The message is "thanks for two awesome years together, but if you're not happy I will send an American Football-playing Japanese biker gang to kick your ass."
I'm flattered that you recalled that police girl picture!
She's a Hellsing character, whose in-canon nickname is Kitten. It's a series full of Nazis, werewolves, badass immortal vampires and... her.
Anyway, I guess that's sort of my point. There's so many different ways to create art using the computer, and I've dabbled with several different methods in the last couple of years. That old police girl picture started life as a pencil and ink drawing, which was coloured in Photoshop 7. The card I made last night never saw paper - I was able to draw and alter the lineart from scratch in Flash (and I still find it quickest and easiest to colour in Photoshop, because Flash doesn't recognise layers very well). It really all depends on what you're hoping to do, to what extent you'd like to edit (I find that scanning doesn't always preserve pictures very well) and how far you'd like to experiment.
That said,
here's the tablet I use. I think I picked mine up just a little cheaper second-hand, but it's the same one alright. There's a cheaper Wacom listed, and they've got a good reputation, but the only one I can vouch for is my slightly grouchy but ultimately steadfast Trust.
Happy hunting!
-Pips-