Japanese maple advice (new to bonsai)

[GreenLorax]

Recently got into bonsai, been doing my research read and watched countless videos and went for a Japanese maple.
This morning I decided to have a little play around with some wire and get some curves, I’ve got it to a point where i think it’s starting to resemble something of bonsai but I’m paranoid if try pruning it I might cut the wrong thing off . Which leads me to the question. Do I leave it or do some light pruning?

 

[Shibui]

All of this worries me.
If you had done real diligence you would have found that JM is NOT a great beginner bonsai tree. The only positive is the word Japanese in the name. JM are not as hardy as many species. They do not respond to pruning as well as many other species. They suffer more diseases than others. As a veteran bonsai grower I would always recommend trident maple to learn with then transfer the skills to JM later.
You think your tree resembles something like bonsai. What does bonsai look like? IMHO 'bonsai' should look like a real, natural tree. Preferably an older tree. Some of the key features we value in bonsai are Thick (old looking) trunk. Taper from base to apex (old looking). Nebari (Japanese term for surface roots that show age on deciduous trees)
If you are happy with a skinny trunk maple with a few branches above please choose to ignore the rest of this post. If you would like to develop real bonsai please tread on.

Starting with the trunk. Regular trimming removes leaves and that slows trunk growth. A regularly trimmed tree will take many years to thicken. The same tree allowed to grow free will thicken much faster.
Taper in the trunk is best achieved by pruning. Let the tree grow then chop back. Rise an repeat for a number of years to achieve both trunk thickness, taper and trunk bends. Fore even quicker trunk development we plant trees like this into the garden for a few years then chop back and develop bonsai from the thick stump.

Finally

I’m paranoid if try pruning it I might cut the wrong thing off

We all start here. The reality is pruning a tree is like a haircut. It all grows back really quick.
Being scared of pruning means your tree is not developing. Whatever chop you make is the correct one - something will still develop from it. A the minimum you can trim any branch back to 1 or 2 nodes. That will make those branches sprout more new shoots and increase branches. Trimming produces ramification (bushiness)

If you've manged to read this far I apologise for the negative vibe. Bonsai can be whatever you want it to be but I'd hope you can aspire to quality bonsai rather than sticks in pots.

 

[GreenLorax]

Sticks in pots was never the plan only a stepping stone in a long journey, what I was referring to was the classic S shape in the trunk I’m trying to achieve, but all criticism is good criticism and thank you for your reply

 

[Paradox]

Sticks in pots was never the plan only a stepping stone in a long journey, what I was referring to was the classic S shape in the trunk I’m trying to achieve, but all criticism is good criticism and thank you for your reply

Put some movement in the trunk but beware of going too much into the "S" shape. Typically we see "S" shaped, cheap Chinese elms sold for the mallsai trade. Too much "S" appears very contrived and unnatural.

 

[TrimmyWhimmy]

You put gentle bends in the trunk while it's still flexible. Well done. Now you can let it grow. Make sure to remove the wire before it bites into the bark. After that, you may want to prune it to set it on the path to the type of design you decide on.

 

[Betula1]

As Shibui said, probably the best thing to do with this is to plant this in the ground in good free draining soil for several years then prune back selectively to develop the desired structure , this will enable it to thicken up the trunk , otherwise you will still be looking at a stick in a pot in 5 years time!

 

[rockm]

FWIW, wiring the trunk of deciduous trees rarely makes any decent believable movement in them. It's also rather dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Maple wood is very brittle--it will bend a bit --until it snaps and you've broken off half of your tree--most likely at a spot that spoils the future image. The trunks of deciduous trees like maples are generally grown out and cut back hard with resulting new shoots selected to grow on to induce taper and movement. Wire is more successful on conifers-pines and junipers--because their wood is extremely flexible and capable of being drastically bent.

With your tree, all this would mean pruning the tree back to that first lower branch in front, then using that branch as the new apex--you can wire thinner branches like that for position. The tree will push new shoots which can be developed into branches over time. Beginners get stuck with thinking that the tops of existing tree stock are part of the final bonsai. Rarely is that the case. The top of a new stock tree are sacrifice growth for the most part. Your focus for new stock should be on the first six to ten inches of the trunk, above that all growth is mostly negotiable/replaceable.

And FWIW, that "classic" S shape is not classic. S shaped trees are the result of mostly inexperience or expedience (for mallsai sellers) as a quick easy design solution.