re: A Carving Discussion

Using a V-gouge to outline shapes and define major lines like the veins of the leaf will give you crisper definition.  On outlines, you then carve up to the v-groove to get the relief and create the illusion of depth. IMO, you will get better results using gouges than power carving and for me, power carving does not really speed things up any. The only thing it seems to speed up for me is mistakes.   

 If you, or anyone else interested in carving for that matter, have never watched Mary May's free introduction to carving series, I highly recommend it.  After following along with one of them, I was amazed at how easy basic carving turned out to be.   After long breaks between carving sessions (I do not do much),  I often rewatch some her free stuff as a reminder of  her tips.  She is an excellent teacher, IMO, and if you find a lesson where you can download the pattern she is carving and carve along as she does, pausing the video to catch up with her, ou will have a pretty close copy of her carving. 
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It looks like she may have changed how you access the free lessons works on Mary May's website.  Now it is just a 7 day free trial.  It's worth checking out but you can also find some free stuff on her YouTube Channel here.