New to carving and help needed

I have only recently come across Tiki Central and the world of Tiki Carving. I decided to get my feet wet by doing a workshop with Marcus Thorn which was amazing. I decided to try and give a try to my own design and am having a few issues with the palm log I am using. Here is where I am up to:

Basically I am pretty happy with the way it is coming along but the problem is that the Palm seems really wet and it is flaking quite a bit and I can't seem to get a proper chiseled finish especially around the eyes (see pic below)

I would really appreciate any suggestions on how to deal with this or how to improve the over all quality. This is my first attempt at anything like this and before the workshop I had never even picked up any woodworking tools. Thanks in advance.

What kind of Palm is it? I'm no expert, but fully dried Coconut palms seem to carve really well with a good sharp chisel. Those Fan palms can be more fiberous and soft. They are harder to carve and I recommend power sanders and grinders for those. Either way it appears your log needs to spend some time in the sun.

keep it up!

I think it is a fan palm and it is becoming quite frustrating. Certain parts seem to chisel ok and have a decent finish while others are very difficult. I will try a power sander after leaving it out in the sun for a while. Hopefully the rain keeps away for long enough.