Hi Anna no problem!

Another possible way would be a more "construction from wireframe" kind of approach where rather than surface deformation.

That would look something like this:

Draw a line across the base of the branch. Then run Edit/Trim to slice the branch off as a separate surface. Select the outer edge of the branch fragment and use Copy/Paste to duplicate it and then delete the surface, which leaves just the curve portion like this:



Now turn on control points of the curves and move them around in the Top view to give it a kind of bent shape. Avoid manipulating the points nearby the cut, you also may need to insert some more control points in that area so that it won't be affected when you pull the other points around.

Once you have the curves bent, use Edit/Trim to cut them into 2 pieces like this:



Then use Sweep to build a new surface there:



So that's a different approach where you're kind of breaking off the branches and creating replacement ones.


Also sometimes with this kind of a thing it may be good to actually make the new branch come to the base at a sharp angle and then use Fillet to round off the connection rather than trying to keep it smooth more manually.

- Michael