Hey everyone, I feel a little stupid for asking but I was hoping that some of you that make custom miniatures could give me some tips on how to sculpt, and a quick run through of some basic things I would need, and what to avoid. Any help is greatly appreicated.

Thanks again

Ironlightsaber did a whole series of articles on the Wizards site a while back.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=starwars/article/customizingswm12

This is a link to the last article, but you can click through the other 11 from the list of links at the top of the page (or change the number from 1-12 at the end of the URL). It's a great resource to get started on customizing. Feel free to post any specific questions you might have once you get started. Welcome to the slippery slope of custom minis. lol

I use acrylic paints with a clear coat spray on sealer. It is a bit shinier than what many others use, but the water-based acrylics are cheap, easy to use and easy to mix. A sharp Xacto-type knife and some quick drying strong glue. You might want to start with some basic repaints (especially for telling apart multiple grunts on the board) and some reposed arms and stuff. Then, you can experiment with some of the more advanced stuff. I found that a headband with built-in magnifier was very useful for the finer detailed stuff as my eyes aren't all that great to begin with. Good luck.

The links squid posted are wonderful tools for getting into customs.

I use water based acrylics also and some Sculpey gloss when I want shiny armor.
Greenstuff is pretty important when you get to more advanced "chopping". Make sure your hands are wet (have a cup of water you can redip into) and take your time. Having a little tray or box for useful stuff (heads, arms, guns, saber blades, etc) is really nice, so you can first scrounge through that before you go chop another mini up for a lightsaber. Things to avoid....dont stick your fingers together with the superglue Avoid spreading the greenstuff really thin because it can peel up if you touch it (even if your fingers are wet) and ruin your work. Good luck and welcome to the world of customs

Well, I'm still pretty much an amateur at customising, but I made a few customs I can be proud of. Well, for beginning things, like I do, all you'll need is a nice razor/sharp knife, and some good hobby glue. Things you should avoid are using expensive or rare minis unless you know you have the materials or skills to do what needs to be done for the custom. Start small, with simple, cheap commons and uncommons. Then when you feel a bit more comfortable with it, move to the next step. Eventually, you should be using "green stuff" like Rogue Saber uses in his customs. Also, a tip of advice, is to keep warm water in a cup or dish next to you when you're cutting a mini apart for whatever reason. It weakens the plastic temporarily, and makes cutting much easier. Come to think of it, I should probably finish up the custom I'm working on. Hopefully I can post a few pics too.
Good luck, and welcome to the world of customisation!

Awesome, thanks a lot everyone. Extra thanks to Squid as well for the link, it's a great article.