Sadie, sorry I missed your questions!
Yes! The Cintiq is my favorite tool.
I think it helps if you get good at sketching with pen and paper first.
Digital sketching gives you lots of little cheats and it’s tempting to use them too often while you’re still learning.
The prismacolor is Indigo Blue iirc. I forget why but they always made us use that color back in school and now it’s the only one I use