Painting 1/35 scale figures.

what part of So Cal do you live in? There are a few clubs in the area that can work for you.

Check out SCAHMS: http://scahms.kitmaker.net/

There is also IPMS Orange County, which meets at the same place as SCAHMS on the third Friday of every month, and Southern California AMPS, which meets nearby in Garden Grove on the 2nd Saturday of each month. I know that there are other clubs such as Ontario IPMS, Temecula Valley Model Club,  etc, if Orange County is a bit of a stretch for you to drive, especially on Fridays with the horrendous traffic.

Check out a couple of the online forums, too:  Timelines, http://www.timelinesforum.com/forums/index.php, and PlanetFigure, http://www.planetfigure.com/forum/.  You'll find a lot of good advice and see a lot of great work on those sites.