I received the 320 pack for Christmas from a relative. It was a lot easier to pick a palette that permitted smooth shading than with a smaller pack (I used 4 reds, 4, yellows, and 3 red grays). Key to smooth shading is using the right paper, working in sections, working from light to dark, and keeping the part you are currently shading saturated with the solvent. I def recommend checking out tutorial vids. That's what I did LOL.

You can look at some of my marker drawings from 2021 and see my work was a bit more splotchy/blocky. That's cuz I was afraid of using up all the pigment since I only had 20ish Copic markers and couldn't get many refills during the pandemic. Also, sometimes I just used regular sketchbook paper lmao. Copic markers are so expensive since they're imported from Japan, but there are MUCH cheaper alternatives that are just as good. (Ohuhu are made in China.)