What's up guys?
I've been thinking a lot about this... and today I'm finally making it just to get an idea on how to upload things and stuff. Actually Kyle and Mods will probably find out that I've had this project in my mind when I used to be red and cringy...
For the past months (actually now that I was managing my brushes, it's been +5 years) since I began this personal project of translating my traditional tools to digital painting software.
Unfortunately, I encountered a lot of roadblocks, such as software not being free, or not running in my puny notebook.
That was until 2019, when Autodesk Sketchbook became FREE to download for like 1 year, until Sketchbook became it's own thing and dettached from Autodesk.
Before Autodesk Sketchbook I tried a lot of different softwares, like Colors! (DS Homebrew) Colors! 3D, GIMP, Photoshop (CC 2016), ArtRage, Medibang, Krita, Paint.NET, FireAlpaca (it had a free version), Corel Painter, even Microsoft Fresh Paint, and one having Lime in it's name or something...
Autodesk Sketchbook was the only one that ran decently in my notebook (4GB RAM and 1.3Ghz Processor) and it took me a lot of time to learn how to use it's brush engine.
Ultimately, found it to be pretty good, and it did what I wanted at a relatively fast speed considering my specs.
Then, a whole new world of possibilities opened when I got a Tablet with Tilt Support! That made my 2019, 2020 and 2021 brushes outdated and began to make even more with Tilt support around 2022.
Personally, I don't think I'll ever change Autodesk Sketchbook for a long, long time. It's just that good!
GIF showcasing all the Brush Sets I've made as I kept learning the software.
All of these are different and made sets as I kept experimenting!
(NOT ALL MY FILES, THOSE ARE JUST 4 FOLDERS OUT OF LIKE 11)
So, for the past months (now, for real this time) I've been designing and scanning lots of different textures to make custom brushes that ressembles traditional media (Pencils, Charcoal, Pastel, Colored Pencils, Blending Stumps, Oils, Acrylics, Ink, Watercolor and Markers) and I feel like I'm finally reaching my last goal of porting traditional media to the digital world with Autodesk Sketchbook.
So, I'd like to start this thread with a free sample of my current work: Free Graphite Pencils for Autodesk Sketchbook! which you'll be able to download for free in this thread!
These particular brushes are intended to behave like a real pencil would.
If you're a draftsmen, you shouldn't need a lot of explanation about these... but if you're new, I'll post it's features.
I am an artist that still uses traditional media, so encountering digital software that behaves differently kinda threw me out of my confort zone. It's why I've spent a lot of time making custom brushes that works (near perfectly) like the real things, but with the added benefit of digital media.
So, if you're like me and still make use of traditional techniques and want an option to utilize tools that behaves like the real thing (near perfectly) please give my brushes a chance!
For now, all my brushes will be exclusively for Autodesk Sketchbook, since it's the software I use the most (I already explained above) and I'll be uploading more free samples of different custom brushes starting 2025. Maybe with enough resources, I'll port my brushes to ProCreate, Fresco or even Photoshop...
I'm also working in small demos of my custom brushes, timelapses, and drawing/painting tutorials.
Those will be announced later in the future. So be sure to follow either me or this thread if you're interested in drawing tutorials and free sample brushes!
This small project of mine was going to be published at the beggining of 2025, but thought that maybe, it would be a nice Christmas Gift for all my fellow artists out there. Lucky you!
Now a small Q&A:
Q: Where can I get Autodesk Sketchbook for my Computer?
A: Unfortunately, the time span that Autodesk made Autodesk Sketchbook availabe was very short. I still have my legit download from the site since 2019. But uploading it to the site would be illegal and we don't want to bring any troubles to the TEMP.
So you can find the OG Autodesk Sketchbook for your Computer if you look hard enought in... uh... some kind of Archives(dot)org something like that.
Q: How do I install these Free Brushes (or any other Free Brushes)?
A: Simply extract the ZIP file, and you'll find a file with the following extension .skbrushes. Once you've installed Autodesk Sketchbook, you'll be able to IMPORT a .skbrushes file via the Brush Library.
Q: Does these support Stylus Tilt?
A: Absolutely! And they're designed to work with it. Without Tilt support, you won't be able to use them as they were intended to be used. So, if your Tablet doesn't has Tilt support, you're out of luck. Sorry.
