner trying to find some stuff to learn on so I got this scots pine from home depot on sale for like 10 bucks. So I guess I have a few questions
Joe, here's the honest truth from someone who has been exactly where you are now.
That particular material will be good for you to work on if you focus on building stepping stones of bonsai knowledge that will prepare you for future material. In other words, you will probably throw that tree away at some point in the future.
I'm just being totally honest. If you take THAT approach and say "hey it was 10 bucks - now I want to do "X" and not kill it" you will be happier in the future than thinking you will use this particular tree to end up with a beautiful bonsai. It would require years and years of work and ultimately not be worth the effort - in that you can start somewhere else with different stock and be decades ahead of the game for not too much more money. And is a decade of your time worth $100?
So what could you learn with this tree? You could learn:
(1) How to depot, untangle roots, and repot without killing it. Nice skills to have before you start working on more expensive stock.
(2) How to balance energy in a pine, and go through a couple of seasons of needle cutting, bud selection, candle trimming, etc (this is a hard subject to master, even after years)
(3) In conjunction with (2), how to wire branches properly and develop good ramification.
Focus on THESE THINGS and worry less about design because design on this tree really isn't worth it. Create an awesome ramified Scots Pine, and after three years plant it in your yard
Then you will be well ahead of the game when you go to buy pre-bonsai stock from a nursery. Trust me. Five years from now you will be well past this tree's potential IF you focus on developing skills. Otherwise you will continue to beat your head against the wall trying to make a purse out of a sow's ear