So here's the thing you have to ask with a laptop: why? Laptops are just like desktops except:

-They're more portable (good)
-They have smaller screens (bad)
-For a given tech level, they cost a lot more (bad)
-They're harder, or often even impossible to upgrade or repair. (bad)

Unless you really have a compelling reason to need portability, or you have a very, VERY limited living space (like Japanese "apartment" limited), get a desktop. You'll get more power for your money, and if something breaks there's less change you have to toss the whole thing and start over (a lot of repairs can even be made by the not-especially-tech-savvy these days, it's not like the 90s.) I bought someone I know a 10 year old desktop tower for $80. Runs Windows 10 and surfs the web just fine. If you're up for spending more, you can get something even better!

Blender can run on what would currently be considered pretty old hardware, but not on that $80 desktop I mentioned. You'd want something with an actual graphics card in it. A really solid modern system is around $1500 to $2k, but you can probably scavenge something that'll handle Blender for $400 or so if you know what you're doing.

BUT, you probably don't want to because Blender is a hell of a thing for a beginner. Starting with 3d on Blender is like learning to fly with a 747 as your first plane. Start with the Cessna of 3d programs: Source Film Maker. It's free, very forgiving for beginners, has a simpler interface, has tons of tutorials and maps/models etc. And while it's a little dated at this point, it'll still teach you all the fundamentals, and it's entirely possible to make some decent looking stuff in it and have a lot of fun. And being older means it'll run on cheap hardware! Note though that SFM is only for animating: if you purely want to model, you are stuck with Blender. Or potentially zbrush, but that takes more computer power. Neat though, because working with zbrush is more like working "hands on" with clay IRL, rather than thinking in polygons and primitives like traditional computer modeling.

As for tablets:

-Get a cheap one. Wacom is the Apple of tablets: pretty and fancy, but massively overpriced. There are a ton of cheap knockoffs that work just fine, but I highly recommend Huion, specifically the H610 Pro. Huion makes decent quality cheap knockoffs, and they've been around for a while, so what quirks the tablet has have already been documented online.
-You will find the plastic surface feels terrible to draw on, like glass. Tape some paper over it, and the problem is solved. Feels just like sketching on paper again.
-Tablets with screens in them, big or small, are money pits. Just get a regular one. The first month or so you start drawing on a regular tablet, drawing "down there" and looking "up there" will feel weird and awkward and you'll hate it. The second month it won't be so bad. The third month you'll stop noticing it and never think about it again.

And for drawing programs, just start out with SAI. Dirt cheap as drawing programs go, no constant synching with some server, no extra crap you don't need. If you're a super crazy illustrator doing intense professional industry stuff, you may need something more, but for ordinary mortals SAI is just fine.

And finally, a VERY rough price outline, give the above:

-Monitor, keyboard and mouse if you don't already have them (are you posting from a phone?): Maybe $100 for something basic. Even a lot of thrift stores will have SOMETHING.
-Sai: $80 (assuming you want to be "honest")
-Tablet: $50
-Desktop: $200-$400 for something basic, $800-1000 for something fancier if you want to/can afford it.

All highly variable depending on budget and what you're actually aiming for of course, but that's something to start with.

Damn, thanks a ton, that's a lot great info!

I hadn't really thought about getting a desktop again, though I do suppose it's an option. I actually have a very old tower and the various accoutrements in storage at my parent's somewhere- its fried and needs a new motherboard or something (brought it in many years ago but I think that's what he said), but I dunno, it may be worth giving it an upgrade.

Tbh, I do really like the portability of laptops, especially since I'd basically end up mostly browsing and streaming and shit, which I do prefer to do on the couch XD

My budget is, uh, extremely limited currently, so I think it most likely it'll be cheap chromebook for sake of ease, but maybe I should look into the desktop idea also. I don't know if it can be brought up to more modern specs with just a new motherboard or if it would even be worth the cost, but at any rate, since I have the rest of the stuff it could be worth it to get a tower later if i get a little extra income. Hmmm... you got me thinking ;)

On tablets though, i have tried them in the past- i imagine i still have my old bamboo tablet kicking around, probably with the rest of the stored stuff. I tried for some time and couldn't get the hang of it. It's been such a long time though I would certainly try it again before getting something super expensive, as much as I would die to get to play around with a nice screened tablet for a day or two XD

No problem! Glad there was some useful stuff in there, ended up being maybe a bit longer than it should have been.

The one caution I'll give is be careful with upgrading. It CAN be great, and like I said, is one of the things that makes desktops infinitely better than laptops in most cases. But there's also a kind of diminishing returns thing that happens. It's like a used car: up to a certain point, repairs make sense. But once repair cost reaches a threshold, it makes more sense to just scrap it and buy another used car. Ironically older hardware can sometimes be more expensive to upgrade/replace than newer stuff, just because it gets scarce. Long story short, feel free to look into reviving your old system, but at the end of the day it might be more worth it to just buy a nice "old" (but newer than what you've got) OEM system off Ebay and call it a day. Something like a standard Dell. Schools and big businesses are constantly shedding them as they upgrade, so there's always a steady supply. They're cheap, have a bunch of reliable, interchangeable parts, and generally better chance of luck than buying some rando's system off Craigslist. Either way though, best of luck!

There is definitely a bit of a learning curve with drawing tablets: figuring out how to counter their weird driver glitches, getting used to drawing on them, getting the pressure settings right in various programs etc. But there's so much to be gained once you do. One of the reasons I'm almost all digital is that I DON'T have an art room, and don't expect to. Tablet lets me do art anyway. I'm obviously not a laptop fan, but if I was in dire straights, I could theoretically carry a laptop and tablet in a backpack and draw nearly anywhere safe and warm (and with electricity of course).

I did want to say though, for all this talk of digital, it is cool to see someone still doing a bunch of "traditional" stuff. I started getting involved in the fandom around 99-00, and back then nearly everything was sketch, inks and marker. "Digital" meant you scanned your sketches and used Photoshop to "ink" and color them (with a mouse!). It's been a little sad to see that fade, as understandable as it is.

Ya that's a good point- computers are one of the rare things that are getting better for cheaper at the same time. I'll definitely do some research before committing to anything like that, but it's an interesting idea that I wouldn't have considered had you not mentioned desktops. I hadn't realized they were so different in abilities tbh.

Ha, we seem to have the opposite problem really- I don't lack for space per se as I live in a huge old drafty farmhouse, but that comes with the problem that the out of date thing doesn't heat (or cool) the upstairs rooms well, including my art room, so I don't hang out in there as much as I might otherwise. It's fine for drawing if I have a blanket but I'm not about to be doing my internet leisure time in there. I could theoretically set up shop downstairs where its warm, but, uh... not drawing porn with a roommate XD

I definitely won't be giving up on traditional any time soon. Theres certainly a lot to be said about digital and I enjoy the look of a lot of it, but for the doing I much prefer a more hands on approach. I'd miss my markers too much ;) Now a proper scanner however, that would be fantastic.

A scanner would be fantastic? Wait have you been...you have been just photographing the pieces, haven't you? I didn't even notice until I started looking for it. Nicely done. Agreed though, they are nice to have, and thankfully cheaper now, so hopefully you'll have a chance to grab one eventually. I still remember the $200 parallel port monstrosities that didn't even know what a "MegaPixel" was.

Lmao, yes, yes I have been! I do my best with a phone camera, but damn do I look forward to scanning eventually ;)