Overall, I was able to make a reasonable amount of progress without buying any special pencils or other materials. I set aside an hour a week to practice, however I did spend a good amount of time doodling throughout the week, and I did not really keep track of that time. I would say that is one of the nice things about something like drawing; you can do it almost anywhere, at anytime, without any special materials.
I believe that as much as I learned about drawing during the last 5 weeks, I learned at least as much about how useful YouTube can be as a learning tool. The amount of information readily available is truly staggering. I was able to find numerous examples of whatever type of drawing I wanted to make. I had used YouTube to learn before, however this experience has really demonstrated how useful it can actually be.
I know I still need a great deal of practice, however I have made much more progress than I thought I would.