I want to make my own MSPFA and i need help

Hello, i'm new here and idk if this is the place where i can ask about this but i want to make my own MSPFA, idk how to start, is it really necessary use photoshop or i can use other drawing/art software? and are there some alternatives to flash to make Strife animations? idk anything about this stuff but i'm really curious about it.