Intro: Hello, I'm new to this group, drupal, and web development. I'm a programmer by profession (Java, C++, Perl etc. No PHP or CSS) so hope not to get too lost with your answers.
Problem: I downloaded Drupal 7 and want to build a business website for my wife. I have the design I want on Photoshop which is extremely simple. Whereby, after the logo and title row, I have the first row with 1 big column for a Block which should have a maximum of 3 content nodes in it as I don't want the user to have to scroll down the page. The second row underneath should have 3 columns to hold three blocks of latest blog teasers, articles, or product reviews. These blocks I'd like to beautify with CSS probably. Also want to control my background colors.
The problem is I'm finding it extremely difficult to achieve this. I've downloaded a few themes to assist, including Fusion and Omega but documentation is either lacking or too hard for my meager brains and I'm left scratching my head.
All I ask for is advise on where to look for a solution. For example, which theme will help me achieve this? Should I look for a solution in the back end (as a programmer) and pick up PHP - which books will help on Drupal themeing? Or can this be achieved with a silver bullet module.