I just started beading and am focusing on Pokemon, so here's a long winded write up. Like a lot of other people here, I started with presorted packs like this one, which have about about 250 of each color in them. Amazon has three packs like that and I bought one of each to get a big variety of sorted colors. This does not give you enough of each color to sustain you for that long, but they are a good starting point and you'll quickly get the feel for what colors you need the most. You'll want 1000 bead packs of any color you're going to use more than a tiny bit of. The 250 in those sorted packs won't last long.
For Pokemon, I've found the most important colors to keep a big stock of are Black, Dark Grey, Grey, and White. Black is used to outline all of them, the Dark Grey is used for a lot of the details within the sprite, and a lot of Pokemon have White bits which the Grey shades well. There's a lot of Pokemon so I'm using a very big variety of colors beyond those. Their sprites are always shaded, too, so you really need a mix of lighter and darker colors. If you're using Light Blue on a Pokemon's body, you'll probably need Dark Blue to shade it, and so on.
I bought a lot on Amazon at first too, but now that I'm getting more into it I've placed a couple big orders to Bakers'KidsCraftsBooks&More on Ebay. It's a little cheaper for 1000 bead packs than Amazon if you're ordering several, and they carry Hama and Nabbi too. This chart is really helpful for figuring out what Hama and Nabbi colors are sufficiently unique from Perler to make them worth purchasing. The downside is that it's a little slower than Amazon, since you have to wait for a combined invoice before you can pay and get them shipped, but it's the cheapest way I've found to get 1000 bead packs of all bead brands.
The square interlocking 29x29 peg boards that other people have mentioned are big enough to fit most Pokemon and smaller sprites on, and you can always link them up for more room. They come with ironing paper and you can also use parchment paper.
I bought these tweezers too. I don't think they're necessary, but they're easier to use than regular tweezers if I have to remove beads that have already been placed. I usually just use my fingers when initially placing beads.
I like these tackle boxes for storage. They have adjustable compartment sizes, so you can make big compartments to dump your 1000 bead packs into. They close very securely and the compartments are flush with the lid, so beads don't mix if you turn it upside down. The only downside is I have seven of them and already have almost filled them up, haha.
Quick edit: All the Pokemon I've made have been based on the small sprites you see in the party, so that's what my color suggestions are geared to.
Hi! I am also brand new to this. I haven't even got my Amazon order yet. But I'll show you what I got.
I got one multi-pack of coloured beads. It's about 250 beads of each colour included. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008HCN0HI/
I got a package of ironing paper. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001DUB8W/
I got this set of peg boards. http://www.amazon.com/Perler-Beads-Clear-Square-Pegboards/dp/B005HZ35FK
I got a thingy for storage. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B0S2H6/ (This won't fit 1000 of each colour into it, I'm pretty sure, but it can keep a bunch handy while the rest stay in bags in a box).
And then what I did was I decided what my first project was going to be, and I bought extra 1000 packs of beads for the colours I would be using more of. I'm going to be making Minecraft things, so I got a pack of dark green and pack of green for creepers, and a pack of Peach for Steve's face. Anddd I just realised I forgot to get a dark brown colour for Steves hair, so I'll do that now too.
So, for example, if you decided you wanted to make Pikachu, I'd probably get a pack of yellow and a pack of black, but if you buy a multipack then you won't need to buy red for his cheeks because you'll only be using a few of them.
I also bought a pack of black and a pack of white, because I figure I'll use them a lot in any case.
