I liked Underwood's answers the most.
Software:
Photoshop
It's pretty much the only art program I use aside from MS Paint. I started with Photoshop 5 in high school and have worked my way up to CS5 Extended. I've found this line of product excellent to do all of my digital art with. It's very versatile once you get to know it.
Pros: Industry-standard software. You can also make animated .gif and transparent .png images with it. CS2 is free from Adobe now. Now you, too, can art like the pros!
Cons: Expensive, if you want to be legit and buy a newer version. CS2 does not have the (really handy) Rotate Canvas feature that later versions have.
Tablet:
Wacom Graphire 2 ET-0405A-U0K
4"x6" active area, it's my very first drawing tablet which I bought secondhand off Ebay for $60CDN including shipping, years and years ago. I've never had to replace the pen / nib / protective cover, and it's been on two trips to and from Taiwan with me.
Pros: STILL WORKS WITH WINDOWS 7. Just get the driver for Graphire 2 for Windows Vista. Which means if there's more of these being sold online, chances are they'll be going really cheap and you'll get yourself a good tablet for a good price.
Cons: I guess some folks wouldn't like the tiny active area. And replacement parts / repair might not be possible because it's so old?
Paper (sketchbook):
Hardcover, coiled, perforated removable pages, 8.5"x11" 70lb thickness, white.
Pros: DeSerres (prebviously Loomis Art Store) had its own brand of these which made them relatively inexpensive.
Cons: They got discontinued and replaced by a product of much more inferior quality, to my great distress. Sketchbooks of these specs don't really exist. Haven't searched online yet because I do mostly digital now anyway.
Birthright
Saal, Louise Ambre-Aliona, and Llaana
@ 3:44 PM Apr 16th