Ras,
Not a bad job for a first styling, it looks like you didn't take off too much that was already there, and you may do okay with your first big cut, you may not get too much swelling there.
I am curious about your wiring. The two bigger wires look like something out of a textbook right up to the top. They follow each other perfectly without a gap. Pretty good job! I would remove the top 1/2 inch where the wires wrap around the tree, let them end just snugged up against the leader.
You have some other wires, though, that are loose and useless. I would remove those. Do you have any bigger wire? My suggestion would be to make the trunk bends more extreme next year, with a planting position farther right so you have greater bends. Work on all your wiring to make it look like what you have on the trunk and you will be wiring as well as anyone. Since you live in Sacramento, I would encourage you to look up
Boon Manakitivipart in Alameda. He must be the number one teacher in North America today.
Check my blog (click the link in the signature) for photos of his back yard among other things, and some of the trees we get to work on at intensives. His club is demanding but will teach you to produce the best bonsai in North America, as good as any in the world.