A Short Guide to Awesome Digital Brush Resources for Photoshop and Manga Studio

If you own a digital drawing tool, you’re already familiar with the brushes that come with it.
And for most people, the default brushes are adequate. But these brushes don’t really cut it for me. I almost always use custom brushes – whether it’s from the sets described below, or my own custom brush sets.

To make a long story short, I collect digital brushes like some people collect fine wines. It’s an obsession for me and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

With that in mind, I wanted to share a few of my favorite digital brush resources. Some of the brushes in my list are free while others cost a few bucks. Either way, you can’t go wrong with any of them. So, without further ado, here are some great digital brushes that are well worth your time in checking out.

Ray Frenden’s brush presets: Ray’s illustration work is par excellence, and so are the brushes he has painstakingly developed for both Photoshop and Manga Studio. I use Ray’s Lando Calbrusshian brush for all my line work in Manga Studio. Suffice to say, it’s easily my favorite digital brush. Whether you are looking for a brush that mimics a soft 2B lead pencil or a fine Sable, you’ll find what you need on Ray’s site. His brush sets are very affordably priced (between $5 to $7) and well worth purchasing.

Below are digital inks using Frenden’s Lando Calbrusshian brush.

For a more textured look, have a peek at Shaun Bryant’s Brush Set 001. Shaun is graciously giving these brushes away for free, but donations are strongly encouraged. These brushes are exclusively for Photoshop. And check out Shaun’s portfolio while you’re at it.

Chris Wahl’s MegaPack Brush Set for Photoshop is also another favorite of mine. I credit these brushes for helping me expand my range as a digital artist. Best of all, the set is absolutely FREE to download. There are lots of texture brushes here, but my favorites are the cross-hatching brushes (Set Seven). After you’ve grabbed his brushes, stop by and check out Chris’s killer portfolio site. He is, without doubt, one of my absolute favorite artists to follow online. Here’s a piece I created using Chris’s brush set:

There are, of course, many more digital brush sites online. But these, in my opinion, are all I really need for my work. Do you have a favorite digital brush resource you’d like to share? Post it in the comments and I’ll check it out.

-Krishna