Q: Are these .skbrushes files compatible with every version of Autodesk Sketchbook and or Sketchbook (Standalone)?
A: I still have my Microsoft Store version of Autodesk Sketchbook (which was also free for a limited time) and yes, my brushes are compatible between both versions. I currently don't have Sketchbook and don't think I'll ever pay for it as they've removed lots of features that are free in the free version of Autodesk Sketchbook. So I'm not sure about that version of Sketchbook, but you could try!
Q: Where can I get more free .skbrushes?
A: I'm currently building different SETS with FREE samples. Those will get uploaded in this thread, Patreon and Gumroad as time passes on. So make sure to follow this thread if you're interested in this kind of content. Still, you can find many floating around the Internet.
Q: Do you ask for something in return?
A: For these FREE samples... Absolutely not! I'm not asking anybody to give me money or even a "follow me on my socials". But I do plan to sell sometime later full fledged sets of 30+ Custom Brushes for different traditional media. Those will be available on my Patreon and Gumroad pages (yet to be anounced).
Q: Will they be FREE too?
A: Free samples will be provided. If you like them, you'll have the chance to buy a full set of 30 plus custom brushes!
Q: Can you teach me to use these or other brushes?
A: I'm currently working in free demos that will be uploaded to my YouTube channel somewhere around the first months of 2025. It's a lot of work and I don't count with a lot of possibilities to be glued on my laptop all the time. So, if you're interested in learning, be sure to follow this thread for future announcements.
Q: Do you have socials where I can follow you? An on-line gallery?
A: Currently no. All the work I've done in these years were temporary and or studies that aren't meant to be part of a professional portfolio. So, if I ever do social accounts, I'll anounce them later.
Q: Do you have examples of work done with these brushes?
A: Again, as I kept testing things, tweaking settings, refining textures and what not, all the work I've currently done was temporary. But feel free to showcase your own creations with my brush sets!
Best regards!
I've been thinking a lot about this... and today I'm finally making it just to get an idea on how to upload things and stuff. Actually Kyle and Mods will probably find out that I've had this project in my mind when I used to be red and cringy...
For the past months (actually now that I was managing my brushes, it's been +5 years) since I began this personal project of translating my traditional tools to digital painting software.
Unfortunately, I encountered a lot of roadblocks, such as software not being free, or not running in my puny notebook.
That was until 2019, when Autodesk Sketchbook became FREE to download for like 1 year, until Sketchbook became it's own thing and dettached from Autodesk.
Before Autodesk Sketchbook I tried a lot of different softwares, like Colors! (DS Homebrew) Colors! 3D, GIMP, Photoshop (CC 2016), ArtRage, Medibang, Krita, Paint.NET, FireAlpaca (it had a free version), Corel Painter, even Microsoft Fresh Paint, and one having Lime in it's name or something...
Autodesk Sketchbook was the only one that ran decently in my notebook (4GB RAM and 1.3Ghz Processor) and it took me a lot of time to learn how to use it's brush engine.
Ultimately, found it to be pretty good, and it did what I wanted at a relatively fast speed considering my specs.
Then, a whole new world of possibilities opened when I got a Tablet with Tilt Support! That made my 2019, 2020 and 2021 brushes outdated and began to make even more with Tilt support around 2022.
Personally, I don't think I'll ever change Autodesk Sketchbook for a long, long time. It's just that good!
GIF showcasing all the Brush Sets I've made as I kept learning the software.
All of these are different and made sets as I kept experimenting!
(NOT ALL MY FILES, THOSE ARE JUST 4 FOLDERS OUT OF LIKE 11)
So, for the past months (now, for real this time) I've been designing and scanning lots of different textures to make custom brushes that ressembles traditional media (Pencils, Charcoal, Pastel, Colored Pencils, Blending Stumps, Oils, Acrylics, Ink, Watercolor and Markers) and I feel like I'm finally reaching my last goal of porting traditional media to the digital world with Autodesk Sketchbook.
So, I'd like to start this thread with a free sample of my current work: Free Graphite Pencils for Autodesk Sketchbook! which you'll be able to download for free in this thread!
These particular brushes are intended to behave like a real pencil would.
If you're a draftsmen, you shouldn't need a lot of explanation about these... but if you're new, I'll post it's features.
- Modulate the tone of your stroke with Hand Pressure. The harder you press on your Tablet, the darker the stroke will be!
