Microsoft offer Free Expression!

The title's a pun, of course...

If you've not used "Expression" before, give it a go. I remember buying this way back when it was a Fractal Design product, like Painter. It took a bit of getting used to and I think I only ever used it on one commercial job. But I've seen some good things made with it and, as far as natural media effects on vector artwork are concerned, it still out-does Adobe Illustrator.

I'm no Microsoft fan, and I'm slightly worried that they bought Creature House, the original developers who took Expression back when Metacreations was broken up - it's a long story!
But Microsoft are offering Expression 3 as a free download for Mac and PC owners - so if you've never used it, or not upgraded, now's your chance. There's an irksome registration process, but I think it's worth it.

Microsoft Expression: "Microsoft acquired the Creature House technology and development team in 2003. As a service to the many loyal users of Expression, a free download version is available to existing users of the product for either Microsoft Windows or Mac OS. Follow the Download link to complete the registration survey and download the software."

(Thanks to Technovia for the tip-off)