Image credit: Adobe Create Magazine
Free Photoshop brushes
For creatives, Photoshop brushes are a dream. They save bucket-loads of time, by enabling you to create rich artwork quickly, without having to draw all the individual design elements each time.
If you're just starting out, it may feel overwhelming as there's a huge spectrum of Photoshop brushes available. Brushes range from grunge and watercolour brushes to leaf designs and fabric textures, and cloud patterns to glass shatters. While Photoshop CC does ship with a set of brushes pre-installed, they only scratch the surface of what's possible with the brush engine.
To make things a bit clearer, we've split our selection into four categories to help you find the perfect Photoshop brush:
- Photoshop brushes for painting – for mimicking a traditional art effect
- Natural brushes – everything from hair to clouds, trees, fire and water effects
- Grunge Photoshop brushes – for when you want a distressed or aged effect
- Fantasy and comic brushes – including half-tone brushes and sparkle effects
Whether you're using an older version of Photoshop or have recently joined Creative Cloud, grab the free Photoshop brush downloads below and start creating stunning design flourishes in your artwork.
Need some help getting started? You'll find lots of handy advice in our list of top Photoshop tutorials.
Photoshop brushes for painting
01. Wavenwater Photoshop brushes
This set features lots of options
- Designer: Michael Guimont
- Usage: Free for personal use (contact artist for commercial licence)
Kicking our list off is this comprehensive set of Wavenwater Photoshop brushes from freelance concept artist and illustrator Michael Guimont. We haven't counted exactly how many brushes are included in this set, but there are lots of options to add serious flair to your artwork.
02. Sakimichan – Photoshop Brushes for painting
These brushes work best at 70-100 percent opacity
- Designer: Sakimichan
- Usage: Free for commercial and personal use
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. Bear in mind these brushes were created in PS5 and although they work in CS4 and CS3, she isn’t sure about other versions. (Although the comments on the page suggest they work for CS6 and CC too.)
03. Photoshop brushes: paint
Griffin is a pro illustrator and concept artist offering up the brushes he uses, for free
- Designer: Aaron Griffin
- Usage: Free for commercial and personal use
Aaron Griffin is a self-taught illustrator and concept artist known especially for his figure paintings (his work 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.
04. Photoshop bruses: thick acrylic paint strokes
Quickly add authentic paint strokes to your work
- Designer: Creative Nerds
- Usage: Free for commercial and personal use
The second instalment of a popular set of free Photoshop brushes from Creative Nerds, Thick Acrylic Paint Strokes volume 2 lets you 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.
05. Free Photoshop brushes: paint lines
Add authentic paint strokes to your designs
- Designer: env1ro
- Usage: Free for personal use; email him about commercial use
Paint Lines Photoshop brushes include 24 very hi-res brushes that will provide a real-media feel to your design work. Some brushes look like paint tin marks, while others are thicker, meaning there's lots of options within the pack.
06. Dry brush strokes for Photoshop
These brushes are amazingly detailed
- Designer: Chris Spooner
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Dry Brush Strokes are a set of 12 excellent free Photoshop brushes from Chris Spooner. These high-resolution dry brushes are fantastically detailed, bristly and texture-rich. Featuring whispy lines and detailed edges, they're perfect for roughing up your artwork or distressing your edges
07. Free Photoshop brushes: dry brushes
The dry brushes are dynamic
- Artist: Kirk Wallace
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Artist Kirk Wallace created these Dry Brush Photoshop brushes at home using ink and paper, and offers them to you for free. 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.
08. Dripping paint Photoshop brushes
Add realistic dribbles of paint to your art
- Artist: LilithDemoness
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Dripping Paint brushes will add realistic dribbles of paint to your digital designs. They're the work of DeviantArt user LilithDemoness and there are 14 in the set to choose from.
09. Free Photoshop brushes: spray paint
These brushes can add a distressed, street art look to your designs
- Designer: Creative Nerds
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Creative Nerds is offering this spray paint effect Photoshop brush set completely free. The pack includes four high-res brushes (2500px each). Use them to add a distressed effect to your paintings.
10. Speedpainting set
- Artist: Darek Zabrocki
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Concept artist Darek Zabrocki created this speedpainting set of brushes. The artist has worked for some of the biggest projects and companies in the fantasy art world, including Assassin's Creed, Magic: The Gathering and Halo Wars 2. He's generously offering the set of Photoshop brushes he uses for his speedpaintings for free download.
Watercolour Photoshop brushes
11. Furry watercolour Photoshop brush
Soften things up with this choice of brush
- Designer: Heygrey
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
If you're looking to create a soft, hazy aesthetic in your work, try this free furry watercolour Photoshop brush from Heygrey. It is 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 that has been achieved here.
12. Watercolour Photoshop brush: spray
The creator says this brush was a pleasure to create
- Designer: Creative Nerds
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
This large-scale watercolour spray Photoshop brush is handy for creating a watercolour spray effect in your digital artwork. The creator has achieved an impressively authentic effect, which you can apply to your own artwork with ease.
13. Watercolour splatter: free Photoshop brushes
There are 32 high-res brushes in the pack
- Designer: pstutorialsws
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
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 – they work with Photoshop 7, CS, CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS6 and CC – and you can download the lot for free.
Pen, ink, charcoal and pencil Photoshop brushes
14. Free Photoshop illustration brush set
- Designer: Matt Heath
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
This set of free Photoshop brushes was created by designer Matt Heath using an 8B Staedtler pencil and custom settings giving a natural feel and wide variety of textures. These are available from Heath's Gumroad page – simply enter $0 to get them for free (or buy him a coffee) and if you want more you can get a huge set of art brushes right here.
15. Ink brushes
Featuring big slabs, thin strokes, ink splotches and everything in between
- Designer: Brittney Murphy
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Introducing designer Brittney Murphy's set of ink Photoshop brushes. Among the impressive 192 brushes included in the set, you'll find big slabs, thin strokes, ink splotches and everything in between. Murphy generously offers these brushes for free, with no attribution necessary, however, she does ask that they're not redistributed.
16. Pencil Photoshop brush
This brush is one of the most realistic out there
- Designer: Andantonius
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Create the effect of a soft pencil sketch, but without the grubby hands and smudged paper. This pencil-effect Photoshop brush is one of the most realistic we've seen, and you can download it for free on DeviantArt, courtesy of professional digital artist Andantonius, aka Jon Neimeister.
17. Realistic charcoal Photoshop brush
Avoid the mess but keep the effect with this digital charcoal
- Designer: WojtekFus
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Charcoal's an essential part of any artist's toolkit, but it's undoubtedly the messiest as well. Get those soft charcoal lines – without getting charcoal all over your hands and everything else – with these excellent charcoal brushes.
18. Real markers: free Photoshop brushes
Sketch with realistic marker pens
- Designer: Eilert Janßen
- Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Perfect for fashion illustrations, industrial design and storyboarding, this set of 12 free real marker brushes by Eilert Janßen enables you to create lively imagery that looks like it's been sketched out with marker pens. If you like what you see, Janßen sells a set of 300 marker brushes for just $9.
Next page: Natural brushes
