Trust me you can never do too many Bargue plates! ;)

It's actually better to have a firm foundation in drawing before moving onto painting. When I was in the atleier, I wasn't allowed to paint until my 2nd year. That's an entire year drawing in charcoal! And even before I started, the program required that you do 2 years of drawing!!

When moving on to painting, it's best to master the grisaille palette first, then warm/cool, then the limited Zorn palette before a full range extended palette :)