As with almost everything in spinning, different people have different experiences and preferences.
Personally I found it easier to start with tops, split lengthways to about a pencil's width. Once I'd mastered drafting then I was able to get on with other preparations.
There are certain types of tops which are better and some which are much more difficult, however. Most people who like tops at all agree that Shetland, Blue-faced Leicester and English 56s are all pretty manageable, and Merino is generally not. Camelids also are not as easy for beginners. A personal favourite - then and now - is Corriedale, but not everyone agrees with me on that. And, of course, some people learned with merino and don't see what all the fuss is about.
I've seen me fail to get a newbie started with Shetland tops, and a more experienced teacher get that person going with 'spinning from the fold' using those same tops. At that time I still hasn't mastered spinning from the fold, and I still don't really like it now!
Nicely made rolags are great, of course, provided they are very light ones - but being able to create light, fluffy rolags with no neps is a skill it takes most of us some time to develop, so rolags isn't always them best option for a beginner. Some people, of course, started that way and have never looked back.
Fauxlags made from tops are a good prep for a beginner, and don't need you to have developed carding skills, nor to take on managing raw - or washed - fleece.
The rovings I've had from Griffiths Mill would be ideal for a beginner, I'd say. And I've had equally beautiful ones made by the Natural Fibre Company. But I didn't try rovings when I was starting, so it may be that the drafting I now find so easy and pleasurable would not have been so easy to master at the outset.
I do agree about a little bit of lanolin helping to 'keep it all together' when drafting. Tops made from fibre which has a little bit more 'grab' can help in this regard - I found Shetland and Manx to both be good in this respect. (But Jamieson & Smith's Shetland Superfine might not be quite so grabby
). Cheviot would be a good one, too. And, as I said above, merino and camelid tops are both very slippery, and can therefore be a challenge.
Longer fibres are a real challenge to a beginner, so avoid longwools like Wensleydale and Teeswater, Lincoln Longwool and so on until you've got the hang of drafting. Blue-faced Leicester (BFL) is a Longwool too, of course, but in general the BFL tops are quite manageable.
