I'm not exactly new to digital painting myself, but your article should definitely give a beginner some good directions. I've started with a really cheap wacom tablet at some point and I'd say for someone who is not 100% sure they want to go all out on digital painting it's a better choice than getting an expensive screen tablet right away.

For me learning the eye-hand-coordination aspect wasn't as big of a deal, but I can see that someone else might struggle with that, however I think one can get used to it quickly enough to not get frustrated with it, it's a fair learning curve, where you can see how you improve and it shouldn't feel like an impossible task!

One option you didn't cover is drawing on the PC with a mouse. I know it's not recommended, but since you also mentioned the drawing on the phone I'd say it's worth pointing out that at least some people have gotten used to that as well. Especially in the comic or Flash animation area there are a few people who mastered the mouse and used it for a long time or might even still be using it. If someone has a PC but simply can't even afford a cheap tablet they might give it a shot!