Hello all.

I took a break from playing with Poser 11 for a while, and started tinkering with it again.  I'm finally more or less comfortable enough to work with the models that come with it, or at least, to start learning like with textures and such.

I would eventually like to start making some of my own models for short animations.  But I first need to learn the basics.  Programs like Blender are a bit overwhelming to me.  I'd like to start with simple models, something like the old Fisher Price Little People toys.  Very basic shape, and the only thing I would really have to worry about animating, aside from a little hair or ears, would be the face.  This is a representative picture of the toys:

So, the question becomes, what can I use to get my feet wet and learn the basics of creating a model for Poser with riggable facial expressions?  I saw suggestions of using Paint 3D (I have Win10), but that seems more suited to making 3D objects that don't need to be rigged, like landscapes and props.  I've seen that models made in Paint 3D can be exported as .fbx files, but it looks like you can't rig facial expressions, and that's what I need to learn.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good starting point for a guy just starting 3D modeling?  I know I will move up to Blender and such later, but I need some familiarity - I'm lost without structure.  I've heard there are sites that use AI to generate a 3D model that you can then paint and rig, but I'm leery of the ethics involved in that.  Can anyone point me in a direction?