I got one ugly tree left from work on penjing number 2 so I made it into fairytale style penjing and called it The haunted hill.
Thankfully I got 2 rocks that look kind of like skulls so I didn´t have to use any artificial things to create the atmosphere
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No, I went to a shop near me where they sell all kinds of building stones and slabs you put on pathways and walls and bought 1m2 of slabs where I had 4 nice big ones and few smaller ones.
The guy at the shop was kind enough to let me to choose stones from other prepared piles to combine my own square meter.
Then I drilled the holes, and 2 slabs broke but I can still use them for smaller installations - one of them you can see here
Well...thanx for the compliment
As to the questions:
1-you can do it both ways of course but it is nicer for me to look at more interesting trunk of final size and shape while working on the crown for few years than waiting for it. As well as there is a chance that my carving would kill it. And it actually killed the front right branch and I need a new one there now. I burned it with firelighter cause i do not have a proper torch for the deadwood.
2- most of my moss dries out very soon after applying it when taking pictures my penjings are on full sun for the most of the day so it has not much chance. But there is a place nearby where I can collect a lot of it. I do not know what I would do without it.