Be patient fran,
You are only trying to improve on what you know. Everybody starts somewhere. Just because someone just got the program doesn't mean they don't have other skills working for them. Learning the texturing part is worth doing and it is an art. In fact everything in  Carrara or programs like it could be a study all by itself. Once you get things rolling it will be far less frustrating.

No need to think outside the box....
    Just make it invisible.