The first thing he emphasized in training me was that bonsai is an art. As art it creates an illusion of an old tree in nature. The trunk and roots are perhaps the key to great bonsai. The trunk should have a very significant taper from the base to the apex. This taper should be gradual. The first branch, the lowest to the left or right, should be about 1/3 of the way up the trunk. This branch should be definitely the thickest. In most styles of bonsai the trunk and branches should have a graceful curve. Most branches will curve up, then down, and the foliage at the tip of branches should curve up slightly. The trunk of the informal upright should curve in all directions, but a perfect S should be avoided. Ideally major branches should be attached to the trunk at the outer most part of a bend in the trunk. Unavoidable defects can sometimes be hidden by foliage. Sometimes a reverse taper in the trunk can be de-emphasized by carefully placing a rock behind the trunk at the right angle.

The foliage at the back of the tree should be thicker than in the front. The denser foliage in the back gives the tree the illusion of depth. The same is true of a forest. The biggest trees in the front with the smaller ones with thicker foliage in the back give the illusion of a deep forest.

Usually there should be a slight opening to the front exposing the trunk line. The apex should bow to the front slightly. The opening and bowing serves to invite the viewer into the tree to be at home there.

To transform nursery stock into a bonsai, check the roots first. This involves using a chopstick to move the soil away from the roots near the surface around the base of the trunk. If one side has particularly good looking roots, you may want to choose that side as the front even if you may need to work harder to train the foliage on that side. A great root structure at the base makes for great bonsai.

Next study the branch structure of the tree by cleaning out the inner foliage that you will surely not want. Rotate the tree as you work to get a good view of each side. Then continue to rotate the tree eliminating defective branches that move in the wrong direction. If you have reservations about removing a branch wait and continue to trim what surely must go. Continue to rotate the tree as you work, all the while seeking to choose one side as the front if it's not already clear. Then if you are still in doubt about a particular branch, you might try carefully bending it out of view (if it's flexible enough to not break) or put a white cloth or paper over the branch to help you see what the tree will look like without it.

Remember you cannot glue it back on! Even if a branch breaks the rules of bonsai you may need to keep it to avoid creating an awkward hole in the tree's foliage, or leaving the appearance of the tree off balance.

When the tree is ready for a finished pot, usually you will put it a little left or right of center and slightly back of the center as viewed from the side. Be careful to have the precise front position you want. You may need to move the roots a bit to achieve this position. Slight differences can greatly enhance or detract from the beauty of the finished tree. Rotate the tree to see that it looks good from all sides too.

If you use a rock, be sure to have it relate well to the tree. It may mimic or echo the tree in someway. Sometimes the tree may lack foliage in some area. A rock can help compensate for this, giving the tree a look of balance it lacks on its own.

When you apply the finished landscaping it is helpful to carefully put moss between the roots and next to the rock. Also, if the moss touches the back of the pot, it will give a look of depth and spaciousness to the background. The tree then looks as if it stands on a lawn or in a field or meadow.

Finally, look carefully at your finished tree for small defects, for little foliage out of place, dead twigs, or foliage that could be wired to a slightly better position. These tiny things can transform a mediocre bonsai into a masterpiece!