Ugh, I feel that! My first space marine looked like he fell face-first into the paint pot. A total thick, shiny blob where you couldn't see any details. Thinning your paints is legit the best first step, just like oliviak73 said. My second mini, after I tried that, was like night and day. Grab a cheap brush for dry brushing next, it makes armor look so good with zero effort.

Okay, but tea is basically water that's been to college. You kick it out for that clear head feeling, and now you're dreaming about it like some kind of fancy ex. Stick with water if you need to stay super focused, but maybe let tea visit in the afternoons. It's not going to ruin everything unless you load it up with sugar and have a whole pot. Try a cup and see if your brain stays quiet, or if it starts chatting about biscuits. Honestly, rules are made to be bent, especially for something as simple as a hot drink.

One thing people forget is how messy that chalk method could get. It often left a fine dust everywhere, which could clog other parts or make a bigger cleanup job. Still, it's a cool example of using what you have on hand, lol.