I have no mechanical aptitude

[mallet]

I mean it in the broadest sense. If you worked with me you might suspect I couldn't distinguish left from right. But I want to learn! But any visual guides would be hopelessly complex for me.

What can I do?

[xnoobandrew]

Download the "MIT guide to lockpicking"

Just by googling it.

From their, I'd purchase a kit at lockpicks.com (LP101 source code gives you 10% off).

Then I'd get a few locks to practice on.

[Vincent-XXI]

MiT guide is a good plae to start. Theres a stickied thread in the FAQ section that has links to several great tutorilas for the beginner, titled something close to "guide to lockpicking101 tutorilas."

For a basic visual guide to lockpicking:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/lock-picking2.htm

[Shrub]

Click my WWW button, its the best guide on getting into lockpicking you will presently find on the web imho,

[2octops]

Have you considered chemistry instead?

[Cybernation]

The first type of lock I would get would be a cheap master padlock... very easy to pick and will get you started!

[TheMikeMan]

Im surprised nobody else suggested this, but:

Get a padlock or really any pin tumbler that you do not need to use, and then just disassemble it and look at how it functions. you wont need much mechanical knowledge to attack a padlock with an angle grinder/dremel, right? Sometimes just looking at things and being able to feel and see what they are doing is better than looking at PDF's on the internet. Still download/read the MIT Guide though, because its got most of the fundamental things you'll need to know in order to have success.

Hope that helps.