Yeah jsprogg is right about this, people mostly use the 3d paint tool to rough in the texture, it also helps that when you are laying out uv's, you make recognizeable uv shells so that you actually know what you are painting and where you are painting it.
If you are a total noob with maya i personally would suggest not to use the learning maya books, because i think they are unclear on to many things in their books and if you are a real newbie it get's confusing.
The best thing to do is follow videotutorials, so that you actually see what the instructor is doing and how.
Simply maya, digital tutors, gnomon and Lynda.com are all great sites where you can find great learning resources.

good luck