Project Dogwaffle
Project Dogwaffle (and yes, that is a weird name) is the brainchild of special effects artist, novelist and animator, Dan Richie. What can it do, you ask? It can help you create amazing art or help you edit existing images as long as you manage to find your way around the software.
The program efficiently runs on a Windows and it is available for free download as long as it's for personal use only. There's a commercial version, of course, but if you're looking to save up some dough, then this free version will do the trick.
If you are looking for a simple but effective program that can churn out beautiful pieces of art in the end, then take a bite on Project Dogwaffle.