Golden Rule/s!?

[treeman]

Just to explain a bit further about this ''rule.'' Human eyes have a way of seeking and finding straight lines. We are extremely good at it. When we look at a tree, if there are straight lines much longer that I suggest (in ratio to tree size), our eye is automatically drawn to that area. It then becomes a distraction which reduces the impact of the tree as a whole. The fact that straight lines are sometimes found in natural trees is not a reason to include them in bonsai imo. A good tree will allow you to scan it and take it in in a relaxed manner. So if you have a fantastic specimen with everything in harmony except for one glaring line, that becomes the focal point and also becomes it's limiting factor and so that's what should be removed or avoided. Pretty simple really. BTW I'm all for breaking rules but there are certain fundamentals which remain.

[63pmp]

Never knew there were rules regarding straight branches with measurements involved, just that they are to be avoided because they are unnatural looking. Mature trees do not have straight untapered branches, so bonsai shouldn't have them either.

[treeman]

Do these trees now lack merit?
Are they suddenly now not so beautiful & less awe inspiring?

form 4.jpg

form3.jpg

form2.jpg

form1.JPG

Taking the trunks just as they appear in these pics without viewing the tree as a whole, it's impossible to say whether it would work on a reduced scale. We still need to keep in mind that bonsai is a distillation of the natural. Not the natural. We can often improve on the natural but unfortunately many have taken that idea so far that they have descended into the un-natural again. By that I mean we can take the best aspects of naturalness and leave out the rest. The trick is to determine which are which.

[treeman]

Never knew there were rules regarding straight branches with measurements involved, just that they are to be avoided because they are unnatural looking. Mature trees do not have straight untapered branches, so bonsai shouldn't have them either.

I had never measured any section of branch in my life until I wrote that. After seeing the same mistake* made time and time again, it occurred to me that it may be a way for some to re-evaluate what they had in front of them.

*a mistake in my opinion. As I said, no one needs to take notice if they do not agree or care about it.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

Great discussion Mike,
Thanks for your feedback, really thought provoking post.
I was the first to "jump in" here, so at this point I'll now "jump out", but really encourage others to share there opinions & ask many questions.
I would be especially interested to hear views from newer members starting this hobby/artform, and hope they don't feel inhibited by expressing their own personal views.
I also hope they would not deprive themselves of the enjoyment factor, due to chasing (sometimes) unattainable rules.

The FREE Information is a big

[stork]

Hi all.. As a beginner in Bonsai i find the information as GOLD provided by treeman.
It's a great starting point for me and i will use the (rule of advice).
As stated you don't have to follow it but learning the basics and with some easy to follow rules allows me as a beginner to use this information
as a great starting point.
I think for experienced Bonsai artists they over time have developed these skills and made there own adjustments and have rules they follow on there own.
I have no experience and this information is a great starting point for me i can use it as a foundation and then develop from there.
So for me as a beginner keep this up as you can only learn from experienced people and you can't buy experience and wisdom.

It's like a email the simple rule of an email is never click a link. Even if you know where the email is from.
You stick to that rule you will be safe, but you don't have too follow that rule like treeman says

If you follow those rules, you are on the right track. If you don't.......I predict possible problems down the line.
If you don't care, disregard all this..

So opening a link on a email 9 out of 10 times you might be safe but it's that 1 that will in the end give you problems.
Same with treemans's rules, i cant see any harm coming to me following this as a beginner, if anything it will hep me.

So in saying that great rule for me as a beginner please keep going and continue on some guidance with rules that can only benefit from, I will only develop and get better by learning from experienced people.

Cheers George

[GavinG]

As a design guide for growers who are uncertain, Mike's "rule" is particularly useful. When you know what you're looking for, you won't need it. But it's a very good reminder for those of us with too many years under our belts to go back and look at trees we take for granted, in detail, with a more careful eye.

My version of this rule is: cut out the boring bits. What you're left with, after many years, is an interesting tree. Sometimes I think we get too keen to "design" our trees - any design I come up with looks "designed" - if I let the tree go crazy for a year, and come back and cut out the boring bits, the tree creates its own language. Mind you, this is only useful in the development stage.

Gavin

[robb63]

Interesting discussion
Thankyou treeman for a valuable contribution towards better bonsai.
Thankyou CC & R. for reminding me that the most important thing is to always have fun and enjoy your bonsai