Free Photoshop Brushes are a brilliant way to enhance your Photoshop experience without breaking the bank. They are super useful for creatives as they allow you to create digital art quickly and efficiently. There are lots of brushes pre-installed on the Photoshop software, but if can't find exactly what you are looking for, there are thousands of free third-party Photoshop brushes available online that will expand your tool kit.
In fact, it might even be a little overwhelming when it comes to finding your next brush because there are so many options out there – but that's where we come in. We've gathered up the best free Photoshop brushes available, and divided them into different categories to help you navigate your way around this guide.
On our list of free brushes, you should be able to find something totally suited to you and your project. We have collected every sort of brush from watercolours, to pencils, to spray paints, as well as element texture brushes for flowers, water and grass. While all these brushes are free, make sure you check the licensing for each brush, as not all of them are available for both commercial and personal use.
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If you aren't sure where to start when it comes to Photoshop, then make sure you have a look at our guide on how to download photoshop. Once you've downloaded the software, then check out our roundup of the best Photoshop tutorials and Photoshop Shortcuts to help you get to grips with the basics. If you are not sure if Photoshop is right for you, then see our list of the best Photoshop alternatives. If you get to the end of this list and decide that you haven't found the right brush for you, then head over to our list of Illustrator brushes where you might find what you're looking for.
Free Photoshop brushes for painting
01. Canvas brushes collection
- Designer: Radical Madder
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download the Canvas Brushes Collection from MyPhotoshopBrushes
This collection of 8 brushes might be small, but their authentic pencil, pastel and charcoal textures genuinely look like they were applied to a canvas. With this set you have the option to use a number of different realistic canvas effects, from streaky to triangle, that will make your work look as though you have drawn directly onto textured paper.
02. Digital oil painting brushes
- Designer: Martina Palazzese
- Usage: Free for personal use
- Download Digital Oil Painting Brushes from DeviantArt
Looking to create high-resolution oil paintings? Then these stunning brushes are the ones for you. This set designed by Martina Palazzese will give you the ability to create beautiful textures that look like realistic oil paintings. Make sure that when create with these brushes you are only using them for personal use.
03. Animation and illustration brushes
- Designer: Mateusz Urbanowicz
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use but please link to original download
- Download Matt's Painting Set from Gumroad
This brilliant set of free Photoshop brushes was created by Mateusz Urbanowicz based on the ones he uses for animation background and illustration painting. They emulate the way traditional animation backgrounds are painted, layering opaque poster colour paints with not-so-sharp brush strokes. They work best on larger canvas size files such as Full HD files. The set is free for personal and commercial use, but Mateusz asks that you link your artwork back to the original download if possible.
04. Concept art brushes
- Designer: Jeremy Fenske
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Free Brush Pack from Gumroad
Jeremy Fenske is a concept and visual development artist working in Los Angeles. As well as sharing this set of Photoshop brushes for free, he's also included a 35-minute video explaining how he uses them. Check it out for some helpful tips.
05. Painting textures
- Designer: Obsidian Dawn
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use but see terms
- Download Painting Texture from DeviantArt
These Photoshop brushes are actually textures, meaning you can create some interesting effects that are...well... textured. They're great for backgrounds and for experimentation in general. Check the terms for all uses as you'll need to credit the artist. But if you can't provide credit, a commercial licence is just $3.
06. Abstract painting
- Designer: Darrian Lynx
- Usage: Free for non-commercial use
- Download Abstract Paint Brushes from AllFreeDownload
This abstract paintbrush set offers a good range of options to explore. Many of them are perfect for creating a bright, messy, modern paint effect. This brush set is free for non-commercial use only.
07. Wavenwater Photoshop brushes
- Designer: Michael Guimont
- Usage: Free for personal use (contact artist for commercial licence)
- Download Wavenwater from DeviantArt
freelance concept artist and illustrator Michael Guimont put together this comprehensive set of Wavenwater Photoshop brushes based on his own personal collection of brushes and tool presets. We haven't counted exactly how many brushes are included in this set, but we can say there are certainly lots of options here that can add serious flair to your artwork.
08. Sakimichan Photoshop brushes
- Designer: Sakimichan
- Usage: Free for commercial and personal use
- Download Sakimichan Photoshop Brushes from DeviantArt
Deviant Art member sakimichan has made 56 of her favourite custom Photoshop brushes for painting available to download for free in this big bundle. She recommends painting at 70-100 percent opacity with the pressure option on, and says that the brushes are already set up for this.
09. Digital painting Photoshop brushes
- Designer: Aaron Griffin
- Usage: Free for commercial and personal use
- Download Digital Painting Photoshop Brushes from DeviantArt
Aaron Griffin is a self-taught illustrator and concept artist who's especially known for his figure paintings (his work has even graced the cover of our sister magazine ImagineFX). He's generously offering up the Photoshop brushes he uses to create his digital paintings, free of charge.
10. Thick acrylic paint strokes
- Designer: Creative Nerds
- Usage: Free for commercial and personal use
- Download Thick Acrylic Paint Stroke from CreativeNerds
The second instalment of a series of popular free Photoshop brushes from Creative Nerds, Thick Acrylic Paint Strokes Volume 2 allows you to quickly add an authentic paint effect to your illustrations. The brushes are free for both personal and commercial work, but you're not permitted to redistribute or modify them for resale.
