Breaking in to 3D

I've always wondered what it would be like to make my own toy sculptures. I've practiced a couple of times in sculpey, but it takes a lot more time and money to make it, so I decided to give 3D programs another shot. Normally, I don't like to sit in front of a computer all day -- I like tactile processes, but with free programs like blender, how can I complain?

I'm planning on modeling a character that I sketched in my sketchbook. Once I'm done with the model, I'm going to have it 3D printed for the world to see in all it's 3-dimensional glory. Really, I just want something tangible to sit on my shelf. I'm very excited as I go along seeing my 2-dimensional character slowly come to life.

So far, I just have some facial features. It's a long process because I'm new to this as I follow along a very good blender tutorial. Hope you like.