Talk to Alvor the smith in Riverwood...he gives a brief tutorial. In terms of finding ingredients, you have to hunt for hides and mine for ore (you'll find them once you get to Whiterun and start exploring the countryside and dungeons). There are no recipes per se...as you level up your smithing and get a perk for a particular "school" of smithing you'll unlock the recipes on your own. If you have mods that add armor, it all depends on the mod on how they present the "recipe"...