# Picea Mariana yamadori. My first attempt at styling a bonsai. Thoughts welcome! **URL:** \ **Category:** Design\ **Created:** [August 19, 2023, 11:31am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/picea-mariana-yamadori-my-first-attempt-at-styling-a-bonsai-thoughts-welcome/10835 "2023-08-19T11:31:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JPH](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/jph/32/24863_2.png) [@JPH](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/JPH)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2023, 11:31am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/picea-mariana-yamadori-my-first-attempt-at-styling-a-bonsai-thoughts-welcome/10835/1 "2023-08-19T11:31:51Z")
Here is my first attempt at actualizing a bonsai design. I wanted to convey the feeling of spruces up here in the taiga. Was I successful? I didn’t plan very much in advance, just a general feeling of what wanted. Working up from the bottom, I cleaned out most weak/dead growth and made decisions as I went. ![PiceaMariana01_2023](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/c/d/cd8981f8a779a3e6c0a9dfc44e973836d159b320.jpeg) I’m open to critique and thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![MartyWeiser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@MartyWeiser](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/MartyWeiser)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2023, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/picea-mariana-yamadori-my-first-attempt-at-styling-a-bonsai-thoughts-welcome/10835/2 "2023-08-19T14:13:22Z")
Looks good and I think you captured the image. My only critique is that lower branches on the left tree are a bit long and moving in the opposite direction of the main movement of the pair to the right. I would leave them for now, so the trees gain strength, but perhaps shorten in the future as you spend time with the tree. ---
**Author:** ![JPH](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/jph/32/24863_2.png) [@JPH](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/JPH)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2023, 2:23pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/picea-mariana-yamadori-my-first-attempt-at-styling-a-bonsai-thoughts-welcome/10835/3 "2023-08-19T14:23:13Z")
Thanks I’ll keep that in mind! I think I see what you mean. ---
**Author:** ![NEBeech](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/nebeech/32/37888_2.png) [@NEBeech](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/NEBeech)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 11:40am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/picea-mariana-yamadori-my-first-attempt-at-styling-a-bonsai-thoughts-welcome/10835/4 "2023-08-20T11:40:52Z")
Solid work. Similar to the previous statement the lower left is holding my eye. Not sure if it is because it is picture or not but I might move one of the lower left (long branches around back as a depth branch and reduce the length…but this might be more of the optical distortion from the lens ---
**Author:** ![JPH](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/jph/32/24863_2.png) [@JPH](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/JPH)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 12:54pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/picea-mariana-yamadori-my-first-attempt-at-styling-a-bonsai-thoughts-welcome/10835/5 "2023-08-20T12:54:35Z")
I appreciate the advice and kind words! It means a lot. I’ll post some other pictures of it later today from other angles and we can check it out in more detail. It might help with some critique/suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![JPH](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/jph/32/24863_2.png) [@JPH](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/JPH)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/picea-mariana-yamadori-my-first-attempt-at-styling-a-bonsai-thoughts-welcome/10835/6 "2023-08-22T00:30:36Z")
Here are some new photos from today. I think they’re a little better but I’m no photographer. ![IMG_0201](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/3/b/3b95cc844d269eff452e6cad0bd8c4a216a56764.jpeg) ![IMG_0199](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/2/1/216772b58e5ba63804790efd9605f522295d675d.jpeg) Let me know what you think. I’m playing with the idea of switching the front and back. If I lean it towards me you can see more of the roots.