Hi guys.
I'm an illustrator and I'd have trouble getting the paint detail correct without the templates. Templates are the way to go.
I actually had an idea while reading this thread. What if you found a bunch of ESB photos, took the best angels (straight on shots) of each piece and scaled them to the proper size using a photocopier or scanner/computer?
All you'd have to do is tracing out each color as a separate template.
Again this is just an idea, I'm nowhere close to painting my stuff yet, but I thought I'd throw it out there.
Good luck.