starting off
 

i have had my two bonsai's for 3 years now. one is a japanese maple, and
the other is a cypress. both trees where bought and already styled and
pretty much finished. i would like to start my own. for a beginer
what would be the best way to start a tree? i would like to collect a
tree from the wild seeing how i live in the woods. but i have heard of
making them from cuttings and think air layering? the trees i would
like to make would be a, birch, dogwood, crab apple, or a weeping
willow. can you please tell me which would be the best way to start one
of these trees, and which one if any you think would be suitible for a
starter. thank you for any advice