how do I go about creating an association for image editing in XP with free drawing program?

Answer 1

Open a folder (any folder) and select Tools > Folder Options.
Select the File Types tab.
Scroll down the list of known file types to the file you want to associate.
Click on the file type and select Change.
Click on the desired program in the next window, and then click OK all the way out.

The next time you open that type of file, it will open with the selected program.