All the help I've received here so far has yielded the 
following original prototype.  (still playing with the design, placement of parts etc.).  I wanted to experiment with some paint possibilities also...even during the design phase, as this can yield new design directions.  
Problem:  How do I paint this bird fresh from GMAX??
I've read a lot of tuts on RE-painting but how do I
start a new paint job????  Is part of the process completed within GMAX??
I have:
1. dtxbmpx
2. Corel Photo Paint (allows layering, alpha's etc.)
3. A major headache 

4. Tons of gratitude
Thanks for putting up with me 

Ok...can't figure out how to ad a pic to this post either!!
LOL...game over man!