How to carve and strip trunk bonsai? Three practical techniques

The trunks of trunk bonsai mostly use the image of being ancient, old, diseased, and disabled to show their "vigorous and sturdy character" that has endured the vicissitudes of time, while some bonsai trees show the characteristics of being young, tender, smooth, and sleek. The carving and stripping technique for trunk bonsai is precisely based on the conditions of the trunk itself, through artificial artistic reconstruction, to make the trunk image conform to the requirements of bonsai artistic modeling and achieve the purpose of enriching the varied texture layers of the trunk. Now let us introduce three techniques of the carving and stripping method.

Spiral trunk stripping. Make partial diagonal rotational carving and stripping modeling on the main trunk from bottom to top, so that the main trunk forms smooth yin-yang lines or a spiral artistic image that appears and disappears intermittently, alternating solid and void. This not only increases the expressive power of the main trunk, but also reflects the artistic conception of having endured long hardship. Its disadvantage is that the traces of artificial modification are too strong.

Trees to be carved and stripped must be growing vigorously. When stripping and carving the main trunk area, consideration must be given to its nutrient-supply relationship with the branches, and the connection of the vascular positions must be preserved to prevent the branches from dying due to bark removal. For pines, elms, and similar trees that secrete relatively more sap, carving and stripping should be carried out during their dormant period when sap secretion is relatively low.

During the carving and stripping operation, chalk can be used to first lightly draw the areas to be stripped on the trunk from bottom to top. At the same time, the aesthetic modeling relationships of the carved and stripped parts on the main trunk front and back, left and right, and top and bottom should also be considered, striving to ensure that the carved and stripped areas can both echo and interact with the surrounding environment and be arranged in a rotating layout on the main trunk with exposure and concealment, and with contraction and release. The position of the carved and stripped area around the circumference of the main trunk should not be too wide; generally it must not exceed 1/3 of its circumference. Bark stripping that is too wide or too long should be carried out in sections and at different times. After the wound of the stripped part has healed, another part can then be carved and stripped.

After the carved and stripped areas are determined, a sharp carving knife can be used to first carve both sides of the bark on the trunk along the chalk lines. Note that the cut edges must be flat and smooth, and the wood must not be damaged, so as to facilitate wound healing. After the whole trunk has been carved in a spiral, the bark can be lifted with the carving knife to expose the woody part, and then latex can be applied to seal the wound. After the wound at the carved and stripped area heals, there will be a slight bulge, increasing the artistic effect of the yin-yang contrast of the main trunk.

Adhered-bark stripping. Vertically carve and cut the bark on the trunk, but do not directly tear it off and discard it. Instead, let the upper part of the bark curl slightly away from the xylem of the trunk, while the lower part of the bark gradually clings tightly to the trunk, making the main trunk stand out with an image of seeming to separate yet still connected, broken yet continuous, and ancient.

When using the adhered-bark stripping method, the curling direction of the bark should be coordinated with the movement direction of the overall tree shape, either increasing the sense of movement, or achieving balance, or breaking tranquility... The length and width of the carved and stripped bark should conform to the overall expressive tendency of the tree. Trees used for adhered-bark carving and stripping are best those species that grow vigorously and have relatively thick and supple bark. Carving and stripping should be carried out from top to bottom. The openings at the upper part of the bark should be irregular and staggered, rich in the characteristics of natural splitting such as tearing, folding, pulling, and dragging, avoiding a tendency toward overly strong artificial traces. The edges of the bark should also be carved and stripped into a rough and irregular form. After opening the upper part of the bark with a carving knife, the bark should immediately be curled outward away from the trunk into an arc shape (because once the bark dries it is difficult to bend), and then gradually torn and stripped downward to the predetermined position. Note that the farther downward you strip, the lighter the force should be, and the closer and tighter the gap distance between the trunk and the bark should become.

Interval stripping. Spiral trunk stripping and adhered-bark stripping have smooth continuity, while interval stripping is combined from partial carving and stripping, and the resulting trunk image is intermittent with mottled cracks, presenting ancient characteristics like natural shedding and dry cracking.

The interval carving and stripping method should use points to drive the whole surface. The partially carved and stripped areas of the trunk are required to have irregular forms, and the size and length of carving and stripping between one part and another should vary. Generally, the lower part of the trunk is larger and gradually becomes smaller upward. In some areas, the bark may also not be completely stripped, but carved into the shape of dry cracked bark, so as to highlight the texture expression of the trunk having endured long exposure to wind and rain. For the carving and stripping of each main trunk, care should be taken that it is not too much or too large; if too much, it must be carried out in sections and at different times. The carved and stripped area should not be larger than 2/5 of the trunk circumference, so as not to affect the coordination of the overall image proportions and the normal growth of the tree. After carving and stripping is completed, sealing glue should be applied promptly to the carved and stripped wounds.