Hey Aleph, just another user here however I have about 160 hrs in the software. Ditto on most of what you’re suggesting. In the beta tap, top right of the guides menu there is a draw on a plane feature which doesn’t quite lend itself to traditional painting but allows you to restrict your work to a flat plane.
You can also alter the shape of your tools in sculpt mode by shooting the beta button on your dominant hand with the laser from your menu hand.
Check out some of the work from Ian Crighton or myself. Both of us stuck with it and reached a certain level of detail using the tools so far presented.