The Airfix people above were painted on the sprue before having their bases cut off. I used acrylic paint as it doesn't need to be left overnight to dry. Plus, I have dozens of little pots of the stuff as a result of them being supplied with some Airfix kits. A wash of dark oil paint set off the detail, then they were glued down in position.
Yard lamps were constructed by soldering a white LED to a telephone pole made from a length of rail. The horizontal bracket is brass rod, braced by one of the LED legs bent to shape. The second terminal is wired to some enamelled wire from an old transformer, glued down the length of the post. A washer was glued to the top of the LED and the shape of the reflector was formed from PVA liquid. There are also lights in the shed itself, and brightness can be controlled with a trimmer for each lighting circuit.