First things first, you'll need an installation of WordPress to work with. As I explained in Chapter 1, I assume you're familiar with WordPress and how to use the Administration panel and have a development sandbox installation to work with.
Note
Sandbox?
I recommend you use the same WordPress version, plugins, and widgets that the main project will be using, but don't use the live site's installation of WordPress. Using a development installation (also called "the sandbox") allows you to experiment and play with your theme creation freely, while the main project is free to get started using a built-in default theme to display content. Then you also don't have to worry about displaying anything "broken" or "ugly" on the live site while you're testing your theme design.
Many hosting providers offer WordPress as an easy "one-click-install." Be sure to check with them about setting up an installation of WordPress in your domain.
If you need help getting your WordPress installation...