>not an artist, but fun to experiment
>don't have fancy enough software on this machine for that
>might hook up the old one just to use old copy of illustrator or photoshop - great when available cheap at school.
>ya might find not to old versions of that SW from torrents
>to use on your older machine,
> or use another harddrive to install a 32-bit linux distro { 64bit /depends on the CPU + linux distro },
> where some no-costs similar apps are available
Both GIMP and Krita are available for Windows (also Linux and Mac) and are free.
I only started using GIMP for Q stuff way back... and HATED it.
BUT.... I have come to like it and even love it.
It has far more power than I have yet grasped.
Probably the simplest way to think of it is as a photoshop alternative. But I don't think I have ever used Photoshop, so I don't know.
Basically you can do almost anything you want when it comes to image creation/manipulation.
Here is the crucial thing to know (which I did NOT know at first)... it is all about LAYERS.
You whole creation is a stack of LAYERS and you can only work on whatever layer you are working on. VERY easy to grasp once you get it and part of the reason it is powerful, but EASY way for newbs to get screwed.
The other software I have tried is Krita... seems more oriented towards free-form art rather than photo/graphic manipulation. Digital painting, etc. Looks very nice, but I haven't gotten into that much yet.
gimp.org
krita.org
Both designed for Linux but available on Windows for free.
But do agree with CM... best to switch to Linux in long run... SO many distros to pick from, and it is WAY easier to customize your space. No DISNEY apps poppin up every time you login!