I included the 3DCoat tutorial because it can make the process a bit clearer. The concept is the same, it's just that 3DCoat's retopo tools are amazing. It was worth the cost of the app for me, but I understand your financial constraints, the financial downturn affected all of us.
Yes, Blender can be used for retopo and yes Blender will be free for the time being.
Tris or Quads are not really a concern, quads are generally better but the idea is that you can create your figure without thinking about the topology. Then, when you're done you recreate the topology to flow correctly, to use the right amount of edge loops so that it will deform during animation as expected.
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Paolo Ciccone
Pret-A-3D
http://www.preta3d.com
http://www.paolociccone.com
