Hi John,
Welcome, and make yourself at home here ... These guys are really nice people and they know how to make you fell real good being here ....
In my humble opinion, you should start with Super Sculpey clay and mix it with a little bit of the colored sculpey ( that colored square clay that you find easily in every art supply store !! )
I also recommend you get yourself some dentist tools, that you can find easily on eBay auctions ( look for sculpting tools !! ) I also have a DREMEL that is one of the best accessories to your sculpt abilities !!! With a DREMEL you gonna be able to sand off any "mistake" that you might have ...
Try to use the " sculpey clay softener " to smooth your sculpture instead only water ... It have been working pretty good for me !!! Use welding wire to make the armature or copper wire that works good too. try to find some good tutorials sites to get more tips !!!
Good luck and keep practicing
best,