- Tilt Support makes the stroke wider as you incline your stylus. Utilize your stylus sideways to fill in large areas with graphite, or in a vertical position for fine detailed lines!
- You can build up your tones with consecutive strokes of your sylus! No need to change between different values of grey to make light or dark tones.
- Everything behaves like the real things!
- Free 8 pencils, 1 blending stump and 1 textured eraser!
Can you find the ♦ hidden in the picture?
I am an artist that still uses traditional media, so encountering digital software that behaves differently kinda threw me out of my confort zone. It's why I've spent a lot of time making custom brushes that works (near perfectly) like the real things, but with the added benefit of digital media.
So, if you're like me and still make use of traditional techniques and want an option to utilize tools that behaves like the real thing (near perfectly) please give my brushes a chance!
For now, all my brushes will be exclusively for Autodesk Sketchbook, since it's the software I use the most (I already explained above) and I'll be uploading more free samples of different custom brushes starting 2025. Maybe with enough resources, I'll port my brushes to ProCreate, Fresco or even Photoshop...
I'm also working in small demos of my custom brushes, timelapses, and drawing/painting tutorials.
Those will be announced later in the future. So be sure to follow either me or this thread if you're interested in drawing tutorials and free sample brushes!
This small project of mine was going to be published at the beggining of 2025, but thought that maybe, it would be a nice Christmas Gift for all my fellow artists out there. Lucky you!
Now a small Q&A:
Q: Where can I get Autodesk Sketchbook for my Computer?
A: Unfortunately, the time span that Autodesk made Autodesk Sketchbook availabe was very short. I still have my legit download from the site since 2019. But uploading it to the site would be illegal and we don't want to bring any troubles to the TEMP.
So you can find the OG Autodesk Sketchbook for your Computer if you look hard enought in... uh... some kind of Archives(dot)org something like that.
Q: How do I install these Free Brushes (or any other Free Brushes)?
A: Simply extract the ZIP file, and you'll find a file with the following extension .skbrushes. Once you've installed Autodesk Sketchbook, you'll be able to IMPORT a .skbrushes file via the Brush Library.
Q: Does these support Stylus Tilt?
A: Absolutely! And they're designed to work with it. Without Tilt support, you won't be able to use them as they were intended to be used. So, if your Tablet doesn't has Tilt support, you're out of luck. Sorry.
Q: Are these .skbrushes files compatible with every version of Autodesk Sketchbook and or Sketchbook (Standalone)?
A: I still have my Microsoft Store version of Autodesk Sketchbook (which was also free for a limited time) and yes, my brushes are compatible between both versions. I currently don't have Sketchbook and don't think I'll ever pay for it as they've removed lots of features that are free in the free version of Autodesk Sketchbook. So I'm not sure about that version of Sketchbook, but you could try!
Q: Where can I get more free .skbrushes?
A: I'm currently building different SETS with FREE samples. Those will get uploaded in this thread, Patreon and Gumroad as time passes on. So make sure to follow this thread if you're interested in this kind of content. Still, you can find many floating around the Internet.
Q: Do you ask for something in return?
A: For these FREE samples... Absolutely not! I'm not asking anybody to give me money or even a "follow me on my socials". But I do plan to sell sometime later full fledged sets of 30+ Custom Brushes for different traditional media. Those will be available on my Patreon and Gumroad pages (yet to be anounced).
Q: Will they be FREE too?
A: Free samples will be provided. If you like them, you'll have the chance to buy a full set of 30 plus custom brushes!
Q: Can you teach me to use these or other brushes?
A: I'm currently working in free demos that will be uploaded to my YouTube channel somewhere around the first months of 2025. It's a lot of work and I don't count with a lot of possibilities to be glued on my laptop all the time. So, if you're interested in learning, be sure to follow this thread for future announcements.
Q: Do you have socials where I can follow you? An on-line gallery?
A: Currently no. All the work I've done in these years were temporary and or studies that aren't meant to be part of a professional portfolio. So, if I ever do social accounts, I'll anounce them later.
Q: Do you have examples of work done with these brushes?
A: Again, as I kept testing things, tweaking settings, refining textures and what not, all the work I've currently done was temporary. But feel free to showcase your own creations with my brush sets!
Best regards!
Last edited by JuanMena,
