I am in no way trying to sell you on 1 certain progam :) That choice has to be yours. I merely mentioned the one I use, and wanted you to know how much I have fell in love with it as I learned it, and how that would apply to any one that you decide to start with. I have heard nothing but good things about 3ds Max. It is a professional application that has been around for years. I cannot say which 1 is better than the other , because I only know Blender. Maybe ignorance is bliss :) Also I am not sure how they handle the updates. When new versions of 3ds Max come out, do you have to make another purchase? But as for tutorials and help, there is a very large amount out there for both.

And yea you have gotten the right idea about the render process. When rendering, the computer draws your scene to the best of its ability, which takes time. Sometimes it can take up to several hours for the computer to render(draw) one image, depending on the complexity and realism (lighting,effects, and other parameters that you tell it). 

Where your artistic skills will really shine is in the texturing. Textures are the 2d images that are "wrapped" around your model, or like painted on it. Like painting flowers on a vase. Textures could include wrinkles and lines on a model of an old man's face, or the scales on a fish. This is an area where I could use much improvement, and an area where I think you will have a head start :) 

Wow I am long winded. This post was mainly to cover myself, and say that I was'nt trying to persuade you into 1 certain app. I just think it will be much easier to stick with 1 from the very beginning.

Good luck and we will be watching for your new gallery submissions!