The Tarnished Toolset Project

10 styles of pencil-like, pen and painting tools for general use

usable in Photoshop, ClipStudioPaint and Procreate

I like using pencils to draw. Sharpened 2B pencils, REALLY dull 4H pencils or a cheap mechanical pencil have been my favorites.

BUT Ever since I started learning digital painting/drawing, I've been trying to make some pencil-like brushes that felt good for me. Years later I finally have some 'pencil-like' brushes built from scratch that I actually enjoy using.

After I asked a few friends to try it out, I realized that every one of us used the tool differently and have different preferences. Some of us like solid lines and want graininess from a light touch, some of us like grainy brushes with no opacity, and some of us love the side of a pencil and use it like conté. There isn't one right answer to "what is the best feeling pencil".

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This project is now an ongoing one where I ask some friends and artists I know if they have preferences for a brush that they would like to see. I then try to customize and tailor a brush for them. I'll be updating this set in the future as more ideas arrive.

The first guest: Nas Pasha (reMENgeance on X) asked for a pen-like tool that had a bit of grit to it when using a lighter touch. The Nas Pen was born.

The BASE set of tools were created according to my preferences.

The brushes won't make you a better artist, but hopefully they can make drawing more enjoyable.

These brushes were created with the intention of viewing it zoomed at between 50% and 200%. If you sketch zoomed out on a very large canvas, the textures may need to be scaled up to see. There are XL versions for some of the brushes, but if that isn't enough, you might need to scale them further.

The hope of this set is to provide AT LEAST ONE brush that you enjoy drawing, shading or hatching with.

You may use these for personal or professional work.

I want more of us to enjoy the power of drawing

-Mike-

instagram. twitter/X. Ko-fi

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version 1_00 - April 03, 2025