I started with 72 colors and it was a little overwhelming for me, because I was new to color mediums. The prismacolors are soft and waxy, so you have to sharpen them more frequently, if you're going for a high level of detail. I particularly, don't use these too much anymore but am including them because they are so many artists' favorites. This is why it's important to try pencils open stock, if possible, before you buy a whole set. If that's not possible, I would start out with a smaller set, because they're not as expensive.
This is a list with all my favorite drawing supplies for beginners. If you want to get started with drawing but don't know what to buy, this list should help you decide what the most important items are.
Remember, you don't need to buy all of these supplies right away. Rather see which supplies might solve any issues you run into in your journey of learning to draw (for example, one issue may be that you are constantly smudging messy media like graphite or charcoal on your hand, and the answer to that may be to buy a big pad of wax paper to protect your paper/hand with).
Start out with the essentials and then branch out from there!
For further reviews or to see these products in action, check out my Youtube Channel , Patreon , and Skillshare !