Black Pine Redesign Preview

K.A. Rutledge

Hi all,

Tomorrow I'll be going to shoot a redesign sequence on one of my black pines for an article and thought I'd preview the effort here.

This pine is 31" tall and trunk is 2.5" (nebari 6"). As you can see in the photo below, the tree has some obvious design weaknesses and the current style is just not suited to this trunk/root form.

- The rootage is completely one-sided and the best front for the branch configuration is bad for the visible root structure.

- The thin trunk is overpowered by the wide and very plain branch structure.

- the 2 lowest left side branches are stacked upon each other - due to a conspicuous branch absence on the right side (at the bend).

Solution:
I plan to rotate the front to the right-front corner, which shows off the rootage better and allows for a more natural style - one that is better suited to the trunk form and branch arrangement (next image).

Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
www.bonsai365.com/
zone 8, Texas

Attached Images

tallpine.jpg (39.4 KB, 583 views)

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K.A. Rutledge

Here is my planned redesign. The pot is just a suggestion (I'm no good at drawing pots ;-).

This design places emphasis where it belongs, given the trees natural design weaknesses and presents a more natural image.

You may notice a jin on the right side where there is nothing at present. This will be a jin that I'll insert into the trunk to create the proper composition (a trick popular with Nick Lenz).

Anyway, I will show off the entire redesign process in a forthcoming article.

Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
www.bonsai365.com/
zone 8, Texas

K.A. Rutledge

Sorry, here's the drawing for the new design.

Andy

Attached Images

newdesign.gif (31.3 KB, 506 views)

K.A. Rutledge

You may note that the tree begins with a back branch (!). This is there to soften the line and fill the conspicuous gap that would otherwise be there. Not ideal, but much more preferable than the alternative.

Also, the basic form has changed from a very boring (and inappropriate) wide triangle to a slimmer oval shape. Again, more natural.

Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
www.bonsai365.com/
zone 8, Texas

dbz12fan

I like the decisions you have made on this tree. Can we see a picture of the future front of the tree?

__________________
"Success demands understanding"-Andy Rutledge

Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

K.A. Rutledge

Sure. I don't have a current one, but I'll post one from tomorrow's photo session.

Andy

riprap

Andy,

It looks like the low back branch is already lurking there behind the trunk. Is that true, or will you have to train another branch into that position?

Also, the branch that will be the first one on the left now looks somewhat thicker than in your drawing. Will you do anything to visually thin it?

Thanks,

Barry

K.A. Rutledge

Hi Barry,

The current left (future back) branch is currently on the left/back side - not truly back or left. With the new front, it will be a back branch.

The #1 left branch (future design) is not really that thick, it is a branch that splits in 2 quite close to the trunk, making it look thick in the photo. I will likely either remove one of the main forks or will put them both on the same plane, eliminating the apparent thickness. Plus, I'm not the best artist in the world. Nothing about my drawing is perfectly proportional. ;-)

Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
www.bonsai365.com/
zone 8, Texas

Jay Wilson

Nice Pine Andy.
I wish I had an eye like yours. I saw the pic and thought, Wow! wonderful tree. Then I read and looked at your plans for it.
What a great improvement!. I look forward to the pics of the transition.

Jay Wilson

__________________
Jay

Green Swamp Bonsai Hermit
_______________________________________________
The only people who don't make mistakes are the only people who never do anything.