Drawing in Blender

I’m a completely new blender user (just finished the beginer tutorials) and basically it’s my first attempt in the world of CG creation and animation.
One of my first goals is to create some 2D sprite animations using Blender’s animation tools. I can draw these sprites in another software (like Gimp) and afterwards import them in Blender for animating. But this method is not so flexible because if i want to change a sprite i’ll need to go back n forth from Blender to Gimp to achieve the best result.
So the question is about the drawing capabilities of Blender meaning does it have an integrated package of tools to draw in 2D like PS or Gimp? Can i draw vector, raster or both?
Also is there a drawing software that is compatible with Blender so when you change a sprite in that particular 2d drawing software to automatically change it in Blender when imported?
Sorry if the questions sound dumb. Just seeking some guidance & flexibility concerning this issue.
Thanks.

Think you very much for the links!