I'm attempting to smoothing out different parts of a character cake. What is the secret to getting them really smooth with buttercream? Mine never look smooth 
I have used a tip 7 or bigger, depending on the size of the place you want to flatten. Fill in the space, then using your finger dipped in cornstarch, press the icing flat.
OR if you haven't decorated the rest of the cake yet, after filling in the space, let the icing crust. Lay a Viva paper towel on the icing and smooth with your hand gently until the lines disappear.
First of all, I never do that 'finger dipped in cornstarch' thing. Never works for me. Depending on the size of the area that needs smoothing, I either pipe the icing on with a round tip or just spread it on with a spatula. Then, I wait for the icing to crust a bit. Take a small piece of Viva paper towel and lightly smooth over the area with your finger. If the paper towel becomes greasy before the area is smooth, get a new piece and continue smoothing until it's right. Sometimes I have to smooth an area for several minutes before I get all the seams out.
Make sure you do these smoothed out areas first, before doing your star fill-in.
If you're using a non-crusting buttercream, you'll have to chill the cake before smoothing with a hot spatula. It won't be as smooth as with a crusting buttercream.
Thank you ladies. It's a large area and I'll just wait for it to crust over and smooth with the paper towel. Your help is much appreciated 
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