11. Dry brush strokes for Photoshop
- Designer: Chris Spooner
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Dry Brush Strokes from SpoonGraphics
Dry Brush Strokes is a fantastic set of 12 free Photoshop brushes from Chris Spooner. These high-resolution dry brushes are superbly detailed, bristly and texture-rich. Featuring wispy lines and detailed edges, they're perfect for roughing up your artwork or distressing its edges.
12. Flower brushes
- Designer: Milka
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Flower Brushes from thedesignest
The artist Milka, aka Oxana Kuznetsova, is behind this beautiful botanical collection. It consists of 15 high-quality Photoshop brushes, inspired by roses, lilacs, dandelions and other flowers. It's perfect for stationery, packaging, printouts or other floral designs.
13. Dry brushes
- Artist: Kirk Wallace
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Dry Brushes from BoneHaus
Artist Kirk Wallace created these Dry Brush Photoshop brushes at home using ink and paper. Perfect for creating rough, harsh textures, they're also dynamic – you can click and drag to span larger areas without getting an ugly repeat effect, or you can paint with them.
14. Spray paint
- Designer: Creative Nerds
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Spray Paint from CreativeNerds
Creative Nerds is offering this spray paint effect Photoshop brush set to subscribers (it's free to subscribe). The pack includes four high-res brushes (2500px each) that you can use to add a distressed effect to your paintings.
15. Speedpainting set
- Artist: Darek Zabrocki
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download the Speed Painting Set from DeviantArt
Concept artist Darek Zabrocki has worked on some major projects in the fantasy art world, including Assassin's Creed, Magic: The Gathering and Halo Wars 2. He's offering the set of Photoshop brushes he uses for his speed paintings as a free download.
16. Deharme traditional painting set – sample
- Designer: Bastien Lecouffe Deharme
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download the Deharme traditional painting set from MyPhotoshopBrushes
This is only a sample of Lecouffe Deharme's full set of traditional painting brushes for Photoshop, but it provides a range of options, including oil, paint, charcoal and smudge brushes. If you like the sample, the full set of textured dynamic brushes is available on the designer's website for $6.
Watercolour Photoshop brushes
17. Watercolour brushes #2
- Designer: Snezhana Switzer
- Usage: Free for personal use
- Download Watercolours Photoshop Brushes #2 from Dropbox
This extensive pack of watercolour Photoshop brushes comes from Snezhana Switzer. It contains 40 Photoshop brushes, which all serve to mimick watercolours in digital paintings.
18. Furry watercolour Photoshop brush
- Designer: Heygrey
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Furry Watercolour Brush from BrushLovers
If you want to create a soft, hazy aesthetic, try this free furry watercolour Photoshop brush from Heygrey. It's described as a 'furry watercolour brush', and the creator suggests using it to create hazy backgrounds. We're especially impressed with the realistic watercolour effect achieved here.
19. Watercolour Photoshop brush: spray
- Designer: Creative Nerds
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Watercolour Brush: Spray from CreativeNerds
This Photoshop brush is handy for creating a large-scale watercolour spray effect in your artwork. It generates an impressively authentic effect, which you can apply to your own digital paintings with ease. Its creator says this brush was a pleasure to create.
20. Watercolour splatter
- Designer: pstutorialsws
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Watercolour Splatter from DeviantArt
These watercolour splatters were created with the help of professional-quality watercolour paint on cold press watercolour paper. There are 32 high-res Photoshop bushes in the pack, and you can download the lot for free.
Pen, ink, charcoal and pencil Photoshop brushes
21. Illustration brush set
- Designer: Matt Heath
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Illustration Brush Set from Gumroad
This set of free Photoshop brushes was created by designer Matt Heath using an 8B Staedtler pencil and custom settings, creating a natural feel and wide variety of textures. These are available from Heath's Gumroad page – simply enter $0 to get them for free. Donations are appreciated, of course, and if you like these, you can get a huge set of art brushes from Heath here.
22. Ink brushes
- Designer: Brittney Murphy
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Ink Brushes from DeviantArt
This set from designer Brittney Murphy contains a whopping 192 ink Photoshop brushes. You'll find big slabs, thin strokes, ink splotches and everything in between here. Murphy generously offers these brushes for free, with no attribution necessary, as long as they're not redistributed.
23. Pencil Photoshop brush
- Designer: Andantonius
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Pencil Photoshop Brush from DeviantArt
Create the effect of a soft pencil sketch without getting your hands and paper dirty with smudged lead. This pencil-effect Photoshop brush is one of the most realistic we've seen, and you can download it for free from DeviantArt, courtesy of professional digital artist Andantonius, aka Jon Neimeister.
24. Realistic charcoal Photoshop brush
- Designer: WojtekFus
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
- Download Realistic Charcoal Brush from DeviantArt
Charcoal's an essential part of any artist's toolkit, but it's undoubtedly the messiest as well. With this excellent charcoal brush set, you can get those soft charcoal lines without getting charcoal all over your hands and everything else.
25. Real markers
- Designer: Eilert Janßen
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial us
- Download Real Markers from HejBrush
Perfect for fashion illustrations, industrial design and storyboarding, this set of 12 free real marker brushes from Eilert Janßen enables you to create lively imagery that looks like it's been sketched with marker pens. If you like what you see, you can buy more of Janßen's brushes on his website.
Next page: Natural brushes
