There's no escaping technical stuff if you wish to get involved in 3D, but don't worry too much if they don't make sense now. It'll all become clear as you progress along. Objectives, Designs and References Before you begin, you should have a clear idea of what kind of character you'd like to make. Keep it simple at first. Go for details like realistic facial features only when you feel competent with your modeling tools.
Cartoon characters are a great and fun way to start.
A sketch can also be scanned and used as a background reference for modeling. Alternately, you may use photographs of the subject as reference. Just one of the many questions to ask yourself before you begin. It is also important at this point to know how your model will be used. This will determine what kind of tools and techniques you will use to construct the model.