Bevel/Emboss (3D Illusion) vs. None in Affinity Designer/Photo

I started learning how to use Affinity Designer (but never used Adobe Illustrator back in my Associate in Computer Science days). So far, Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo have their pros and cons. I created this 3D-looking waterfall. I would like to compare this art...

This was my first attempt to draw a waterfall. So far, I feel there's more life in this obvious 2D work of art, compared to adding some textures. 

Now, time for some comparison...

Here's a previously drawn image of the beach using Affinity Designer. However, the art above could still be done in Affinity Photo. 

This one was created using Affinity Photo. A child may benefit from learning Affinity Photo first before Affinity Designer. I had to learn Affinity Photo first, before learning Affinity Designer. Adults may have an easier time explaining how to use Affinity Photo over Affinity Designer. 

Here's my early attempt at drawing the rice terraces. 

This has a bevel/emboss effect. Though I believe I made a mistake in adding bevel/emboss on the sun and clouds here. 

Here's one of my attempts to do the Great Wall of China. I decided to revisit the file and decided to go for this look...

Another pseudo-3D art that I decided to do. I did some modifications to the original AFDESIGN file. Adding Bevel/Emboss effects made me modify the positions and shadows. So far, Affinity Design might become a better get/go for full illustrations. 

So far, I'm still having trouble understanding Vector cropping and Vector masking. I've had an easier time using Affinity Photo. Affinity Designer can be more difficult than Affinity Photo. It makes me ask, "Am I going to need the isometric persona or not?" That's a tough question!