Design styles can be created with free resources like icons, vectors, custom illustrations, and notably brushes. Free brush packs are available all over the web dating back to Photoshop 7. There are now thousands of brush packs online made specifically for digital designers.
This collection of free Photoshop watercolor brushes can be perfect for anyone from graphic design to UI design and print work. Watercolor brush techniques can be applied to anything with a similar style.
Feel free to download any brushes that catch your attention and try them out in project work.
Wet PS Brushes
This free set of 20 brushes comes with PS clipping masks for each brush. They work just like watercolor designs and can be painted over textures or letters for a blended effect.
38 Hi-Res Watercolor Brushes
Hi-resolution watercolor scans were turned into brushes for this 38-pack brush set. Compatible with all versions of Photoshop, these paint splatters were created to specifically mimic the watercolor painting style.
Watercolor Splatters
If you’re looking for a splattered effect consider this more detailed brush set. It comes with 32 hi-res brushes and three extra photo textures. No credit is required so you can use these brushes on personal or commercial work for free.
Watercolor Basics
Realism is tough to recreate but it’s been done with this incredible watercolor set. These brushes replicate the contours and textures of watercolor lain to paper with very high precision.
Social Media Watercolors
Here’s a rather unique brush set focusing on social media brands. Each icon is designed like a grungy watercolor painting including popular networks like Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter. This is a very cool set for a watercolor-style design with a need for social icons.
Watercolor Textures
These painterly brushes feel much more controlled but still have a natural texture to them. Each brush comes in a high-resolution file size and blends perfectly into the background of any canvas.
Free Watercolor 7-Pack
Anyone in need of watercolor brushes will appreciate this 7-pack of high resolution watercolors. The designer perfectly replicates paint strokes and it feels incredibly natural for paint brushes.
Fine Detail Watercolors
Similar to the last set, this pack has 17 unique hi-res watercolor brushes for commercial or personal use. Again they look very natural and all blend together for the potential to replicate a real watercolor painting digitally.
Dark Watercolors
These brushes have a slightly harder feel and replicate oil paint more so than watercolor. However the pack can be used in a watercolor fashion with breezy elements that fit together like a charm. You’ll find 7 different brushes in this pack each at 2500px size.
WG Watercolor Brushes
The WeGraphics watercolor brush pack includes 20 fabulous high-resolution brushes with the natural elegance of watercolor. Each brush measures about 2000×2000 pixels and can be used for any type of creative project.
Watercolor Shapes
If you’re looking for more shapes and hard edges then check out these watercolor shape brushes. This pack includes 15 unique shapes which again come in very high resolution sizes(2500px wide).
20 Splatter Brushes
Watercolor paint splatters are just as popular and make the perfect companion with a painterly or grungy design. This brush pack includes 20 different styles which can work in photoshop 7-CC. CS6-CC users will actually get ultra-high resolution brushes at 5000px.
Hi-Res Watercolor Textures
Print designers will appreciate this set of 5 watercolor background texture brushes at 300DPI. You can set these for any print project or even downsample for the web. Each watercolor design is completely free to use in personal or commercial projects.
Real Paint Strokes
Paint is known to drip and splatter which makes this brush set extra believable. It comes with 10 different paint strokes duplicating the splatter effect of watercolor paint.
HK Watercolor Brushes
This Hongkiat exclusive offers 15 powerful watercolor brushes for Photoshop. The pack has a variety of brushes from large blotches to tiny dots and everything in-between. This is perhaps the most diverse pack in this list and certainly worthy of attention for that natural watercolor effect.
Bittbox Watercolor Brushes
Bittbox also has their own set of incredible hi-res watercolor brushes for free download. This pack was designed exclusively for Bittbox readers back when Photoshop CS2 was the newest program.
Bittbox Watercolor Brushes Vol2
The folks over at Bittbox decided to release a 2nd watercolor brush set to append onto the first one. Many of the same smears and designs have been recreated or added for extra-large brush effects.
Grungy Brushes
For a dirtier look try out this grungy watercolor brush pack also released by Bittbox. These brushes have less form and follow more of an abstract design with varying levels of opacity and shape.
Bittbox Freebie Pack
Bittbox released another big watercolor brush set for readers as an exclusive pack. Each brush measures 2500×2500 pixels with different styles from blotches to splatters.
qBrushes Watercolors
A brilliant collection of watercolor brushes with just the right amount of density. Change the opacity on your brushes to get a lighter touch, or update the blending mode for more natural effects.
Vector Watercolor Pack
These textured watercolor brushes are perfect for grunge effects on the web or in print design. Splatter effects can be copied with ease and blended into any background.
100 Essential brushes
If you need a huge brush pack then look no further. This 100 brush set has every type of brush design you could possibly imagine.
Simple Watercolor Brushes
This 22 brush pack has dots and spots of watercolor shapes for the everyday designer. Naturally these are completely free to use and work well in any design project.
Shapes & Splatters
Here’s another sample watercolor pack focused more on shapes. You’ll find rounded shapes, elongated shapes, and varying degrees of opacity as well. The pack contains 17 unique brushes and is completely free to download.
Watercolor Reloaded
DeviantArt has incredible resources released for free by talented artists. This is one great example titled the Watercolor Reloaded brush pack. It comes with 83 watercolor brushes that work in any version of Photoshop 7 or higher.
PS Watercolor Brush Pack
This simple 5-pack of watercolor brushes can be perfect for a more childlike project. The tones are simpler and fit more with the theme of children. You can download this pack for free off DeviantArt and use them in any digital design project.
Watercolor Brush Set 1-6
Here’s a neat brush pack that’s actually part of a collection. This is watercolor brush pack 5 with a total series of 1-6 available for download by xedgewolfx.
These watercolor brushes should offer way more than enough to get you on the right track. It’s never easy starting a new design project but it helps when you have resources at your disposal.