Best 15 free Photoshop Brushes

Whether you're using an older version of Photoshop or have joined Creative Cloud, grab the free Photoshop brush downloads below and start adding amazing design flourishes to your work.

Painterly brushes

01. Spray paint

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.
Restrictions: No redistribution.

02. Furry watercolour brush

If you're looking to create a soft, hazy aesthetic in your work, try this free 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.
Limitations: None

03. Real markers

Perfect for fashion illustrations, industrial design and storyboarding, this set of 12 free 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.
Limitations: none

04. Pencil brush

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 Jon Neimeister.
Limitations: none

05. Watercolour paint spray

This large-scale Photoshop brush is handy for creating a watercolour spray effect in your digital artwork. The creator has achieved an impressively authentic effect.
Restrictions: No redistribution

06. Watercolour shapes and splatters

If you're going for a watercolour feel in your work then these shapes and splatters will help you get the look just right; just don't overdo them.
Limitations: free for personal use; contact for commercial use

07. Dry brushes

Artist Kirk Wallace created these brushes at home using ink and paper, and offers them to all for free. Perfect for rough, harsh textures, Wallace uses them in his own fruit prints.
Limitations: none

08. Dripping paint brushes

Add realistic dribbles of paint to your digital designs with these free Photoshop brushes. They're the work of DeviantArt user LilithDemoness and there are 14 in the set to choose from.
Limitations: Free for commercial use

09. Watercolour splatters

These watercolour splatters were created with the help of professional-quality watercolour paint on cold press watercolour paper. There are 32 high-res bushes in the pack, and you can download the lot for free and use them without attribution in your work.
Limitations: None

10. Artist brushes

Aaron Griffin is a self-taught illustrator and concept artist known especially for his figure paintings.  He's generously offering up the Photoshop brushes he uses to create his digital paintings, free of charge.

11. Dry brush strokes

A set of 12 excellent brushes from Chris Spooner. These high-resolution dry brushes are fantastically detailed, bristly and texture-rich.
Limitations: none

12. Thick acrylic paint strokes

Add an authentic acrylic paint effect to your work with this set of free Photoshop brushes. This is volume II – volume I proved so popular, the designers at Creative Nerds decided to expand their collection. Ideal for mimicking an impasto effect in your digital designs.
Restrictions: No redistribution

13. Technical brushes

A beautiful set of 10 illustrative brushes in a technical-drawing theme, including wonderfully detailed cross-sectional designs.
Limitations: none

14. Paint lines

These 24 very hi-res brushes will provide a real-media feel to your design work. Some brushes look like paint tin marks, while others are thicker, providing lots of options within the pack.
Limitations: none

15. Realistic charcoal brush

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 brushes.